Most back pain is muscular, and most of it responds well to hands-on work. The catch is that the sore spot is often not the problem — it is where the problem shows up. TCM back treatment looks for the restricted, overworked area that keeps dragging on it, and treats that instead.
This page covers what a back pain session at My Father’s Feet involves, what it helps with, and the symptoms that mean you should see a doctor before booking anything. Our pain care centre is MFF TCM Kovan, Blk 201 Hougang Street 21, #01-11, with a registered TCM physician on site. Open daily, 10am–10pm.
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Does massage actually help back pain?
For mechanical back pain — the muscular, movement-related kind that makes up the large majority of cases — hands-on treatment usually reduces the ache and restores movement, and the clearest change tends to show by the second or third session. It is not a treatment for disc injury, nerve compression or inflammatory joint disease. Those need a doctor, and we will say so if that is what your symptoms suggest.
The distinction that matters is between the place that hurts and the place that is causing it. A lower back that aches every afternoon is frequently being pulled on by tight hip flexors and glutes that have shortened from sitting. Work the lower back alone and the relief lasts until the next working day. Release what is holding it and the gap between sessions starts to stretch out.
The four patterns we see most
- Lower back ache from sitting
- A dull band across the lower back that builds through the day and is worst when you stand up after a long stretch at a desk. Usually hip flexors and glutes rather than the back itself. Tui Na along the lower back, hips and the back of the legs, with sustained pressure on the points that refer into the ache.
- One-sided lower back pain after lifting or twisting
- Sharper, on one side, and you can often name the moment it started. The muscle has guarded and stayed guarded. Slower, more careful work to persuade it out of the spasm; cupping over the area often helps here because it lifts the tissue rather than pressing into it.
- Upper back and between the shoulder blades
- A burning or gnawing patch between the spine and the shoulder blade, worse the longer you look at a screen. Tied to neck and shoulder posture more often than to the upper back itself — see neck and shoulder pain if that is the bigger half of it.
- Ache or tingling running down the back of the leg
- Often, but not always, tight glutes and deep hip rotators compressing the nerve on their way past. Careful work on the hip and glute usually eases it. If there is numbness, or weakness in the foot or leg, stop reading and see a doctor — see the red flags below.
What a back pain session involves
- A short assessment. Where it hurts, how long it has been there, what makes it worse, what you do all day. At MFF TCM Kovan this is done by a registered TCM physician before any treatment starts.
- The hands-on work. Usually 60 minutes. Tui Na first — pressing, kneading and stretching along the muscle chains and meridian lines feeding the sore area. Cupping or gua sha added if the tightness warrants it.
- Aftercare you can actually use. What to do that evening, what to avoid, and the one or two things about how you sit or lift that are keeping it coming back.
Tell your therapist if the pressure is too much. It should be firm, and a tight spot will feel tender while it is worked, but it should never be something you have to brace against — bracing tightens the muscle and works against the whole point.
Tui Na or a deep tissue back massage?
| Tui Na for back pain | Deep tissue back massage | |
|---|---|---|
| Comes from | Traditional Chinese medicine | Western sports and remedial massage |
| Works on | Meridian lines, muscle attachments, joint movement | Deep muscle layers and fascia, locally |
| Best for | Back pain that keeps returning, stiffness, restricted movement | A specific knotted muscle you can point to |
| How it feels | Firm and rhythmic, with stretching | Slow, sustained, sometimes intense |
| Typical session | 60 minutes | 60 minutes |
Neither is better in the abstract. If you know exactly which muscle is the problem, deep tissue is efficient. If the same ache has been coming back for months and you cannot say why, the TCM approach of following the chain is more likely to find it.
When back pain needs a doctor first
Massage is the wrong first step, and can delay the right one, if any of these apply. Please see a doctor before booking:
- Numbness around the groin, inner thighs or buttocks, or any change in bladder or bowel control — this needs same-day emergency assessment
- Weakness in a leg or foot, or a foot that drags or gives way
- Back pain after a significant fall, accident or impact
- Fever alongside the back pain, or feeling generally unwell
- Pain that is clearly worse at night or wakes you, unexplained weight loss, or a history of cancer
- Back pain in someone with osteoporosis, or on long-term steroids
None of this is common, and none of it is us being cautious for the sake of it. It is the short list of things that hands-on treatment cannot help and should not be used for. If you describe any of it at the assessment, we will tell you to see a doctor rather than treat you.
