素问·刺腰痛 Needling for Lumbar Pain
足太阳脉，令人腰痛，引项脊尻背如重状；刺其郄中太阳正经出血，春无见血。少阳令人腰痛，如以针刺其皮中，循循然不可以俛仰，不可以顾。刺少阳成骨之端出血，成骨在膝外廉之骨独起者，夏无见血。阳明令人腰痛，不可以顾顾如有见者，善悲；刺阳明于䯒前三痏，上下和之出血。秋无见血，足少阴令人腰痛，痛引脊内廉；刺少阴于内踝上二痏，春无见血，出血太多，不可复也。厥阴之脉，令人腰痛，腰中如张弓弩弦；刺厥阴之脉，在腨踵鱼腹之外，循之累累然，乃刺之，其病令人善言，默默然不慧，刺之三痏。解脉令人腰痛，痛引肩，目䀮䀮然，时遗溲；刺解脉，在膝筋肉分闲郄外廉之横脉出血，血变而止。解脉令人腰痛如引带，常如折腰状，善恐，刺解脉，在郄中结络如黍米，刺之血射以黑，见赤血而已。同阴之脉，令人腰痛，痛如小锤居其中，怫然肿；刺同阴之脉，在外踝上绝骨之端，为三痏。阳维之脉，令人腰痛，痛上怫然肿，刺阳维之脉，脉与太阳合腨下间，去地一尺所。衡络之脉，令人腰痛，不可以俛仰，仰则恐仆，得之举重伤腰，衡络绝，恶血归之；刺之在郄阳筋之间，上郄数寸，衡居为二痏出血。会阴之脉，令人腰痛，痛上漯漯然汗出，汗乾令人欲饮，饮已欲走。刺直阳之脉，上三痏在蹻上郄下五寸横居，视其盛者出血。飞阳之脉，令人腰痛，痛上拂拂然，甚则悲以恐；刺飞阳之脉，在内踝上五寸，少阴之前，与阴维之会。昌阳之脉，令人腰痛，痛引膺，目䀮䀮然，甚则反折，舌卷不能言；刺内筋为二痏，在内踝上大筋前，太阴后上踝二寸所。散脉令人腰痛而热，热甚生烦，腰下如有横木居其中，甚则遗溲，刺散脉，在膝前骨肉分间，络外廉束脉为三痏。肉里之脉，令人腰痛，不可以咳，咳则筋缩急，刺肉里之脉为二痏，在太阳之外，少阳绝骨之后。
腰痛侠脊而痛至头几几然，目䀮䀮欲僵仆；刺足太阳郄中出血，腰痛上寒，刺足太阳阳明；上热，刺足厥阴。不可以俛仰，刺足少阳。中热而喘，刺足少阴，刺郄中出血。腰痛上寒不可顾，刺足阳明；上热，刺足太阴，中热而喘，刺足少阴。大便难刺足少阴。少腹满，刺足厥阴。如折不可以俛仰不可举，刺足太阳。引脊内廉，刺足少阴。腰痛引少腹控䏚，不可以仰，刺腰尻交者，两髁胂上。以月生死为痏数，发针立已，左取右，右取左。
The foot taiyang channel, when disordered, causes lower back pain that pulls at the nape, spine, sacrum, and back, as though carrying a heavy weight; needle the xi-cleft point of the taiyang channel proper to let blood; in spring, do not let blood. Shaoyang, when disordered, causes lower back pain as if the skin were being pricked with a needle, gradually worsening, so that one cannot bend forward or backward, nor turn to look back; needle the tip of the cheng gu bone of the shaoyang channel to let blood — the cheng gu is the bone that rises alone on the outer edge of the knee; in summer, do not let blood. Yangming, when disordered, causes lower back pain such that one cannot turn to look back, and turning as if seeing something strange, being prone to sorrow; needle the yangming channel at the front of the shin, three punctures, harmonizing above and below to let blood; in autumn, do not let blood. Foot shaoyin, when disordered, causes lower back pain that pulls into the inner border of the spine; needle the shaoyin channel above the inner ankle, two punctures; in spring do not let blood — if too much blood is let, it cannot be restored. The jueyin channel, when disordered, causes lower back pain as if the lower back were a strung bow or crossbow-string, taut; needle the jueyin channel at the outer side of the calf's fish-belly near the heel — palpate along it until a nodule like a string of beads is felt, and then needle it; this disease may cause the patient to talk excessively, or conversely to fall silent and dull-witted; needle it three times. The jie mai, when disordered, causes lower back pain that pulls into the shoulder, with blurred vision, and occasional involuntary urination; needle the jie mai at the transverse vessel on the outer border of the cleft, between the sinew and flesh of the knee, to let blood, stopping once the blood changes color. The jie mai may also, when disordered, cause lower back pain as if a sash were pulling at it, constantly as though the back were about to break, with a tendency to fear; needle the jie mai where, in the cleft, a knotted vessel like a millet grain can be felt; needling it, the blood will spurt out black; stop once red blood appears. The tongyin channel, when disordered, causes lower back pain as if a small hammer were lodged within, with sudden swelling; needle the tongyin channel above the outer ankle at the tip of the jue gu, three punctures. The yangwei channel, when disordered, causes lower back pain with sudden swelling above the pain; needle the yangwei channel where it joins the taiyang channel below the calf, about one chi above the ground. The transverse network