The Unexpected Cure: How Chinese Martial Arts Healed My Chronic Pain
Ever felt like your body's in a constant state of struggle?
That was me with my chronic wrist and back pain. It felt like a relentless shadow over my shoulders, day after day - for almost a decade.
But then, I stumbled upon an unlikely hero: Chinese martial arts.
Pain, as I learned, is like a beaver dam blocking a creek—Chinese medicine sees it as an obstruction.
Clearing this blockage isn't always straightforward though, especially with chronic conditions. It's not just about removing the obstruction; it's about understanding and addressing the underlying issues.
My journey into martial arts wasn't just about learning to punch or kick; it was about mastering the basics: body mechanics, balance, alignment, rotation, and shifting.
These fundamentals brought my imbalances and dysfunctional patterns front and center.
I've been honing these skills for 14 years, starting every session with the same basics. Because without them, my movements lacked power and opened me up to injury and more pain.
Slowing down and focusing on each movement taught me to calm my nervous system on demand, reducing inflammation and promoting healthy blood flow and energy circulation—especially beneficial for my wrist and back.
These practices didn't just support my physical health; they prepared me mentally to stay present and composed during stress.
It was seriously a revelation: movement, balance, alignment, and stress were intertwined, fueling a cycle of pain I couldn't get out from under.
My 2 wrist surgeries failed because they never tackled these root causes.
Martial arts have become my self-applied rehab and therapy, teaching me daily how to realign and rebalance.
I'm still a work in progress, but I'm leagues ahead of where I started, and my wrist and back?
They've never felt better!
This journey has taught me that healing is about more than just treating symptoms.
It's about understanding and adjusting the fundamentals of how we move and live. And for me, Chinese martial arts and Eastern medicine was the key to unlocking that door.