Real Muscle Disorders

It was originally thought that external treatment methods represented by Fu's Subcutaneous Needling could treat many types of muscle-related disorders. Later, it was gradually recognized that there is only one type of tissue these external treatments can act on directly—muscles and their accessory structures. They have no clear direct effect on other tissues such as nerves, glands, bones, and dermis; any effect, if present, is indirect. This aspect will be discussed in detail in the next chapter, Post-Muscular Diseases.

Prolonged muscle tension can easily affect the small arteries passing through or adjacent to the muscles, leading to local circulatory disorders and subsequent pain. Pain caused by muscular issues mainly has the following characteristics:

A. The pain is mostly soreness or distension, rarely stabbing;

B. Localization is generally inaccurate—patients can only point out a rough area;

C. It often affects synergistic muscles;

D. Most patients experience relief from hot compresses and massage but dislike pressure. Simple touching or rubbing of the skin has little effect on this type of pain;

E. The pain often worsens in the following situations: cold weather, overuse of the affected muscles, insufficient sleep, or poor mood;

F. The pain often alleviates in the following situations: after taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); after the affected muscles get rest; when the weather turns warm; after massage; or when in a pleasant mood;

G. Long-term pain often leads to changes in related bones and joints, such as bone hyperplasia, pseudospondylolisthesis, scoliosis, and knee joint deformation.

In addition to pain, there are two other common symptoms of functional muscle disorders:

A. Decreased muscle strength of the affected muscles, making patients prone to fatigue and lassitude;

B. Reduced range of movement (ROM) of the relevant joints. The second characteristic, ROM, is often used as an objective indicator to evaluate the therapeutic effect of pain or muscle-related issues.

Of course, the disorders caused by muscular problems are far more than these three characteristics—pain, decreased muscle strength, and reduced ROM. They can also trigger many other symptoms, such as urinary incontinence, "prostatitis," and chronic dry cough. However, we have often overlooked the role of muscles in these disorders in the past, falling into habitual thinking and attributing the causes of these internal medicine conditions to other factors.