CLINICAL BENEFITS OF ACUPUNCTURE IN TREATMENT OF SHOULDER IMPINGEMENT

In a randomised trial carried out in Spain, sixty-eight subjects received acupuncture or sham acupuncture (which involved needling at non-acupuncture point locations) for the treatment of shoulder impingement. The participants received four weekly sessions.

The results showed significant differences between the two groups and indicate significant clinical benefits.

At cessation of treatment, among the acupuncture group pain was found to have decreased by 44.13 millimetres on a visual analogue scale compared with 19.84 among the sham group. Three months later, there was still significant variance between the two groups with 87.58 millimetres for the acupuncture group and 20 millimetres for the sham group. Shoulder function scores also showed clinically meaningful changes in support of acupuncture.

Acupuncture treatment of shoulder impingement syndrome: A randomised controlled trial. Complement Ther Med, 2016 Apr;25:92 – 7

ncbi.nim.nih.gov/pubmed/27062955