Lumbago is one of the common symptoms after childbirth.

Since the disease cause and treatment of postpartum lumbago differ from those of internal miscellaneous lumbago, later physicians have dedicated separate chapters to discuss it.

bubble_chart Pattern Analysis

1. Kidney Deficiency︰Lumbago lingers, soreness and weakness in the shins and knees, vertigo and tinnitus, numbness in the hands and feet, complexion pale or shallow yellow, tongue texture pale, pulse deep and thin. Mostly caused by labor injury to kidney qi during childbirth, injury to the meridians, compounded by excessive loss of blood, leading to kidney deficiency and blood deficiency. The waist is the residence of the kidney, and lack of nourishment due to kidney deficiency results in lingering lumbago. Accompanied by symptoms of kidney deficiency and blood deficiency such as vertigo and tinnitus, soreness and weakness in the shins and knees, and a dull complexion. Treatment should focus on nourishing blood and tonifying the kidney, using Eight Precious Ingredients Decoction plus Eucommia Bark, Donkey-hide Gelatin, Chinese Taxillus Herb, etc.
2. Cold-dampness Obstructing Collaterals︰Lumbago with difficulty in turning over, aggravated by cold, coldness in the waist and abdomen, soreness and heaviness in the limbs, a swollen tongue with tooth marks, white, slippery, and greasy tongue coating, and a deep, slow pulse. It is mostly caused by postpartum qi and blood deficiency, with cold-dampness pathogens taking advantage to invade, obstructing the meridians, while static blood stagnation is often due to postpartum static blood obstructing the meridians. Cold-dampness obstructing the collaterals has distinct characteristics of cold-dampness pathogens blocking the collaterals, such as coldness and heaviness in the waist, difficulty in turning over, soreness and heaviness in the limbs, etc. Static blood retention manifests as lumbago like a锥刺 (pricking pain), ecchymosis on the tongue texture, and a wiry, rough pulse. Although both are excess patterns, the former should be treated by warming yang and draining dampness, using Licorice, Dried Ginger, Poria and White Atractylodes Decoction with modifications.
3. Static Blood︰Lumbago is as sharp as an awl's stab, slightly relieved after movement, or accompanied by lower abdominal pain, with possible ecchymosis on the edge of the tongue, and wiry and choppy pulse. It is advisable to dispelling stasis to unblock collaterals, treated with modified Pubescent Angelica and Taxillus Decoction.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Rumen Shiqin．"After a major childbirth, some women experience lumbago around the navel and abdomen, which is caused by the retention of harmful blood and waste. Doctors often mistakenly treat it as a deficiency-cold condition with drying and heating medicines, a practice that has been erroneous for a long time."
2. Nyuke Jinglun．"On Postpartum Conditions: The fetus is connected to the kidneys, and the waist is the external manifestation of the kidneys. Consumptive disease due to blood coagulation harms kidney qi and damages the uterine collaterals, mostly belonging to deficiency. Even if there is wind-cold and stagnant blood, it is essential to also focus on supplementing vital qi."