How many sessions before it eases?
It depends on how long it has been there. Tension that built up over a few weeks often eases substantially in one or two sessions. Something you have carried for years takes a course of treatment, and the honest answer at the first visit is usually “come back once and we will both know more”.
A rough pattern: weekly for the first two or three sessions while it is at its worst, then every two to four weeks as maintenance if you want to keep it away. If the cause is how you sit for nine hours a day, sessions manage it — changing the setup is what fixes it. We would rather tell you that than sell you a package.
What we do not do. No needle acupuncture and no herbal prescriptions at any outlet — the treatment here is entirely hands-on. We do not diagnose disc problems or nerve conditions, and we make no claim to cure anything. If what you have needs a doctor, we will say so.
Where to go
For back pain specifically, go to MFF TCM Kovan — Blk 201 Hougang Street 21, #01-11, Singapore 530201, a few minutes from Kovan MRT on the North East Line. It is our dedicated pain care centre, the outlet with a registered TCM physician on site, and the only one offering cupping and gua sha alongside Tui Na.
Our neighbourhood outlets offer Tui Na-influenced body massage and back and shoulder massage, which will help a tired, aching back, but they do not include the physician-led assessment:
- MFF Kovan — #01-07, four doors from the pain care centre
- MFF Yio Chu Kang — ICB Shopping Centre, Yio Chu Kang Road
- MFF Paya Lebar — SingPost Centre, connected to Paya Lebar MRT
- MFF Buona Vista — The Star Vista
- MFF Clementi — The Clementi Mall, above Clementi MRT
- MFF City Hall — Capitol Singapore
First visit: one hour of TCM pain relief, $88
A 60-minute TCM Pain Relief Tui Na Massage is $88 on your first visit (usual $148) at MFF TCM Kovan, including the assessment and your aftercare guidance. Other treatments start from $38++. Rates vary by outlet — message us for the current menu.
Frequently asked questions
Is massage effective for chronic lower back pain?
For mechanical, muscular lower back pain, yes — it usually reduces the ache and restores movement, with the clearest change by the second or third session. Chronic means it has had longer to establish itself, so expect a course rather than a single fix. It is not a treatment for disc injury, nerve compression or inflammatory joint disease.
Can you treat a slipped disc?
No. A suspected disc problem needs a doctor and, usually, imaging. We can often help with the muscular guarding that develops around one, but only after a doctor has assessed you and only as a complement to their advice, not instead of it.
Can it feel worse afterwards?
Occasionally, for a day, in the way a hard workout leaves you sore. That settles. Pain that is sharper, spreading, or comes with numbness or weakness is not normal after a session — stop and see a doctor.
Will you use cupping on my back?
Often, if the tightness suits it, and only at MFF TCM Kovan. It leaves round, bruise-like marks that fade in about three to seven days. They are not damage and they are not painful once the session ends, but tell us if you have something coming up where they would be visible. More on cupping.
How long is a session?
Usually 60 minutes, including the assessment at the start. That is long enough to work the back and the areas pulling on it rather than only the sore patch.
Do I need a diagnosis or a referral first?
No. Most people arrive describing a pattern rather than a diagnosis, and the assessment covers what we need. If your symptoms suggest something that needs a doctor, we will tell you.
I am pregnant. Can I still come?
Tell us before you book. Back pain in pregnancy is common and treatable, but the approach changes, some techniques are avoided entirely, and cupping and gua sha are not used. Message us and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right place.
If your back is worse at a desk than on your feet, we have gone into why that happens in more detail: why your lower back hurts more sitting than standing.
Come and get it looked at
If your back has been sore for weeks rather than days, an hour with someone who assesses it first is worth more than another evening of stretching and hoping. Walk in any day between 10am and 10pm, or message ahead for evenings and weekends.