Our ancestors carefully observed the symptom of a stiff, painful neck that prevents someone from turning their head properly. In the Donguibogam, the nape is called the posterior neck (gyeonghang), and pain in this area was not viewed merely as simple muscle pain. Rather, it was seen as the result of a blockage and stagnation in the circulation of qi and blood, which serves as the essential pathway of our body.
Consider what happens on a highway if thick fog suddenly rolls in, ice freezes across the road, and rain pours down. The road becomes blocked, and cars slow to a crawl. The Donguibogam explains that the factors of wind, cold, and dampness—corresponding to this fog, ice, and rain—invade our body's meridians and gather in the nape.
Wind wanders from place to place like a breeze and triggers pain, while cold causes muscles to contract and stiffen with its cold qi, hindering movement. Dampness, with its sticky and heavy nature, prolongs the pain and makes the body feel weighed down. In modern daily life, prolonged exposure to air conditioning, working in places where cold qi circulates, and sitting for long periods in cramped, damp postures act in the exact same manner as an invasion of wind-cold-dampness.
When qi stagnates and clusters like this, blood circulation also falters, preventing muscles and tendons from receiving adequate nourishment. It is like parched earth that cracks and hardens without sufficient water. Because our body functions as a single organism, the Donguibogam explains that neck pain is not merely an isolated problem of that area, but a sign to reassess the balance of the whole body and the flow of the circulation of qi and blood. Instead of looking only at the painful spot, it holds the perspective of seeking out and addressing the fundamental cause of the pain.
