A multicentre, randomised controlled trial in Spain, has found that acupuncture in association with physiotherapy, is more beneficial for shoulder pain and function, than physiotherapy on its own. A total of 425 patients received fifteen sessions of physiotherapy over a three week period; additionally, some were randomised to receive either acupuncture, or mock TENS as a control.
Using a shoulder outcome scoring system, the acupuncture group improved by 16.6 points, compared with only 10.6 in the control group. Furthermore, 53% of the acupuncture patients had reduced their painkiller consumption, compared with only 30% in the control group.
(Single-Point Acupuncture; Physiotherapy for the Treatment of Painful Shoulder: a Multicentre Randomised Controlled Trial, Rheumatology 10 April 2008 E pub ahead of print)