Rotator Cuff Problems - Try This First

Don't accept an underperforming rotator cuff as a fact of life.

There's a lot that Chinese Medicine can do to restore your motion and sense of independence. My recent experience with an active, healthy 48-year-old female patient is a case in point.

This patient hurt her shoulder last year while sailing. She's still not sure how - or why - it happened. But like a lot of people who suffer unpredictable motion injuries, she was enjoying life one minute and all of a sudden found herself in excruciating pain. Over the coming months, the problem in her right shoulder didn't get any better. Everyday tasks like putting on a bra and shaving her underarms became unwelcome challenges. A natural righty, she began using her left arm in new ways. She had no choice.

Coincidentally, she said many women suffer from rotator cuff issues. Maybe she's hit on something that deserves a further look.

The rotator cuff consists of four muscles, commonly referred to as "SITS". They are the:

Supraspinalus

Infraspinatus

Teres Minor

Subscapularis

Together, they connect the shoulder bones, form a shield around them and enable joint movement. Problems in this muscle group make regular movements difficult and painful, such as placing one's hand behind their back, moving one's arm to the side and raising it above parallel and crossing one's upper chest with full extension.

In a world of pain killers, surgery, physical therapy and chiropracty, what can Chinese Medicine do then?

The answer is a lot.

I began by checking this patient's range of motion, which was severely restricted - not just in the shoulder joint but in the shoulder and neck muscles, as well. So there was an obvious connection between all the muscle groups in that area. It immediately told me that massage would be key to breaking through all the tightness and stagnation that had built up over time. I already knew acupuncture would help loosen up all aspects of the joint by improving blood circulation, reducing inflammation and lowering the pain threshhold through the release of natural opioids that I felt optimistic about improving her condition in a major way.

That's what happened in fairly rapid fashion.

Over 6-8 weeks, we managed to improve her range of motion and decrease her pain. Sometimes I added electro-acupuncture and moxibustion to the treatments. Now she believes her overall function is up to 80%. That's still not 100%, but she's patient enough to see just how much better she can get. Already, life has changed for the better. She feels more like her old self and is more optimistic.

That's what chronic pain does to people. It chips away at their happiness.

The good news is there's no reason these techniques, with minor variations, can't work for a wide variety of shoulder issues.