Acupuncture for Shoulder Pain

Can acupuncture treat shoulder pain?

Muscular pain is one of the condition we see the most of in our clinics.  Acupuncture may be used for relieving or reducing pain (2,3,4,5).

How can acupuncture help?

At TLC Acupuncture Clinic our practitioners have received training in advanced techniques that help to relieve or reduce pain.   We address shoulder complaints by focusing on:

• Reducing muscular tension
• Increasing joint and muscle mobility
• Normalizing joint fluid levels
• Removing/reducing inflammatory markers
• Increasing cellular growth and repair

Is acupuncture the right choice for shoulder pain?

Trauma or degeneration are the cause of shoulder pain.  Trauma is inclusive of sprains, strains, tearing and dislocations.  Degenerative conditions are inclusive of arthritis, tendinitis, bursitis or frozen shoulder.  If you are experiencing shoulder tension or pain and have ruled out a break, tear or dislocation then acupuncture may be a good treatment option (2).

Pain medications temporarily ease pain but often come with side effects and most types are not suitable for long term use.    Acupuncture is a drug free treatment option.

Often people turn to physiotherapy for shoulder pain, however in the initial stages of pain, exercising the area with physical therapy can aggravate the condition.  Physiotherapy is a great modality for building muscle strength and is useful when a muscular weakness contributed to the injury or has occurred as a result of the injury.   We often refer to physiotherapists in the second stage of treatment but in the initial inflamed stage we find acupuncture is a better option.

When should I see an acupuncturist?

If you are experiencing pain, please book a visit with one of our practitioners.  We will tailor an acupuncture treatment plan to your specific condition, aimed at reducing pain and restoring function. You can receive acupuncture immediately after an injury or on the following day after surgery. Our acupuncturists can select acupuncture points away from the injury or surgical site.

The team at TLC Acupuncture Brisbane are passionate about your health and helping you achieve the fastest result possible.  Shoulder pain is something that can be treated by any of our practitioners, in any of our locations and is something we see regularly in practice.

Clinical research trials for acupuncture as an effective treatment for shoulder pain

There are plenty of clinical studies which confirm that acupuncture may be effective treatment for shoulder complaints and pain.  Some of these include:

1. Investigation of the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of frozen shoulder.  Conducted in July 2016 by Asheghan M, Aghda AK, Hasemi E, Hollisaz M.

This study concluded that acupuncture ultimately improved the overall movement of flexion and adduction of the shoulder and acupuncture will be recommended for patients with this condition.

2.  Efficacy of acupuncture as a treatment for chronic shoulder pain. Amanda Tiffany Lathia , S M Jung, Lan X Chen

3. Randomised trial of long term effect of acupuncture for shoulder pain. Juan Antonio Guerra de Hoyos , Maria Del Carmen Andrés Martín, Elena Bassas Y Baena de Leon, Miguel Vigára Lopez, Teresa Molina López, Francisco Antonio erdugo Morilla, Maria José González Moreno

4. German Randomized Acupuncture Trial for chronic shoulder pain (GRASP) – A pragmatic, controlled, patient-blinded, multi-centre trial in an outpatient care environment Albrect F. Molsberger, Thomas Schneider, Hermann Gotthardt, Attyla Drabik.

5. Acupuncture for analgesia in the emergency department: a multicentre, randomised, equivalence and non-inferiority trial. Marc M Cohen, De Villiers Smit, Nick Andrianopoulos, Michael Ben-Meir, David McD Taylor, Shefton J Parker, Chalie C Xue and Peter A Cameron

Disclaimer – Each individual’s treatment and/or results may vary from patient to patient based upon the circumstances of the patient’s specific situation.  A result is not promised and/or guaranteed  from the act of receiving a treatment.