Pain syndromes result from stagnated, disordered, or interrupted circulation.
The longer the stagnation persists, the more likely there will be a combination of qi, moisture, and blood disorders. Also, persisting stagnation is said to lead to a heat syndrome which can have systemic as well as local impact. However, for less severe pain and for situations where pain is not responsive to modern medications, Chinese herbs should be considered. As described in Synopsis of the Pharmacopoeia by C.S. Cheung and U.A. Kaw, there are ten basic types of pain treated by Chinese medicine. A distinguishing feature is migrating pain.