Physical pain can be caused by trauma, like, for example, a bad fall with bruising or even damage to a joint, tendon, muscle or bone. Or it may be the result of overuse, such as osteoarthritis or of inflammation, such certain types of sciatica or rheumatoid arthritis.
In Chinese medicine, pain is analysed in successive steps.
First, pain sensation is always considered stagnation, namely of Qi (energy) and/or Blood, depending if the pain sensation is dull or sharp.
Second, the root-cause has to be established. Why did it come to this stagnation? Is there an underlying Deficiency? Is there underlying Excess?
Treatment will be a mix of moving Qi & Blood (acute pain sensations) and slowly eliminating the underlying causes ❤