As one of the most mobile joints in the body, the shoulder is highly susceptible to injuries that can severely limit daily activities and quality of life. In practice I find most shoulder pain in the under 50’s has been triggered by overuse particularly from gym work / heavy lifting. In the over 50’s frozen shoulder and arthritis are more likely, though rotator cuff problems common at any age.
Rotator Cuff Injuries: Inflammation or tearing of the tendons surrounding the shoulder joint, often from repetitive motions. I find that patients with rotator cuff problems often respond very quickly to acupuncture in terms of pain relief. Using acupuncture combined with hands on manual tuina massage is really important here as this is a high risk area to needle – using tuina to access the deeper muscle fibres instead of acupuncture is much safer.
Adhesive Capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder): Characterised by stiffness and pain that restricts joint movement. Research in the Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine (2023) suggests that acupuncture effectively improves the range of flexion and extension across all clinical stages. I find that improvement for true frozen shoulder is frutratingly slow and always recommend acupuncture alongside physiotherapy tailered exercises with a good physio.
Impingement Syndrome: There are various types of impingment syndrome often with really acute pain on movement, A 2024 study in Medicine found that manual acupuncture combined with exercise therapy significantly improved short-term pain relief and quality of life compared to sham treatments. It’s so important to stop the activites that may have contributed to this and that can be extremely difficult for patients who love being active and participate in sports.
Acupuncture involves inserting thin needles into specific “acupoints” or “ashi points” to stimulate the nervous system. According to a 2024 clinical update in the
Journal of Pain Research, this process triggers the release of
endogenous opioids and biochemical mediators that suppress pain signaling at spinal and supraspinal levels.
Studies published in
Scientific Reports (2024) highlight that acupuncture significantly improves
range of motion (ROM), particularly in abduction and external rotation, by modulating local inflammation and muscle tension. I find electroacupuncture is often needed when the problem lies deep within the joint. This involves running a very small current between two needles either side of the shoulder.
It is easiest for acupuncturists to needle shoulder problems with patients in a seated position. Patients who have low blood pressure are at risk from feeling faint as acupuncture often lowers blood pressure and blood sugar. If you have low blood pressure you should make sure your acupuncturist is aware so they can adjust their needling technique. Seeing a properly trained acupuncturist is extremely important all times but especially when needling near the thoracic area – British Acupuncture Council Members are trained to degree level in acupuncture and are the only group of specialist acupuncturists who are PSA accredited, meaning they can be recommended by GP’S and medical specialists.
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