I have frozen shoulder, which means I can't lift both shoulders and I experience nighttime pain.
symptom
The patient had been complaining of pain in both shoulder joints for the past six months. Around the same time, they were diagnosed with suspected Parkinson's disease and reported being unable to lift their arms. The pain occurred during movement, making it particularly difficult to put on and take off clothes, trousers, and underwear. They also experienced nocturnal pain, sometimes waking up in the middle of the night. After visiting an orthopedic surgeon, they were diagnosed with suspected frozen shoulder, unrelated to Parkinson's disease. They underwent treatment and rehabilitation using a waterbed, hot packs, and pulleys, but saw no improvement. Upon initial examination, palpation revealed that the right shoulder could be raised to about 120 degrees, the left shoulder to about 90 degrees, and there was significant tension throughout the entire shoulder joint.
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Visitors
Female
70's
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Period
February 2025 - March 2025
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Visit Frequency per week
1
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Number of Visits
1
Treatment and progress
During the initial treatment, acupuncture was performed primarily on points on the back related to shoulder movement. After the treatment, the range of motion of the right shoulder joint improved significantly, while the left shoulder's movement improved only slightly. After the first treatment, the patient reported that nighttime pain had disappeared and they were able to sleep. From the second treatment onward, treatment continued with the aim of improving the movement of the left shoulder joint. Treatments were continued at a pace of once a week, and after the fourth treatment, the patient had recovered to the point where they could raise both arms above their head. No relapse of symptoms or the appearance of new symptoms were observed during the treatment period.
Acupressure points used
Summary
This case involves a patient diagnosed with suspected Parkinson's disease who experienced bilateral shoulder pain, and acupuncture treatment on points in the back proved effective. While orthopedic treatment had not yielded improvement, nocturnal pain disappeared after the first treatment, and the range of motion of the shoulder joint recovered to normal after four treatments. In this case, the approach of relieving tension around the shoulder joint through acupuncture points in the back is thought to have contributed to the improvement of symptoms suspected to be frozen shoulder. This suggests that even in patients with suspected Parkinson's disease, functional recovery of the shoulder joint can be expected with appropriate treatment.
Staff in charge
Kazuhiro Suzaki
Acupuncture clinic for the case:Sunosaki Acupuncture and Osteopathy Clinic
