Effective Treatment for Frozen Shoulder & Rotator Cuff Injuries in South London
In recent years, I have seen more and more people at my Harmony Within Acupuncture clinic struggling with frozen shoulder, rotator cuff injuries, and other sports injuries resulting in limited range of motion and painful movement.
If you are dealing with this, I have learnt over the past decade that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Some patients come to me with poor posture; others with serious sports injuries. Some people have no idea why they developed their shoulder problem in the first place.
To get you moving again, I have developed a highly successful approach that involves a holistic awareness of your specific condition.
How We Assess Your Shoulder Pain
When treating frozen shoulders or rotator cuff injuries, a thorough assessment is crucial. During your consultation, I look at:
- Your range of motion: Where exactly the restriction happens.
- Pain and nerve symptoms: The exact location of pain, numbness, and any tingling.
- Chinese Medicine Pathways: How your symptoms relate to the Channels of Chinese Medicine.
- Posture in motion: Your adaptive and maladaptive movement patterns.
- ‘Breaks’: Areas that may not feel painful to you, but are halting the healing process and contributing to your shoulder problem.
- Lifestyle factors: General habits, stress, and corresponding factors contributing to your condition.
What Does Frozen Shoulder Treatment Involve?
Frozen shoulder is usually fairly easy to treat when it is in its mild-to-moderate stage. Often, 5 to 6 sessions can restore the majority of your normal range. However, if your body is deeply depleted, it may require a longer course of treatment.
Your tailored treatment plan may involve:
- Acupuncture & Medical Massage: Targeted at the local shoulder area.
- Guasha or Moxibustion: To release tension and deeply nourish the muscles.
- Active & Passive Stretches: Helping your nervous system familiarise itself with your newly restored range of motion.
- Gentle Bloodletting: A highly effective, gentle technique using just a few drops of blood at specific points to free up pathways and dramatically reduce pain and inflammation.
- Targeted Homework: Corrective exercises to maintain progress between sessions.
- Whole-Body Acupuncture: To address the underlying constitutional issues that allowed the disease to develop.
- Electro-Acupuncture: Occasionally used to gently but effectively reduce stubborn inflammation.
Beyond the Basics: The Complete Channel System
Chinese Medicine has an incredible depth and versatility when treating the same condition in different people.
In my practice, I utilise the Complete Channel systems. This goes far beyond the primary channels (used by most acupuncturists) and dry needling (often poorly used by physios). This advanced framework allows me to access and rectify disease at the level of protective energy (wei qi), blood (luo channels), organ function (primary channels), survival (divergent meridians), and the deepest levels of our being (extraordinary channels).
It would take more than a single article to explain that fully, but the main takeaway is this: I will do my best to find the absolute root source of your shoulder problem and get you back to thriving again.
Just the other week, we had the luck of making the discovery that a client had more range of motion on their “bad” side than on their ‘good’ side by the 6th session. Incredible!
Book Your Shoulder Assessment in Crystal Palace & West Norwood
Don’t let a frozen shoulder keep you from living comfortably.
If you are near Crystal Palace or the West Norwood area, get in touch today to start your recovery.