脅肋疼痛的中醫治法介紹

Traditional Chinese medicine therapy in treating rib pain

脅肋疼痛為臨床常見的主訴，可見於多種外傷及內科疾病。臨床表現為胸脅處有壓痛點，胸悶痛、偶發呼吸不暢，用力如咳嗽時疼痛加重。經鑑別診斷，在排除心、肺、風濕免疫問題或其他可能危及生命的狀況如氣胸、血胸之後，西醫並未進行積極處理，僅使用止痛藥、肌肉鬆弛劑或物理治療來緩解胸脅軟組織疼痛。中醫有許多治療脅肋疼痛的經驗，靈活運用內服藥、針灸及傷科手法，且療效顯著，本文將做一綜合介紹。

Rib pain is a common complaint clinically, and could be involved in a variety of injuries and internal diseases. Clinical manifestations include tender points in rib area, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and increasing pain when coughing. After diagnosing and excluding problems of heart, lung, rheumatism, immune diseases and other life-threatening conditions, such as pneumothorax or hemothorax, western medicine would only relieve rib pain by prescribing analgesic and muscle relaxant, or arranging physical therapy programs. Traditional Chinese medicine has gotten many experiences in treatment rib pain with internal medicine, acupuncture and manipulation, and achieved significant effect. We will introduce these therapies in this article.