A Combined Treatment Approach to Shoulder Pain Using Orthopaedic Medicine and Acupuncture Technique

Abstract

Sixteen patients suffering from shoulder pain refractory to various forms of traditional acupuncture including Japanese Tong, Five-element, traditional Chinese styles, and other therapies including chiropractic, physical therapy and pharmaceutical treatment using NSAIDs, were subsequently evaluated using ‘orthopaedic medicine’ diagnostic techniques. This approach resulted in improved localisation of the culprit lesion so that more appropriate local acupuncture points could be chosen. All patients experienced significant improvement during the treatment and reported sustained relief at follow-up. We have found that the combination of acupuncture with information obtained from the diagnostic routines of orthopaedic medicine results in better treatment outcomes than traditional oriental acupuncture methods alone.