Are you looking for a top acupuncturist in New York City to treat shoulder pain? Look no further than Acupuncture NYC. With over 24 years of experience and a commitment to personalized care plans, we are considered by many clients as the best acupuncture practice in NYC. We offer personalized acupuncture treatments and herbal consultations for acute and chronic shoulder pain patients.
A scientific name for frozen shoulder is adhesive capsulitis. The main symptoms of this condition are decreased mobility and pain in your shoulder joint. Frozen shoulder typically develops gradually. In the initial stage, any movement causes pain, and the range of motion becomes limited. After a while, the pain may diminish, but the range of motion becomes even more limited. Some people experience severer pain at night. After a while, many people begin to feel gradually better, their range of motion improves, and they restore normal range of motion. Therapeutic exercises work well for most people, but some people may require additional therapy, including acupuncture, to alleviate pain and restore normal range of motion.
Frozen shoulder occurs when the capsule made up of connective tissue encases the bones, ligaments, and tendons of your shoulder joint begin to thicken, tighten, and restrict the movement in the shoulder joint. There is no good scientific explanation for why this process occurs, but people with certain risk factors are prone to get this issue. Among these risk factors are immobility due to shoulder trauma, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, cardiovascular disorders, Parkinson’s disease, and tuberculosis.
In 2020, a group of researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of several clinical trials found in the databases between 1999 and 2020. The primary acupuncture points most studies included were LI-15 and SJ-14. These two points are located directly on the shoulder joint. Analysis of the data revealed that acupuncture significantly affects frozen shoulder by reducing pain, improving shoulder function, and flexion ROM in the short term and midterm. However, the team concluded, more large-scale, high-quality trials are necessary for the future. Additionally, a longer follow-up time is needed to investigate the effect of acupuncture in the mid and long term [1].
A 55-year-old man came to us with pain and a severely reduced range of motion in the left shoulder. This condition developed after the cervical laminectomy. Subsequently, he was diagnosed with a frozen shoulder. We developed a therapeutic program that consisted of acupuncture and exercises. We chose acupuncture points on his right knee for this program: Lv-7, Lv-8, Lv-9, Sp-8, Sp-9, Sp-10. Acupuncture would reduce pain, and then we would ask the patient to move his shoulder joint periodically. After sixteen sessions, the pain in the joint decreased by 90%, and the joint mobility restored by 80%. We encouraged the patient to continue with his therapeutic exercise routine at home. In three months, he reported to us that his shoulder joint function restored 100%.
By Gassan&Edmunt – Copyright © Acupuncture NYC 2021
