Acupuncture excels at treating chronic shoulder pain that does not respond well to conventional treatment

Shoulder comprises of several joints combined with tendons and muscles to allow wide range of motion in the arm. Shoulder pain is a common problem and can be caused by many factors including problems with tendons (tendinitis or tendon tear), muscles (rotator cuff disorders), instability, arthritis, bone fracture, nerve damage and frozen shoulder. When shoulder pain occurs you should seek your doctor’s advice and better have X-ray, MRI or blood tests done to find out the causes of pain. Standard treatment of should pain includes rest, ice/heat packs, pain killers, anti-inflammatory medication, physiotherapy and even surgery in some cases.

  

If shoulder pain lasts more than 6 months it is called chronic shoulder pain which is a serious problem and has more impact on the activities of daily living. Although rest and ice/heat provide temporary relief, other standard treatments have their limitations or side-effect after prolonged use.

Acupuncture excels at treating chronic, nagging types of shoulder pain that does not respond well to the standard treatment. Acupuncture stimulation at acupoints improves blood flow, decreases inflammation and reduces pain. Unlike local injection of cortisone, acupoints used in acupuncture therapy are far away from painful area. This approach achieves therapeutic effect without causing any additional discomfort. Many studies of chronic pain including shoulder pain reported acupuncture is very effective in treating chronic shoulder pain condition.

Reference:

Itoh K et al., Randomized trial of trigger point acupuncture treatment for chronic shoulder pain: a preliminary study. J Acupunct Meridian Stud. 2014 Apr; 7(2):59-64. doi: 10.1016/j.jams.2013.02.002.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24745863