Acupuncture For Shoulder Pain

By Kimberly Guorong Du, CMD, LAc

Evergreen Acupuncture & Herbs, LLC

. http://evergreenacupunctureandherbs.com

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Acupuncture For Shoulder Pain

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) considers human health as facing the tensions created by opposing forces in nature, the yin and yang. Acupuncture treatment aims to restore balance between the opposing energy forces.

A concept of vital energy flow linking circulation to neurological function is fundamental to the practice of acupuncture. The vital life energy, Chi, is thought to flow through a set of interconnected channels, called meridians, which follow a circadian rhythm.

According to TCM, pain in the shoulders is caused by Chi and blood blockage. It is mainly believed that excessive use or injury decreases the regional skin defense. The pathogenic factors of wind, cold, and dampness invade the patient's body through his skin, which results in stasis of Chi and blood in the channels. The blockage of Chi and blood leads to pain and stiffness.

Acupuncture has been used for the treatment of clinical disorders in China for several thousand years. It is an effective and safe treatment option that can release pain and enhance the speed and degree of recovery.

Classical acupuncture usually selects local, distal and tender (ashi) points to treat shoulder pain according to the course of the meridians.

The purpose of this method is to relax the muscles, disperse pathogenic factors such as excess wind, cold, and dampness, remove obstruction in the affected meridians and their collaterals, and regulate the Chi and blood.

A combination of local and distal classic Chinese acupoints is commonly used for the treatment of shoulder pain. For frozen shoulders, patients must do proper functional exercise everyday to restore movement.

For the most severe cases, the shoulder may be completely rigid. If this happens, a general anesthetic may be used to manipulate the joint in order to restore mobility. However, this treatment may increase the patient's pain initially. In order to prevent this, the patient should start acupuncture treatment as soon as possible.

Besides acupuncture, cupping and moxibustion are standard methods too. Herbal medicine may be used as well. For most patients the shoulder pain will disappear after 3-10 treatments. But in severe cases, patients need many more treatments.