One of the greatest gifts of practicing medicine for more than four decades is realizing that every patient has something new to teach us. No matter how many years of experience we accumulate, the human body continues to surprise us.

Recently, I was treating a patient suffering from chronic lower back pain and persistent muscle cramping. After completing my evaluation, I decided to incorporate therapeutic bloodletting as part of her treatment.

What happened next immediately caught my attention.

Knee pain and inflammation are some of the most common issues I see in my clinic. Whether it comes from aging, injury, or long-term wear and tear, the underlying cause is often the same:

Stagnation, inflammation, and lack of proper circulation—both physically and energetically.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the knee is closely connected to the Kidney and Liver systems, which govern the strength of the joints, tendons, and bones. When these systems become weakened—or when Qi and Blood are not flowing properly—pain and inflammation begin to develop.