Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science, Dec. 2003, Vol. 1, No.
6 9 49 9
Treatment of Scapulohumeral Periarthritis by Massotherapy and
Functional Exercise
CHEN Su-gan (F~Gg~), HUANG Bo (.~. ~ )
Physical Education Department, Shangrao Normal College, Jiangxi, China, 334001
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CHEN Su-gan, associate professor, mainly engaged in studying
health care and rehabilitation with physical training.
Abstract Purpose: To investigate the curative effect of
massotherapy plus acupoint pressing and functional
exercise on scapulohumeral periarthritis. Method:
Forty-five patients with scapulohumeral periarthritis were
selected and treated by massotherapy plus acupoint
pressing and functional exercise. Results: Recovery
occurred in 32 cases, marked effectiveness in 11 cases,
effectiveness in 2 cases and ineffectiveness in 0 case, the
total effective rate being 100%. Conclusion: Massothera
-py plus acupoint pressing and functional exercise is an
effective method for treating scapulohnmeral
periarttn'itis.
Key Words Tuina; Massage; Acupressure; Shoulder
Joint; Inflarmnation
Scapulohumeral periarthritis, also called fifties'
shoulder, omalgia or frozen shoulder, is characterized by
a pain in the affected shoulder joint and long later
dysfunction of the shoulder joint and disused myatrophy
in the shoulder region. The author treated scapulohume
-ral periarthritis by massotherapy plus acupoint pressing
and functional exercise from Aug 1993 to Dec 2002. It is
reported as follows.
Clinical Data
Of the 45 patients, 17 were male and 28 were female;
the youngest was 36 years old and the oldest was 67
years old; the shortest course of disease was 5 days and
the longest was 9 years: 27 had the trouble in the right
shoulder, 14 had it in the left shoulder and 4 had it in both
shoulder.
Therapeutic Methods
1. Tuina therapy
Pressing and kneading the neck and the shoulder: The
patient took a sitting position and the doctor stood behind.
One of the doctor' hand fixed the patient's healthy neck
and shoulder and the palm of other hand was on the root
of the neck, and pressed and kneaded along the anterior
margin oftrapezius muscle towards the shoulder and then
along supraspinous muscle, infraspinous muscle, teres
major muscle and teres minor muscle towards the
shoulder repeatedly tbr several times until the spasmodic
muscles became relaxed.
Kneading and pinching the lateral portion of the
shoulder: The patient took a sitting position and the
doctor stood posterolaterally, put his one leg on a stool
with the knee bent, moved the patient's affected alTn
laterally and placed it on the doctor's knee to relax the
patient's deltoid muscle relatively. The doctor held the
patient's wrist on the affected side with his one hand and
turned the affected ann medially and laterally and
meanwhile kneaded and pinched the muscles in the
affected shoulder with his other hand with the force from
small to great, which finished when the deltoid induration
due to spasm became soft.
9 50 9 Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science, Dec. 2003, Vol. 1, No. 6
Bending the arm and pulling the shoulder: The patient
took a sitting position and the doctor stood behind. The
doctor held the patient's wrist with one hand and his
elbow with the other hand to make the affected side's
hand touch the healthy side and while raising the elbow
as much as possible moved the affected side's hand over
the vertex to the affected shoulder and stretched the
affected arm anterosuperiorly. Then the doctor turned the
affected side's hand medially, moved it posteroinferiorly
and bent the elbow with the affected side's hand as
posterior as possible. The above action was repeated for 3
to 5 times.
Moving the shoulder circularly: The patient took a
sitting position. The doctor stood by the affected side,
and supported the affected ann with his forearm and
elbow with his hand on the affected shoulder and also put
his other hand on the affected shoulder for fixation. The
doctor rotated the patient's upperann with his forearm
and elbow clockwise and counterclockwise for 3 to 5
times, with the range from small to large and the action
gentle and slow.
Stretching and shaking the shoulder: The patient took a
sitting position. The doctor stood by the patient's side,
and supported the shoulder with his one hand and held
the affected side's wrist with his other hand to bend the
elbow of the affected ann and stretch the arm posteriorly
and then anterosuperiorly (>45~ The above action was
repeated for 3 to 5 times.
Holding and kneading the shoulder: The doctor held
and kneaded the patient's shoulder and upper part of the
upper arm with his two hands to produce sensations of
relaxation and warmth.
2. Acupoint pressing
The patient took a sitting position and the doctor stood
behind the affected shoulder. The doctor pressed points
Hegu (LI 4), Shousanli (LI 10), Quchi (LI 11), Jiquan
(HT i), Jianyu (LI 15), Jianzhen (SI 9), Jianjing (GB 21)
and Tianzong (SI 11) in order, 30s for each and then Ashi
point in the shoulder for 30s, with his fingertip and force
to the extent that the patient had sensations of soreness,
numbness, distention and heaviness.
3. Functional exercise
Stooping and shaking the shoulder: The patient
stooped and stretched the ann, and moved the shoulder
circularly with the action from small to large and from
slow to rapid.
Acting like climbing a wall: The patient faced a wall,
and raised the arm slowly as high as possible with the
affected side's hand up along the wall, pressed the
shoulder when the hand reached the highest point and
then lowered it slowly to the original place, The action
was repeated for several times.
Pulling the hand behind the body: The patient placed
his two hands behind his body, pulled the affected side's
wrist with the healthy side's hand superiorly towards the
healthy side and returned it to the original place after it
moved to the largest range. The action was performed
repeatedly.
Pulling the shoulder by suspension: The patient
suspended his own body by holding an overhead thing to
pull the shoulder.
Swinging the arm: The patient stood and moved the
shoulder by forward flexion, backward stretch, addiction
and abduction. The action was performed repeatedly and
its range was from small to large.
The treatment was administered once daily. The
patiems were asked to perform the functional exercise at
home 1 to 2 times every day. No medicine was taken
during the treatment. The curative effects were evaluated
after 2 courses of treatment. There was a two-day's rest
between 2 courses of treatment.
Therapeutic Results
1. Criteria of curative effects m
Cure: The clinical symptoms disappeared and the
function of the shoulder joint remmed to normal.
Marked effectiveness: The clinical symptoms
disappeared in the main and the function of the shoulder
joint returned to normal on the whole.
Effectiveness: Pains in the shoulder joint were relieved
and the function of it improved.
Ineffectiveness: Pains in the shoulder joint and the
function of it. did not change markedly after the
treatment.
2. Therapeutic effects
The shortest time of treatment was 7 days and the
longest was 2 courses. Cure occurred in 32 cases, marked
effectiveness in 11 cases, effectiveness in 2 cases and
ineffectiveness in 0 case, the total effective rate being
100%.
Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science, Dec. 2003, Vol. l, No. 6 9 51 9

