N 상담 AI
Yon's Talk

Me? A Muscle Tear??
Muscle Tears in Daily Life

Hello. This is Dr. Hong Ji-yeon, director of Yon Korean Medicine Clinic.

The Tokyo Olympics wrapped up a while ago, didn't they? The women's volleyball team captivated even those who had no interest in sports! It was truly impressive. I admired the fighting spirit of all our athletes, who gave their all without fear of injury.

In particular, I heard that Kim Yeon-koung tore her abdominal muscles during the Olympic qualifiers but played through the pain with painkillers. Wow! Is that even possible?! Although it wasn't my abdominal muscles, I have torn a muscle before, so I know that pain better than anyone. That is why I would like to talk in detail about these 'muscle issues' today.

Olympic Fighting Spirit and Muscle Tear Story
My Experience

A Gastrocnemius Tear That Came Out of Nowhere

It was a little less than two years ago, on an autumn day that had suddenly turned chilly. I had been standing in the cold for a long time and felt a sharp, stinging pain in my leg when I suddenly moved. I had a bad feeling. It felt like a classic muscle tear.

I immediately went to a clinic that could perform an ultrasound, and sure enough, I was diagnosed with a 'gastrocnemius tear.' I recovered quickly by combining pharmacopuncture, acupuncture, cupping therapy, herbal medicine, and taping, but I have painful memories of dragging my leg to treat patients while I was injured.

Here is the question! Kim Yeon-koung may have suffered a muscle tear due to overuse of her abdominal muscles, but why did my gastrocnemius tear? Although I had done exercises that stimulated my calves the day before, that was only a secondary factor; unfortunately, the main cause of my muscle tear was 'blood deficiency.'

In Korean medicine, the liver governs the muscles. When liver blood becomes deficient, dryness appears throughout the body, and muscles that should be soft and nourished gradually dry out. As a result, muscles can easily tear and get injured even under light, everyday stress.

Cupping therapy during muscle tear

▲ The director receiving cupping therapy at the time of the muscle tear

Causes

Muscle Tears in Daily Life,
What is the Real Cause?

Cause 01

Liver blood deficiency
governing the muscles

Cause 02

Muscle dryness due to
loss of nutrients

Cause 03

Stagnation of blood circulation
due to cold weather and tension

Cause 04

Natural aging of the body
over time

Insight & Care

"I did the same thing as usual,
but now my body hurts"

"I didn't do anything special, I just walked, but my back hurts."
The key here is that you 'did the same thing as usual.' The fact that your body hurts even though you moved as you always do is an unfortunate sign that there is a problem with blood deficiency or circulation, and ultimately, that your body is aging. Please listen carefully to what your body is trying to tell you.

Leg pain and discomfort
Treatment 01

Light Stretching

If you keep having muscle problems, it is important to gently stretch to loosen the muscles and strengthen them through exercise. (Never overdo it!)

Treatment 02

Direct Acupuncture

Acupuncture is applied to the hardened and damaged muscle areas to directly stimulate them and facilitate normal recovery.

Treatment 03

Nutrient Supply, Pharmacopuncture

Pharmacopuncture treatment is performed on muscles that have become dry and parched due to blood deficiency to supply essential nutrients.

Treatment 04

Fundamental Treatment, Herbal Medicine

Acupuncture and pharmacopuncture alone can be like pouring water into a leaky vessel. 'Root-cause treatment' (Bon-chi) through herbal medicine is essential to address overall blood deficiency and circulation issues.

"From the Tokyo Olympics to women's volleyball, Kim Yeon-koung,
abdominal muscle tears, liver blood deficiency, aging, and treatment!
That was quite a long post."

Thank you very much for reading this far.^^
I hope you have a healthy and vibrant day by listening to the small signals your body sends you!