腰腿痛

Key differentiation: Cold-damp obstruction shows cold, heavy, aching pain in the low back and leg with restricted motion, worsened by cold and eased by warmth, with a pale tongue, white greasy coating, and a deep tight or soggy pulse. Damp-heat pouring downward produces burning pain refusing pressure, short reddish urine, heaviness of the lower extremities, a red tongue with a yellow greasy coating, and a soggy-rapid or slippery-rapid pulse. Blood stasis obstructing the collaterals shows fixed stabbing pain worse at night with restricted flexion-extension, often with a history of trauma or chronicity, a purplish tongue possibly with stasis spots, and a choppy pulse. Liver-Kidney vacuity presents with sore weak lumbus and knees and dull persistent pain worsened by exertion and eased by pressure; yang-vacuity subtype adds cold aversion and cold limbs with a pale tongue and deep thin pulse, while yin-vacuity subtype adds vexing heat and tidal fever with a red tongue with scant coating and a fine rapid pulse. Repletion calls for expelling pathogens and freeing the collaterals; vacuity calls for supplementing the Liver and Kidney.