Acupuncture for Neck & Shoulder, Arm & Wrist Pain.
Many people nowadays experience neck and shoulder problems as a result of long-term stress, poor posture and repetitive muscle strain. Stiffness and pain is often caused by injury and inflammation as well as degeneration or compression of structures within the neck and shoulder. Shoulder and upper-back pain can also be referred from pinched nerves in the neck, and internal organs such as the liver, gallbladder, diaphragm or heart.
A variety of symptoms can affect the arm, elbow and hand such as pain, swelling, cramps, numbness, tingling, weakness and changes in temperature or colour. Common causes include injuries, repetitive wear and tear, compressed nerves and vessels, as well as problems originating in the neck or shoulder.
What is our clinical experience?
Based on feedback collected from over 1,692 initial appointments for Arm, Elbow & Hand Pain, 73% of our patients reported improved quality of life after their first 3 appointments. See our detailed benchmarking statistics.
Initial
Consults
1,692
Average
Appointments
3
Improved
Quality of Life
73%
Refer Family &
Friends
87%
What does the research say?
The following insights are obtained from systematic reviews and analysis of clinical trials investigating the efficacy of Chinese medicine and acupuncture for neck & shoulder, arm & wrist pain.
2022 Medical Acupuncture
Acupuncture may be effective and safe for short-term pain reduction and functional improvement in hand-and-wrist conditions.
In the 10 included RCTs (622 participants), 6 had a low risk of bias. For cryotherapy-induced pain, 1 trial showed significant pain reduction post treatment. For rheumatoid arthritis, 1 trial shown significant pain reduction and function improvements post treatment and short-term. For carpal tunnel syndrome, 1 trial showed significant pain reduction and functional improvements intermediate-term, while 3 trials suggested no significant difference. For tenosynovitis, 1 trial showed significant pain reduction and function improvements short-term. For poststroke impairments, 1 trial showed significant function improvements post treatment and at short-term, while another trial suggested no significant difference. No significant improvements were noted for trapezio-metacarpal joint osteoarthritis. In 2 trials, adverse effects occurred in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome; yet acupuncture appeared to be relatively safe.
The Effect of Acupuncture on Hand and Wrist Pain Intensity, Functional Status, and Quality of Life in Adults: A Systematic Review Trinh K, Zhou F, Belski N, Deng J, Wong CY
2017 Physiotherapy
Acupuncture combined with physiotherapy or exercise was found to be more effective for frozen shoulder than physiotherapy or exercise alone in the short and long term.
Shoulder pain is a leading musculoskeletal pain complaint, and is responsible for high morbidity with marked impact on quality of life. Acupuncture is a modality commonly employed in the treatment of shoulder conditions; however, past systematic reviews investigating its effectiveness have been inconclusive, noting a paucity of good quality research. A new body of research has since been published, and is included within this review. The objective of this systematic review was therefore to investigate the current evidence base for the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of shoulder pain.
Effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of shoulder pain: a systematic review of published randomised clinical trials A. Rubio M. Mansfield J. Lewis
2016 Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Acupuncture relieves neck pain better than sham acupuncture and those who received acupuncture report less pain and disability at shortâ€term followâ€up than those on a waitâ€list.
For mechanical neck pain, we found that acupuncture is beneficial immediately following treatment and at shortâ€term followâ€up compared with sham treatments for pain intensity; at shortâ€term followâ€up compared with sham treatments for disability (NPQ); at shortâ€term followâ€up compared with inactive treatments for pain intensity; and at shortâ€term followâ€up compared with waitâ€list control for pain intensity and neck disability improvement. Effects do not seem sustainable over the long term. Acupuncture treatments appear to be relatively safe.
Acupuncture for neck disorders Trinh K, Graham N, Irnich D, Cameron ID, Forget M.
2010 The Journal of Pain
A meta-analysis of acupuncture versus steroid block therapy favored acupuncture in terms of responder rate.
Our systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrate that the evidence for acupuncture as a symptomatic therapy of carpal tunnel syndrome is encouraging but not convincing. The total number of included RCTs and their methodological quality were low. Further rigorous studies are required to establish whether acupuncture has therapeutic value for this indication.
Acupuncture for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials Lee, H., Shim, H., Shin, B., Jung, A., Lee, M., & Ernst, E.
Consult with our practitioners for personalised care and advice.
Although well-conducted clinical research can help members of the public to make better-informed decisions about their healthcare, we cannot claim that any particular treatment may be effective for any individual person.
When you consult with our Chinese medicine practitioners, you'll receive personalised advice and treatment based on your symptoms and Chinese medicine diagnosis.
Scientific References
Browse our collection of scientific clinical research on acupuncture for neck & shoulder, arm & wrist pain.
It includes recent and reputable papers published by peer-reviewed journals within the last 10 years.
2022, Feb 01
The Effect of Acupuncture on Hand and Wrist Pain Intensity, Functional Status, and Quality of Life in Adults: A Systematic Review
Medical Acupuncture American Academy of Medical Acupuncture
Acupuncture may be effective and safe for short-term pain reduction and functional improvement in hand-and-wrist conditions. Clinicians should interpret the results with caution due to small sample sizes and clinical heterogeneity. Future research is warranted.
Trinh K, Zhou F, Belski N, Deng J, Wong CY Full Article
2017, Dec 1
Effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of shoulder pain: a systematic review of published randomised clinical trials
Physiotherapy
This study showed that acupuncture is more effective for shoulder pain than physiotherapy. It also indicated that acupuncture combined with physiotherapy or exercise was found to be more effective for frozen shoulder than physiotherapy or exercise alone in the short and long term.
A. Rubio M. Mansfield J. Lewis Full Article
2016, Oct 17
Acupuncture for neck disorders
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Cochrane
This study suggests that acupuncture relieves neck pain. Acupuncture is beneficial at immediate-term follow-up to reduce pain-intensity.
Trinh K, Graham N, Irnich D, Cameron ID, Forget M. Full Article
2010, Nov 22
Acupuncture for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
The Journal of Pain American Pain Society
The systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrate that acupuncture as a symptomatic therapy for carpel tunnel. In the long run, the patients responded better with acupuncture than steroid block therapy.
Lee, H., Shim, H., Shin, B., Jung, A., Lee, M., & Ernst, E. Full Article
“It is by virtue of the twelve channels that human life exists, that disease arises, that human beings can be treated and illness cured. The twelve channels are where beginners start and masters end.” The Classic of Acupuncture
Circa 1st Century BCE