Acupotomy for adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder: A case report

Adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder (ACS) is a pathological condition characterized by chronic inflammation and fibrosis of the glenohumeral joint capsule and surrounding soft tissues, leading to capsular adhesion and stiffness. Its hallmark clinical manifestations include progressive pain and restricted active/passive range of motion. Acupotomy therapy, which integrates traditional Chinese meridian tendon theory with modern biomechanical principles, achieves minimally invasive adhesion release and biomechanical balance restoration. This article presents a successfully treated case of adhesive shoulder capsulitis using acupotomy.

The patient, a 52-year-old male, presented with persistent pain in the left shoulder accompanied by restricted joint mobility and evident muscle atrophy.

The patient was diagnosed with ACS on November 15, 2024.

Acupotomy was performed to release adhesions in the glenohumeral joint capsule, coracohumeral ligament, and periarticular muscle groups, followed by postoperative joint mobilization and resistance training.

Therapeutic outcomes were evaluated using range of motion, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, and imaging studies. Immediately after treatment, passive abduction improved to 150° with the VAS score decreasing from 7 to 5; at the 6-week follow-up, active abduction had recovered to 160° with the VAS score stabilized at 2.

Acupotomy therapy provides a safe and effective solution for moderate-to-severe frozen shoulder through its stepwise intervention protocol of "adhesion release-dynamic stabilization-functional remodeling," which restores shoulder biomechanical homeostasis in a minimally invasive manner.