Chances are you’ve experienced shoulder pain at some point in your life.
Our Oakville Acupuncture Team has seen and heard it all when it comes to shoulder and rotator cuff injuries in Oakville. Whether it was a sports injury, an overuse injury (we’re looking at you, mechanics, line workers, manual therapists), a lifting injury (helping friends move is the worst) or just a freak accident like a slip-and-fall, shoulder pain can really interfere with our normal routine. Check out our acupuncture provider and what goes into an acupuncture treatment.
What Is The Shoulder Rotator Cuff?
There are 4 muscles that make up our ‘rotator cuff’; supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis and teres minor. These muscles are responsible for lifting, extending and rotating the shoulder joint. Repetitive strains, heavy lifting or a slip-and-fall can strain these muscles. Through proper assessment, our Oakville Acupuncture Team can pinpoint which muscle is causing the problem and develop a plan to get your shoulder healthy again! Acupuncture can make a HUGE difference in your recovery time!
Acupuncture Treatment For Shoulder Pain Oakville
Acupuncture helps to encourage blood flow to the shoulder. When we increase blood flow, we increase the nutrients and oxygen entering the shoulder tissues and therefore promote healing from within. The rotator cuff is a very common source of shoulder pain. These muscles form one big common tendon as they insert into the bone at the front of the shoulder. Placing the needles deep into the rotator cuff/shoulder region stimulates blood flow and helps the body heal the damaged tissue of the shoulder.
Acupuncture Points For Rotator Cuff Injuries:
- Supraspinatus Acupuncture for Rotator Cuff Injuries
80% of the confirmed rotator cuff injuries we see at the clinic are injures to the supraspinatus. It is responsible for lifting your arm the first 15 degrees, and therefore we use is a lot! There are three excellent points our Oakville Acupuncture team will penetrate the supraspinatus, increasing blood flow and promoting a quicker healing time!. Whether its a tear, tendinitis, tendinosis or an impingement injury to the supraspinatus, get in today to have Dr. Jenn take a look. - Teres Minor Acupuncture for Rotator Cuff Injuries
These two muscles are located close together, alone the outer rim of the shoulder blade, but they contract to create opposing movements. The Teres Minor is part of your rotator cuff, while your Teres Major is more of a general posture muscle of the shoulder blade. Often these muscles feel tense and sore when the shoulder is strained, and inserting needles can help relax them! - Infraspinatus Acupuncture for Rotator Cuff Injuries
This muscle rotates your shoulder joint outward. Sometimes the infraspinatus muscle can spasm and cause a tight feeling over the shoulder blade. Needles in this location are excellent at treating ‘trigger points’ or tight bits of muscle that cause pain! - Compensation Pain
When one, or multiple, muscles of the rotator cuff are strained the larger muscles start to do more work to compensate! Inserting needles into the traps is a great way to keep tension in these muscles low, and prevent them from starting to contribute to your shoulder pain! - Pain Relieving Acupuncture For Shoulder Joint
This hand point is a great pain-reliever for any upper extremity pain! This one little needle can have a calming effect on the three major nerves of your arm and forearm!
Acupuncture for Bicep Tendonitis
The rotator cuff is not the exclusive cause of pain in the shoulder. The bicep muscle is also a common culprit of shoulder pain. This muscle can be strained, develop tendonitis/tendonosis, tear and even be impinged! Bicep injury is typically caused by repetitive strains (weightlifting, swimming, throwing sports), sudden intense movements (ie – the dog pulling on the leash), a direct blow or trauma and even aging/general degeneration of the shoulder muscles.
The good news is that acupuncture can help remedy all of these conditions. Acupuncture to the bicep is painless, and can produce a pain-relieving effect to the bicep tendon.
READ MORE ABOUT ACUPUNCTURE FOR SHOULDER PAIN
How Does Acupuncture Fix Shoulder Pain?
Acupuncture works via a few different mechanisms.
- Acupuncture stimulates blood flow to the affected areas which promotes faster healing!
- Acupuncture alleviates tight/painful muscles and reduces muscle tension
- Acupuncture decreases pain by regulating the pain-sensing chemicals in our body
- Acupuncture promotes full body relaxation and stress reduction
Acupuncture treatments will vary depending on the injury and the muscles that are injured. Each treatment is tailored to the individual and their injury. It is so versatile, and is an excellent addition to any rehabilitation plan for shoulder pain!
Come see Dr. Jenn to start your acupuncture treatment today!
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