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Stories for Reprint
Acupuncture: Shoulder Pain Relief
By Ferdous Al-Faruque, MARRTC Staff
The thought of sticking needles in your body might make you cringe but recent research has found that it can be a helpful treatment for shoulder pain.
A study by the University of Pennsylvania found the ancient Chinese treatment of acupuncture combined with physical therapy was effective in reducing shoulder pain. Thirty-one adults with chronic shoulder pain were recruited for the study and split into three groups. The participants in the first two groups were given acupuncture based on two separate techniques. The third group however, was a placebo group in which the acupuncturist did not penetrate skin. The study found that those who received acupuncture treatment, regardless of the technique, had less shoulder pain than the placebo group. It also found that there was no significant difference between the two real acupuncture groups.
Amanda Tiffany, MD, the primary author of the study says that to understand how acupuncture can help with chronic shoulder pain, we need to understand traditional Chinese medicine. "In traditional Chinese medicine they believe there are imbalances of energy flow (in the body)," she says. Tiffany adds that there are points on the shoulder that can be manipulated using acupuncture to improve energy flow to the shoulder and reduce the pain.
There are also theories to explain acupuncture from a more western scientific perspective. One main theory suggests that sticking needles into the nerve endings may release chemicals that reduce pain.
Some medications prescribed for arthritis or shoulder pain may cause severe side effects or offer only limited and temporary relief from pain. "Acupuncture is something that could be an alternative treatment (to such medication)," says Tiffany.
Acupuncture has also shown promising results when used in combination with other drugs. Spanish scientists found that people with knee osteoarthritis treated with acupuncture and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs had less pain than those treated with only the drugs. Some of those treated with acupuncture in the Spanish study were able to decrease their dependence on the drugs by lowering the dosage.
In light of recent research into the effectiveness of acupuncture, healthcare professionals should consider it when prescribing treatments to their patients according to Tiffany. "It's important for us to remain open to treatments like acupuncture," she says.
If people use acupuncture, Tiffany says that they need to continue other things such as medications, physical therapy and lifestyle changes to improve their pain. "It's not a cure-it-all," she said and works best in combination with other treatments.
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