3. Case report Massotherapy plus acupoint pressing and functional

The patient, female, aged 46 and a teacher, visited on
Jtm 11, 2001. She complained of a pain in the right
shoulder lasting 3 months. The pain affected acts of
combing the hair and dressing. The right shoulder felt as
if there was a heavy burden. The examination showed a
markedly decreased range of the action of the affected
shoulder, inability of the hand to comb the hair, inability
of the backwards stretched and bent arm to touch the
lumbar region and tenderness around the shoulder joint.
Pains in the shoulder joint disappeared and the motor
f~mction of it returned to normal after 2 courses of
massotherapy in combination with acupoint pressing and
functional exercise. One year's follow-up showed no
recmTence.
Discussion
Scapulohumeral periarthritis often occurs in the
middle-aged and old people and results from scapular
trauma and invasion by pathogenic wind, cold and
dampness. A decrease in shoulder activities due to the
pain, and tissue adhesion and even connective tissue
hyperplasia due to unabsorbable blood and water
accumulated in the shoulder joint result in dysfunction of
the joint.
exercise can unblock the meridians, eliminate
inflammation and stop pains and also increase the
elasticity of soft tissues around the shoulder joint, remove
the adhesion due to stagnant blood, edema and
organization, and its pressure on local nerves and blood
vessels, improve blood circulation in the sot~ tissue of the
shoulder and promote the absorption of inflammation,
stagnant blood and edema in shoulder tissue, thereby
ameliorating and restoring the fm~ction of the shoulder
joint r-I. Functional exercise is the patient's active
movement of the shoulder joint and a very effective
method for maintaining the curative effect and promoting
the early restoration of shoulder joint function.
References
[l]~'~.:7~r..J~'~. _k.;~-: _k-~+@4r177 109.
YU Da-fang. Tuina science. Shanghai: Shanghai scientific
and technologic publishing house, 1993:109.
,~,2000,19 (3): 30.
LU Xin-hua. Analysis of the curative effect of acupuncture
plus massotherapy on scapulohumeral periarthritis. Shanghai
Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 2000, 19(3): 30.
Translator:WANGSi-you(~Y-~~)

*Terminology.,
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Fainting During Acupuncture

An acupuncture term, referring to fainting resulting from needling. During a needling course, the patient is
suddenly troubled with dizziness, nausea, vertigo, palpitation, pale complexion, cold sweating, cold extremities, drop
of blood pressure, feeble pulse, and even loss of consciousness. The pathogenesis is cormnonly due to delicate
constitution, nervous tension, hunger and fatigue or due to improper posture for needling, excessive thickness of the
needle, excessive needling stimulation and sensation. The treatment should be given quickly to avoid serious
consequence. First, stop needling immediately and withdraw all needles. Then, help the patient to lie down flat with
his head in a lower position, loosen his clothes, give him warm water or water with sugar. The patient will usually
recover after a rest of 10-15 minutes. In severe cases, on the basis of the above-mentioned treatments, press hard
with the finger-nails or needles Shuigou (GV 26), Zhongcong (LR 3), Neiguan (PC 6), Hegu (LI 4), etc., or apply
moxibustion to Baihui (GV 20), Qihai (CV 6), Guanyuan (CV 4).