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Acupuncture for shoulder pain.

S Green1, R Buchbinder, S Hetrick

  • 1Australasian Cochrane Centre, Monash University, Australasian Cochrane Centre, Locked Bag 29, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, 3168. sally.green@med.monash.edu.au

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|April 23, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Acupuncture may offer short-term pain relief for shoulder disorders, but evidence is limited. More high-quality trials are needed to confirm its effectiveness and safety for musculoskeletal pain.

Area of Science:

  • Integrative medicine
  • Musculoskeletal health
  • Pain management

Background:

  • Shoulder disorders are common and treated with various methods.
  • Acupuncture is increasingly used for musculoskeletal pain.
  • This systematic review evaluates acupuncture for shoulder pain, including conditions like frozen shoulder and rotator cuff disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for treating shoulder pain in adults.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of randomized and quasi-randomized trials.
  • Searched Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL up to December 2003.
  • Included trials comparing acupuncture to placebo or other interventions for shoulder pain, excluding specific conditions.

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Main Results:

  • Nine trials of varying quality were included; intervention descriptions were often poor.
  • No significant short-term difference in pain relief was found compared to placebo, possibly due to small sample sizes.
  • Acupuncture showed a short-term benefit in shoulder function (Constant Murley Score) at four weeks, but this was not clinically significant at four months. No difference in adverse events was noted.

Conclusions:

  • Limited evidence exists to support or refute acupuncture for shoulder pain due to the small number and diversity of trials.
  • A potential short-term benefit for pain and function may exist.
  • Further well-designed clinical trials are necessary to establish acupuncture's role in managing shoulder pain.