Written by Dr. Zhiling Trowbridge
Dr. Trowbridge is a family medicine physician and practices functional medicine and medical acupuncture in Grand Rapids, MI. She provides medical consultation and treatments for patients struggling with chronic disease, pain, and or other mood disorders including, anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
Background
About 1 in 4 Americans experience shoulder pain at some point in their life. Different types of shoulder pain include rotator cuff tendinitis, ligamentous tears, injury from trauma, osteoarthritis, and frozen shoulder. Some shoulder pain is sudden if occurring after an injury. In contrast, others have a more gradual onset that may be associated with underlying inflammatory conditions, diabetes, or other autoimmune disorders.
Rotator cuff injury or tears is one of the most common shoulder injuries. The rotator cuff muscles include: supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. These muscles work together to stabilize the shoulder and provide a range of motion during activities such as throwing, swimming, lifting, reaching overhead, etc.
The most common approach to treatment for rotator cuff injuries is home exercises, icing, stretches, NSAIDS, and or physical therapy. However, if a more severe tear is present or limited improvement occurs with physical therapy a referral to an orthopedist or sports medicine physician is necessary.
Acupuncture a Non-Medicated Approach for Shoulder Injury
Acupuncture is a wonderful holistic approach to shoulder injury treatment in the early stages of a shoulder injury or during more intensive care such as while working with a physical therapist or orthopedic surgeon. Also in addition to helping shoulder pain, acupuncture should be considered as a non-medicated treatment option after a steroid injection if there is still some residual pain in the shoulder or challenges with range of motion.
Acupuncture may increase the range of motion for shoulder pain particularly in frozen shoulder. Yamamoto Scalp Acupuncture and Chinese Scalp Acupuncture are well-known methods to improve the range of motion along withdecreasing pain in the shoulder.
Acupuncture May Improve Frozen Shoulder Pain
Frozen shoulder is a type of inflammatory condition of the shoulder that typically is gradual in onset and can be idiopathic. It can occur more often in individuals with diabetes and or autoimmune conditions. It involves 3 stages and can take 12 months or more to fully recover.
- Painful Phase – shoulder pain, particularly at night
- Frozen Phase – persistent shoulder pain with more and more difficulty with range of motion, worsening stiffness
- Thawing or Regression Phase – gradual return of range of motion may take 12-24 months for complete recovery
Here are some clinical pictures of an individual being treated for a frozen shoulder to help improve her pain, ability to sleep at night, and also in conjunction with work from a physical therapist increased range of motion.
Another method I use in the clinic for chronic shoulder pain is electroacupuncture. This is a method that involves placing needles surrounding the shoulder joint and or neuromuscular spots in the shoulder that activate nerve branches associated with the axillary nerve to help with pain and range of motion.
Another treatment used is called the One Needle Technique. This technique also targets neuroanatomical areas of the body to support local stimulation of nerve branches that contribute to pain and or range of motion of the shoulder. Only one needle is placed and activation of the needle through manual manipulation for 1-2 minutes can sometimes lead to instantaneous pain relief and improved range of motion.
References:
Lathia AT, Jung SM, Chen LX. Efficacy of acupuncture as a treatment for chronic shoulder pain. J Altern Complement Med. 2009 Jun;15(6):613-8. doi: 10.1089/acm.2008.0272. PMID: 19489707.
St Angelo JM, Taqi M, Fabiano SE. Adhesive Capsulitis. [Updated 2023 Aug 4]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532955/
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Disclaimer:
The contents of this article, such as text, graphics, images and other material are intended for informational and educational purposes only and not for the purpose of rendering medical advice. The contents of this post are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Please consult your physician for personalized medical advice. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition. Never disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice or treatment because of something you have read on this post.
