Rotator Cuff Tear/Injury

The rotator cuff is a group of four tendons and muscles that converge at the shoulder.  Too much stress to the cuff or overuse of the shoulder can cause partial tears and swelling in the tendons of the rotator cuff. Abrupt stress may even cause one of the tendons to pull away from the bone or tear in the middle of the tendon. The symptoms of a rotator cuff tear include pain in the shoulder and arm, weakness and tenderness in the shoulder, difficulty moving the shoulder (especially when trying to lift your arm above your head), snapping or crackling sounds when moving the shoulder and an inability to sleep on the shoulder.  Acupuncture will help the torn tendon to heal by increasing the flow of energy and blood to the affected shoulder.

Acupuncture will also reduce the pain of the rotator cuff injury thereby enabling the patient to become more functional and avoid using large quantities of pain medications which are harmful to the kidneys (ibuprofen in particular) and liver.