At some point in one’s life, pain can be experienced either in the neck or shoulders, and sometimes, in both. Arthritis, poor posture, injury and trauma are the common causes of neck and shoulder pain. While there are many forms of treatments for these conditions, acupuncture can also aid effectively in managing neck and shoulder pain.*
Acupuncture has been used centuries ago and plays a key role in traditional Chinese Medicine. It is widely used for various health conditions although it’s more commonly used for pain management. Acupuncture utilizes extremely thin needles which are inserted to strategic points in the body needing treatment.*
Acupuncture for Pain Management
Neck pain is characterized by different symptoms such as:
– tightness of muscles
– headache
– pain when moving the head and
– pain that becomes worse when head is held in one place for a period of time.
While most neck pain improves over time with home treatment or medications, chronic neck pain can be severe and can radiate to shoulders and arms. Neck pain acupuncture can be applied to relieve the pain. This traditional method of pain management works by correcting the proper flow of “qi†or energy in the body thereby assisting in the body’s natural healing process.
While neck pain can affect the shoulders, other causes of shoulder pain may include: strains, tendonitis, dislocation and fractures. As shoulders connect to the arm, shoulder pain may affect arm and hand movements. Applying acupuncture for shoulder pain would aid in pain relief and restore proper arm motion.*
Frozen shoulder or “adhesive capsulitis†is another condition characterized by pain and stiffness of the shoulder. Over time, the shoulder capsule would thicken while bands of tissues would tighten – making the shoulder hard to move that could last for months to years. Acupuncture and frozen shoulder are usually associated with the former providing effective treatment to reduce pain whilst help restore shoulder functioning.*
Apart from applying acupuncture for neck and shoulder pain, there are more health conditions this traditional treatment can help. And because of its effectiveness, there’s no wonder the use of acupuncture has spanned centuries and is still being applied today.*