Acupuncture for Shoulder Pain, Better Than Physical Therapy
A little more than ten years ago, I first visited Dr. Feng Liang, of the Fifth Avenue Acupuncture & Herbs Center, who treated me with acupuncture for shoulder pain. The pain was caused by a combination of a very awkward style of tennis serve and sleeping with my shoulder jammed up against a hard pillow. Before seeing Dr. Liang, I had an appointment with an Orthopedic Surgeon.
I could no longer take the pain I was having in my shoulder and needed relief. The Orthopedic Surgeon gave me an X-Ray and MRI. After not seeing anything noticeable in both results, he gave me a Cortisone shot. For those who have never had a Cortisone shot, you get immediate relief from the shot. However, within approximately 45 minutes, the pain that you first had returns, and it returns with twice as much intensity. The Orthopedic Surgeon then referred me to a physical therapist and told me that I would probably need six months of physical therapy. I was not happy to hear this!
After three months of physical therapy, I found that I had only recovered a small amount of my flexibility and the pain was only reduced by about 50%. At the 50% level, I felt that I had a constant burning and throbbing pain in my shoulder. I just couldn’t see going through another 3+ months of physical therapy to take away the pain.
After visiting my Life Coach one day, I explained to him that I was in a lot of pain in my shoulder and even though I had been seeing a physical therapist for over three months, I found that I still had a lot of pain. As it happens, this gentleman happened to be one of Dr. Feng Liang’s longtime patients. My coach suggested I consider acupuncture for shoulder pain.
I had a previous experience with an acupuncturist when I hurt my back. It was a very good experience and left me thinking that just maybe Dr. Liang could help me. After visiting her, she immediately gave me an electro acupuncture treatment.
In my previous experience, I received a moxibustion treatment for my back pain, but was not familiar with electro acupuncture. The moxibustion treatment was a very interesting experience. Herbal compounds are attached to the end of acupuncture needles that are inserted into you. The compounds are lit on fire briefly and then they smoke for a while. I think that the heat going down the needles and the smell of the burning compound works together to heal.
With electro acupuncture, after the needles are inserted, small clips are attached to the ends of the needles. These small clips are attached by wire to a small electronic device that emits electrical stimulation. The electrical stimulation is controlled via the intensity and pulse rate.
Dr. Liang inserted the needles into my shoulder and then attached the clips. She turned on her machine and then started to adjust the knobs. She asked if I felt the current and would then adjust it accordingly. I have a fairly good threshold to pain, so I tried to take as much electricity as I could.
Does Acupuncture for Should Pain Really Work?
I saw her 2 times in the first and second week. After the third week (5th treatment), my shoulder was just about back to normal and there was no more pain. I was completely stunned at how fast and how well Dr. Liang’s electro acupuncture treatments healed my shoulder.
I am a 50+ year old man who goes to the gym on a regular basis. Between going to the gym and playing a bit too rough with my grandson, I periodically injure different parts of my body. Since my experience with electro acupuncture, I have been absolutely amazed at how the combination of acupuncture needles, electrical current, and the skilled hands of Dr. Feng Liang are able to heal me.
Many of the men around my age would prefer to take the shortcut to deal with their pain regardless of whether it is a shoulder injury or some other type of injury. They take prescribed painkillers like oxycodone and just accept this as the way that they will deal with pain from their injury. Unfortunately, what some of these men will learn, and others have already learned, is that they will need to keep increasing the dosage of these painkillers in order to reduce the pain. At some point, the doctors prescribing these medications will tell their patients that it is time to consider alternative methods of pain management. Hopefully, they will keep an open mind to acupuncture as an alternative pain management treatment.
If you have experienced any type of shoulder injury or muscle strain, I urge you to visit Dr. Feng Liang at the Fifth Avenue Acupuncture & Herbs Center. There’s no reason to wait months or even weeks to start feeling better. Just one treatment and you will become a believer like me.
