Can Acupuncture Treat Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen Shoulder? Discover How Acupuncture Can Help

Struggling with Shoulder Pain?

The pain caused by a shoulder injury can be intense and may end up reducing your mobility. This can significantly impact your daily life by making it difficult for you to perform routine daily tasks.

Though several conditions can cause shoulder pain, one of the most common is frozen shoulder. Typically, this affects between two and five percent of people aged between 40 and 60. It tends to affect more women than men.

People who have a frozen shoulder often experience much pain. Still, some are reluctant to visit a doctor, fearing that they’ll be prescribed highly addictive pain-reduction pills.

Thankfully, there’s a natural alternative: acupuncture.

Let’s take a closer look at what frozen shoulder is and how acupuncture can help treat it.

What Is Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen shoulder is stiffness that occurs around your shoulder. It can make it painful to move your arm, limit your mobility, and interfere with your life. The reason it’s called a frozen shoulder is because of the three stages of this condition.

1. Freezing Stage

• Pain develops gradually
• Range of motion decreases

2. Frozen Stage

• Pain may ease
• Range of motion remains limited, as though your shoulder is frozen in place

3. Thawing Phase

• Pain will begin to diminish
• Shoulder movement gradually returns

In most cases, frozen shoulder can be diagnosed by its symptoms and physical description. As a result, you won’t need any MRIs or X-rays. But your acupuncturist might still want to run a few tests to confirm their diagnosis.

Frozen shoulder affects everyone differently. However, it commonly has a few consequences. For example, some people may find it reduces their performance at work, mainly if they’re in a physically demanding role. Other people may find the pain is worst at night, making it harder for them to get to sleep.

What Causes Frozen Shoulder?

No one knows exactly what causes frozen shoulder. However, a few things might increase your chances of developing it.

• Diabetes: Frozen shoulder is more common among people with diabetes.
• Limited movement: Keeping the shoulder immobile for long periods (e.g., wearing a sling after a broken arm) can contribute to stiffness.
• Lack of exercise: Regular shoulder exercises help maintain a healthy range of motion and can prevent stiffness.

How Acupuncture Can Treat Frozen Shoulder

As we mentioned, frozen shoulder will typically go away on its own. However, it can take up to three years for you to recover. For many people, this will be too long, especially if the pain or lack of motion is making you uncomfortable and impacting on your life. Thankfully, acupuncture can be an effective treatment.

Acupuncture is based on the principle that the mind and body are connected. Using thin needles, an acupuncturist stimulates specific pressure points to:

• Unblock Qi (energy flow)
• Reduce pain and stiffness
• Enhance blood circulation
• Reduce inflammation
• Stimulate nerves in muscles and tissues – This releases endorphins in your brain, which act as a natural painkiller.

Because of this, the range of motion in your shoulder will slowly begin to improve.

Scientific Evidence: Does Acupuncture Work for Frozen Shoulder?

A study at the University of Medical Scientists in Iran looked at a group of 40 people of various ages who suffered from frozen shoulder.

Key Findings:

• Patients who received acupuncture had significant improvements in shoulder mobility.
• Pain levels decreased after acupuncture sessions.

These results suggest that acupuncture is an effective treatment for frozen shoulder—helping restore movement and relieve pain naturally.

How Acupuncture Targets Frozen Shoulder

Your acupuncturist will tailor the treatment to suit your needs and deliver the best results. Some common techniques include:

• Yanglingquan Point (Leg Point): Stimulates energy flow and reduces tension.
• Jianjing Meridian (Shoulder Point): Relieves stiffness and pain in the neck and shoulder.
• Deep-Insertion Needles: Applied to the affected shoulder for maximum relief.

How long your acupuncture session will last and the type of needles used will depend on your unique circumstances.

Why Choose Acupuncture for Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen shoulder can be deeply unpleasant, as it dramatically reduces the range of motion in your shoulder. It can have a great impact on your daily life and make it harder for you to do your job or the activities you love. But it doesn’t have to be this way. As we’ve seen, there’s compelling evidence that shows acupuncture can be a natural solution to frozen shoulder. It can both ease the pain and anxiety caused by the condition and improve the range of motion in your shoulder. The results prove that acupuncture can be an excellent risk-free treatment.

Ready to Try Acupuncture? Book an Appointment Today!

Frozen shoulder can severely impact daily life, work, and sleep. But you don’t have to suffer through years of pain.

Serving Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, and Phoenix

Call us today or schedule an appointment online to experience the healing power of acupuncture!