Acupuncture for Shoulder and Rotator Cuff Pain

[Josh Zimmer]

Harmony Health Acupuncture and Herbs

Many people – men and women alike – walk around with chronic shoulder pain. They feel stiff. Picking up the simplest objects - from boxes and bikes to children and grocery bags - becomes a challenge. But they adapt and trudge on the best they can.

It doesn’t have to be that way, however. Chinese Medicine has a big bag of tools available to treat underperforming rotator cuffs and other joint issues. Its natural healing approach can help chronic pain sufferers avoid pain medications and surgery.

For beginners, the rotator cuff consists of four muscles, commonly referred to as "SITS". They are the: Supraspinalus Infraspinatus Teres Minor Subscapularis Together, they connect the shoulder bones, form a shield around them and enable joint movement. Problems in this muscle group make regular movements difficult and painful, such as placing one's hand behind their back, moving one's arm to the side and raising it above parallel and crossing one's upper chest with full extension. These are the problems my girlfriend began encountering during a sailing trip in 2008.

She's still not sure how she injured herself. But like a lot of chronic pain sufferers, her life changed very quickly. Everyday tasks like putting on a bra and shaving her underarms became challenges. Rotator Cuff issues are open-ended. For example, one male patient, a passionate handyman, had trouble riding a bike and hammering nails in high places.

When I checked her range of motion, it wasn't just severely restricted in the shoulder joint but in the shoulder and neck muscles, as well. This told me that Tui Na – or Chinese Medical Massage – would be an important factor in breaking through all the accumulated tightness and stagnation. Comining it with Acupuncture - which improves circulation, reduces inflammation and releases pain-reducing opioids – gave us a one-two punch that could improve her condition in major ways.

And that's what happened in rapid fashion.

Sometimes I added electro-acupuncture, moxibustion and homeopathic injections to the treatments. Over 6-8 weeks, we managed to decrease pain levels while vastly improving her range of motion. Now she feels much more like her old self, with the same optimistic outlook. She’s taking Yoga classes again.

Chronic pain chips away at people’s happiness. The good news is there's no reason to suffer this way when Chinese Medicine offers so many good options for natural, long-lasting recovery.

[Elissa Bentsen]

Would you please contact me via my email. I'd like to discuss your services and fees
Thank you.
[e-mail]

[Vera Judice]

Thank You for this information, as I have this Chronic Shoulder pain also, and did not know what to do about it. I have only had this problem for a few months.