2022 Medical Acupuncture
Acupuncture may be effective and safe for short-term pain reduction and functional improvement in hand-and-wrist conditions.
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 2,003 initial appointments for Arm, Elbow & Hand Pain, 73% of our surveyed patients reported improved quality of life after their first 3 appointments. See our detailed benchmarking statistics.
InitialConsults
2,003
AverageAppointments
3
ImprovedQuality of Life
73%
Refer Family &Friends
87%
Who have we treated with this condition?
The age groups and genders we see most frequently with this condition. Note: this chart only represents the people who seek treatment at Ping Ming Health clinics for this condition.
- Female (51%)
- Male (49%)
| Age | Female % | Male % |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| 19 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| 20 | 0 | 0.05 |
| 21 | 0.1 | 0 |
| 22 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 23 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 24 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 25 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| 26 | 0.2 | 0.05 |
| 27 | 0.15 | 0.1 |
| 28 | 0.35 | 0.15 |
| 29 | 0.25 | 0.3 |
| 30 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| 31 | 0.54 | 0.25 |
| 32 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| 33 | 0.69 | 0.35 |
| 34 | 0.74 | 0.64 |
| 35 | 0.79 | 0.64 |
| 36 | 0.99 | 0.64 |
| 37 | 0.59 | 0.99 |
| 38 | 1.14 | 0.59 |
| 39 | 0.84 | 0.99 |
| 40 | 0.45 | 1.04 |
| 41 | 1.19 | 0.89 |
| 42 | 1.58 | 1.34 |
| 43 | 0.94 | 1.34 |
| 44 | 0.94 | 1.09 |
| 45 | 1.34 | 1.54 |
| 46 | 1.29 | 1.34 |
| 47 | 0.94 | 1.98 |
| 48 | 0.94 | 1.29 |
| 49 | 1.24 | 0.94 |
| 50 | 1.68 | 1.39 |
| 51 | 0.84 | 1.78 |
| 52 | 1.63 | 1.19 |
| 53 | 1.34 | 2.13 |
| 54 | 1.54 | 1.04 |
| 55 | 1.68 | 0.89 |
| 56 | 1.44 | 1.44 |
| 57 | 1.98 | 1.73 |
| 58 | 0.79 | 1.24 |
| 59 | 1.54 | 0.79 |
| 60 | 1.04 | 1.14 |
| 61 | 1.78 | 0.94 |
| 62 | 0.94 | 0.84 |
| 63 | 1.09 | 0.99 |
| 64 | 0.89 | 0.79 |
| 65 | 1.09 | 0.94 |
| 66 | 0.84 | 0.84 |
| 67 | 0.99 | 1.09 |
| 68 | 0.54 | 0.79 |
| 69 | 0.79 | 0.74 |
| 70 | 0.94 | 0.45 |
| 71 | 0.79 | 0.5 |
| 72 | 0.69 | 0.64 |
| 73 | 0.84 | 0.4 |
| 74 | 0.74 | 0.4 |
| 75 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| 76 | 0.35 | 0.54 |
| 77 | 0.3 | 0.25 |
| 78 | 0.4 | 0.45 |
| 79 | 0.4 | 0.15 |
| 80 | 0.15 | 0.4 |
| 81 | 0.25 | 0.25 |
| 82 | 0.05 | 0.2 |
| 83 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 84 | 0.25 | 0.05 |
| 85 | 0.15 | 0.1 |
| 86 | 0.15 | 0.1 |
| 87 | 0.1 | 0.05 |
| 88 | 0.05 | 0.15 |
| 89 | 0.15 | 0 |
| 90 | 0.05 | 0 |
| 91 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| 92 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| 93 | 0.1 | 0 |
| 94 | 0.05 | 0 |
| 95 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 97 | 0.05 | 0 |
| 98 | 0 | 0.05 |
How many sessions of treatment?
The average number of appointments that patients attend for this condition. Some conditions respond quickly while others may require ongoing treatment.
Which types of treatments?
The types of treatments that are most frequently provided for this condition. Some treatments may be used in combination at the same time.
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.
2020 Complementary Therapies in Medicine
Acupuncture appears to be an effective and safe method to alleviate persistent myofascial head and neck pain.
2018 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Compared with other therapies, acupuncture at ST38 appeared to reach a better therapeutic effectiveness in improving the recovery of shoulder joint mobility.
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.
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 short‐term follow‐up than those on a wait‐list.
2014 BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
Moderate quality studies suggest that acupuncture is more effective than sham acupuncture for lateral elbow pain.
2010 The Journal of Pain
A meta-analysis of acupuncture versus steroid block therapy favored acupuncture in terms of responder rate.
Seek personalised healthcare 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.
Research papers
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
2020, Mar
The effectiveness of acupuncture in the management of persistent regional myofascial head and neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Complementary Therapies in Medicine
This academic article concludes acupuncture is effective in relieving persistent head and neck myofascial pain.
Farag AM, Malacarne A, Pagni SE, Maloney GE. Full Article
2018, Apr 22
Acupuncture at Tiaokou (ST38) for Shoulder Adhesive Capsulitis: What Strengths Does It Have? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
This review suggests that acupuncture at Tiaokou/ST38 (as sole treatment or in combination with shoulder acupoints) achieved statistically significant effects in improving the overall symptoms and the percentage of clinical effectiveness. Nonetheless, despite stringent methodological analyses, these results need to be strengthened by additional RCTs of higher quality.
Yang C, Lv TT, Yu TY, Wong S, Lu MQ, Li YZ 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
2014, Apr 12
Acupuncture and moxibustion for lateral elbow pain: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
This systematic review showcase that acupuncture shows significantly results with lateral elbow pain. The treatment reduced frequency of local anesthetic injection, local steroid injection and non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs. Overall, patients reported to have improved quality of life after receiving treatments.
Gadau M, Yeung WF, Liu H, Zaslawski C, Tan YS, Wang FC, et al 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.