Acupuncture For Frozen Shoulder

Frozen Shoulder is a common complaint among those who have reached their 50’s and later, it is an issue that acupuncture has a good history of helping with.  Frozen shoulder is a difficulty of raising the arm, usually due to inflammation. 

The typical cause of shoulder inflammation is unknown, but in Chinese medicine it can be linked to asthma, constipation and even excessive worrying. This is because the lung and large intestine meridians pass through the shoulder; therefore an issue in one area can affect another. As for the worrying, each organ has an emotional aspect to them.  The lungs and large intestine are prone to worry and can suffer greatly from too much worrying.

If you or some you know suddenly comes down with frozen shoulder you might want to ask them if some thing emotionally stressful happened around the same time. Being able to cope with the world around us, letting go and not worrying is in a way the practice of preventative medicine.

As for acupuncture and frozen shoulder, there are many great points and acupuncturist can choose from to alleviate the issue. The sooner one goes for acupuncture the better, issues that have become chronic are a bit more difficult to treat and take longer.

Depending on where most of the pain is felt when lifting the arm, the acupuncturist can see what meridians pass through the area and choose points accordingly. Also, different points on the body are chosen according to the severity and type of discomfort felt. Is the pain dull or more on the sharp side? Does the arm feel heavy or cold?

Personally I have seen acupuncture help an acute frozen shoulder get 80% better within the first treatment. Such success is possible because that individual came in for a treatment within the first week of experiencing shoulder pain.  The longer one waits for treatment then more treatments will be needed for full recovery, but recovery is possible.

I hope you have enjoyed this week’s article and if you know anyone with some shoulder issues please go ahead and forward them this article. If you have any comments or questions please let me know. Have a great week!