The potential use of acupuncture for shoulder pain of various etiologies and whether clinicians make recommendations about the use of acupuncture was examined. Shoulder pain is a common clinical problem. What is the level of evidence and how often is acupuncture recommended for shoulder pain? A manual and database (PubMed) search of review articles of related clinical trials and guidelines was performed. The evidence for effectiveness of acupuncture treatment of different types of shoulder pain was weak. However, there are some studies, with a weak to moderate level of evidence, on shoulder pain (across nine subtypes of shoulder pain). Acupuncture is safe and may be a cost-effective treatment for shoulder pain. There were 131 statements recommending the use of acupuncture for shoulder pain across 12 subtypes of shoulder pain. The most common statements were for non-specific ‘shoulder pain.’ There were 11 statements against the use of acupuncture for shoulder pain and three subtypes of shoulder pain. The level of evidence in studies of acupuncture treatment for shoulder pain is low, therefore, further research is needed. Recommendations for the use of acupuncture for shoulder pain are increasing but lag behind those for other pain problems such as low back pain.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
“Are we there yet?” – Green shoots of progress in acupuncture implementation in healthcare Sandro Graca, Matthias Huemer, Beverley de Valois, Bobbee Vang, Lara McClure European Journal of Integrative Medicine.2024; 69: 102371. CrossRef
Health Care Utilization for Common Shoulder Disorders: Analysis of the 2010–2019 National Patient Sample Data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in Korea Jin-Young Kang, Doori Kim, Huijun Kim, In-Hyuk Ha, Yoon Jae Lee Medicina.2024; 60(5): 744. CrossRef
A Review of Key Research and Engagement in 2022 John McDonald, Sandro Graca, Claudia Citkovitz, Lisa Taylor-Swanson Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine.2023; 29(8): 455. CrossRef