vessel, when disordered, causes lower back pain such that one can neither bend forward nor backward; bending backward risks falling, this disorder being caused by lifting heavy objects and injuring the back, so that the network is severed and bad blood collects there; needle it between the cleft and the yang sinew, several cun above the cleft, transversely, two punctures, to let blood. The huiyin channel, when disordered, causes lower back pain with profuse sweating above the pain; once the sweat dries, the patient wishes to drink, and after drinking wishes to run about; needle the zhiyang channel, three punctures above, located transversely five cun below the cleft on the qiao channel; observe where it is most replete and let blood there. The feiyang channel, when disordered, causes lower back pain with a fluttering sensation above the pain; in severe cases, sorrow and fear; needle the feiyang channel, five cun above the inner ankle, in front of the shaoyin channel, at its meeting point with the yinwei channel. The changyang channel, when disordered, causes lower back pain that pulls into the chest, with blurred vision; in severe cases, the body arches backward and the tongue curls so that speech is impossible; needle the inner sinew, two punctures, located above the inner ankle in front of the large sinew, behind the taiyin channel, about two cun above the ankle. The dispersing vessel, when disordered, causes lower back pain with heat; when the heat is severe, vexation arises; below the lower back it feels as if a beam of wood lay crosswise within it; in severe cases there is involuntary urination; needle the dispersing vessel, located between the bone and flesh in front of the knee, at the bundled vessel on the outer border of the network, three punctures. The rouli channel, when disordered, causes lower back pain such that one cannot cough; coughing causes the sinews to contract and tighten; needle the rouli channel, two punctures, located outside the taiyang channel, behind the jue gu of the shaoyang channel.
When lower back pain flanks the spine and extends up to the head, stiff and rigid, with blurred vision as though about to collapse, needle the foot taiyang channel at the cleft to let blood. When lower back pain is accompanied by cold above, needle the foot taiyang and yangming channels; when accompanied by heat above, needle the foot jueyin channel. When one cannot bend forward or backward, needle the foot shaoyang channel. When there is heat within accompanied by panting, needle the foot shaoyin channel, letting blood at the cleft. When lower back pain is accompanied by cold above and one cannot turn to look back, needle the foot yangming channel; when accompanied by heat above, needle the foot taiyin channel; when there is heat within accompanied by panting, needle the foot shaoyin channel. When defecation is difficult, needle the foot shaoyin channel. When the lower abdomen is full, needle the foot jueyin channel. When the pain is as if the back were broken, so that one can neither bend nor lift it, needle the foot taiyang channel. When the pain pulls at the inner border of the spine, needle the foot shaoyin channel. When lower back pain pulls into the lower abdomen and draws at the flanks, so that one cannot lean back, needle the point where the lower back and sacrum meet, above the two protruding hip bones. Determine the number of punctures according to the waxing and waning of the moon; once the needle is withdrawn, the disease is cured at once. For pain on the left, needle the right; for pain on the right, needle the left.