Back of the Knee?

Most people never think twice about the back of their knee. They just feel its there for a reason and only notice it when it gets sore or agitated. I can only tell you that TCM practitioners have a very different perspective of this region. We actually use this region as a primary area to target to treat disorders.

Without gong into detail regarding how I was trained to treat, I’ll just say that diagnosing affected Meridians and treating their paired Meridians is the focus. The Leg TaiYang channel is very useful in treating a verity of internal and physical ailments.

However, I use this Meridian most in treating low/mid back pain. You probably asking yourself how can this be. Again, I will discuss the more technical aspects if Meridian theory in future blogs. I ask you now to appreciate the significance of the back of the knee in treating back pain.

The Acupuncture point that I use most in this region is Bladder 40. This point is located at the midpoint of the transverse cease of the popliteal fossa. I needle this point most for low back pain. The results speak for themselves. Sometimes, after just one treatment, the patient pain has subsided significantly.

Most patients look at me very cautiously when I ask them to turn on the belly so I can needle this point on the back of their knee. After the treatment is finished, they still have that look on their face but for a different reason; they don’t understand how that point treated their back.

It is at this time where I give them an explanation of the relationships of Meridians etc… They appreciate the information but still are bewildered. I just smile and tell them to just enjoy their progress and give thanks to the ancient healers of TCM.