Effectiveness of acupuncture for the treatment of shoulder pain
Shoulder pain, while not life-threatening, can cause substantial and prolonged disability, particularly when left untreated. This discomfort can significantly disrupt overall physical health, sleep patterns, and general well-being. Therefore, timely, appropriate, and well-founded treatment for shoulder pain is essential. These are the precise services we offer at Life Balance Clinic in Illinois, USA.
What causes a shoulder pain?
As its basic components, the shoulder structure includes
- scapula,
- clavicula,
- humerus (upper arm bone),
- muscle cuff.
Different mechanisms triggering the pain act due to the structural complexity of shoulders:
- damage to sensory nerve endings in the area,
- inflammatory reactions,
- mechanical damage of anatomical structures.
That is, shoulder pain can be of inflammatory and non-inflammatory, traumatic or neurological nature. To make an accurate diagnosis, an expert considers probable causes such as:
- Aseptic inflammation affecting various structures of the shoulder (nerve fibers, capsule, cartilage tissue of the joint, tendons, muscles),
- Infectious joint damage (bacterial arthritis),
- Autoimmune process resulting from violating the functional state of the immune system,
- Degenerative-dystrophic processes destructing cartilaginous structures (arthrosis),
- Overloading with physical activity,
- Previous injuries to the shoulder area, affecting various structures (dislocation, subluxation, sprain of ligaments, capsules, fracture of the bones, severe bruise),
- Referred pain may appear аs a result of pathological processes in another part of the body (pain in the left shoulder with angina, referred pain due to the cervical spine pathology).
Despite differences in origins and diagnoses, the treatment of shoulder pain has to be comprehensive and cover these dominant directions:
- The impact of basic causative factors is eliminated in a conservative or surgical way.
- The main pathogenetic mechanisms of the pain syndrome formation are treated with the help of medicines.
- Symptomatic therapy is treatment aimed at reducing the severity of clinical manifestations of the pathological process worsening the patient’s quality of life.
How does acupuncture help?
Eastern medicine considers the main cause of joint problems to be metabolic disorders - both local metabolism (in the shoulder joint) and general imbalance in the body. Acupuncture, acting through bioactive points:
- activates the body's own innate healing response to help the body feel better and decrease symptoms,
- helps to increase the blood circulation,
- decreases inflammation,
- relieves pain.
How many acupuncture sessions are needed to relieve shoulder pain?
Effective treatment for this condition typically involves a comprehensive approach, encompassing:
- immobilization
- drug treatment
- physiotherapy
- exercise therapy
- diet.
However, the addition of complementary, non-traditional methods, such as acupuncture, can significantly enhance the speed and effectiveness of the healing process. The specific duration of needling treatments may vary depending on individual patient factors and the extent of pathological processes involved.
Typically, an acupuncture course comprises 8 - 12 sessions, conducted daily, each lasting approximately 30 minutes. These sessions are tailored to the patient's condition and responsiveness and are administered by an experienced specialist
The best acupuncture doctor near me
If you're experiencing shoulder pain, don't hesitate to reach out to our clinic and consult with Dr. Vadim Dehtyar, the best acupuncture doctor in Glenview IL. His expertise in acupuncture, combined with our comprehensive treatment approach, including acupuncture, can provide you with valuable assistance in managing this discomfort.
Our approach is grounded in three fundamental principles of holistic medicine:
- Shoulder joint issues often signify underlying internal imbalances.
- We focus on treating the root cause of shoulder problems, which, in turn, alleviates the symptoms.
- We harness the body's natural healing processes to care for your joints, aiming to support the body rather than replace its functions.
- Our tailored, comprehensive treatment plans, crafted by the best acupuncture doctor, aim to promote your well-being and hinder the progression of pathological changes, all with your unique characteristics in mind.