In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), injuries don’t heal in isolation. Whether we’re talking about horses, dogs, or humans, pain, stiffness, and slow recovery are signs that something deeper is blocking the body’s ability to repair itself. If circulation is obstructed, inflammation and Heat are trapped, or Dampness lingers in the tissues, healing slows, no matter how much rest, time off, or topical support is used.
Simply increasing circulation without addressing these underlying imbalances can actually delay healing. For tissues to repair properly, the entire system has to be supported.
What Happens in the Body When an Injury Occurs
When an injury happens, Heat naturally develops as part of the inflammatory response. At the same time, Dampness can accumulate, especially if circulation is compromised or the digestive system is already under strain. This combination leads to swelling, stiffness, and restricted movement across species, whether that’s a horse coming up sore, a dog moving stiffly, or a human dealing with lingering pain.
Pain itself tells us a lot in TCM.
Sharp, stabbing pain indicates Qi (energy) and Blood are stuck.
Bruising or lingering tenderness suggests old, stagnant Blood is present, preventing fresh, nourishing Blood from reaching the area.
Dull, aching pain often comes from Cold slowing Qi and Blood, causing muscles and connective tissue to contract and tighten.
Each of these patterns requires a different approach. Treating them all the same leads to incomplete healing, regardless of the body you’re working with.
Dampness, Cold, and Heat: Why They Matter
Dampness creates heaviness, swelling, and that “stuck” feeling where joints or muscles just won’t loosen up. Damp tends to linger and slow healing, especially when digestion is weak, a pattern we see commonly in animals and humans alike.
Cold causes constriction. It slows circulation, tightens muscles, and can turn an acute injury into a chronic one if it isn’t addressed. Cold-related injuries often feel worse with inactivity or cold weather and improve slightly with warmth.
Heat brings inflammation, redness, and sensitivity. If Heat becomes trapped, it dries tissues, irritates nerves, and prolongs pain instead of allowing regeneration.
Healing requires clearing what doesn’t belong: Damp, Cold, and excess Heat, while restoring proper movement of Qi and Blood.
Blocked Channels Mean Delayed Healing
In TCM, pain exists where flow is blocked. When channels are obstructed, tissues don’t receive enough oxygen, nutrients, or fresh Blood to repair themselves. This is why old injuries flare repeatedly or never seem to fully resolve, whether in an athletic horse, an aging dog, or an active human.
Opening these channels while also nourishing the body is key. Moving Blood without rebuilding it leads to depletion. Nourishing without movement leads to stagnation. Both must happen together.
The Role of the Spleen in Recovery
The Spleen is responsible for producing Qi and Blood from the food that is eaten. If the Spleen is weak, the body cannot generate enough new, healthy Blood to replace what is stagnant or damaged.
This is why digestive health plays such a critical role in injury recovery across all species. Without strong digestion, healing stalls, even when everything else appears to be done “right.”
How Diet Impacts Inflammation and Healing
Highly processed feeds, inflammatory foods, and excess sugars create internal Dampness and Heat, which directly slow tissue repair. This applies to horses, dogs, and humans alike. An anti-inflammatory, clean diet reduces internal stress on the body, allowing healing work to actually take hold.
Supporting digestion while removing inflammatory input creates an environment where injuries can finally resolve instead of cycling.
Healing Requires a Whole-Body Approach
In TCM, we don’t just treat the injury; we treat the system behind it. That means:
- Supporting the Spleen to produce new Qi and Blood
- Moving stagnant Blood while clearing old accumulation
- Expelling Cold or Heat that prevents tissues from relaxing
- Resolving Dampness that causes swelling and stiffness
- Opening blocked channels so nourishment can reach the injury
This is exactly why we formulated Repair for horses, dogs, and humans to support circulation, move stagnation, calm inflammation, and nourish the body at the same time.
When these pieces work together, healing doesn’t have to be forced.
The body remembers how to repair itself.
