title: Acupuncture treatment of shoulder impingement syndrome: A randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Shoulder pain or omalgia is one of the main types of osteoarticular pain that can be observed in every-day clinical practice, frequently causing significant functional impairment. The most common cause of shoulder pain is impingement syndrome.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To decrease the intensity of short- and mid-term pain in the injured shoulder by means of acupuncture.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized controlled trial with two groups of participants: one group received true acupuncture (TA) and the other received acupuncture at sham points (SA). The treatment was carried out over 4 weeks, with the participants receiving a session every week. The results were measured immediately after the treatment (T1) and 3 months later (T2). To evaluate the results, we used the 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and to assess the functionality of the shoulder we employed the UCLA questionnaire (0-35 points).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 68 participants were included in the analysis (TA, n=35; SA, n=33), with a mean age of 33.4 years (SD 12.53). We found significant differences in the analyzed results between the two groups, as we observed a decrease on the intensity of pain for the TA group of 44.13 mm at T1 (CI 95% 36.7; 51.5) and 87.58 mm at T2 (CI 95% 28.32; 46.81), while the decrease in the FA group was of 19.84 mm at T1 (CI 95% 12.2; 27.4) and 20 mm at T2 (CI 95% 10.9; 29.09). When the UCLA scores were analyzed, the results were clinically meaningful in support of TA in terms of functional assessment of the shoulder. No adverse effects were reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of acupuncture to treat impingement syndrome seems to be a safe and reliable technique to achieve clinically significant results and could be implemented in the therapy options offered by the health services.
authors.affiliation: SABIC, Ctra Cartagena-Alhama de Murcia km 13, 30390 La Aljorra, Cartagena, Murcia, Spain. Electronic address: jcruedagar@yahoo.es.
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rueda Garrido
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Tratamiento del Dolor, Unidad de Gestión Clínica "Doña Mercedes", Segovia s/n, 41701 Dos Hermanas, Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vas
authors.affiliation: SABIC, Ctra Cartagena-Alhama de Murcia km 13, 30390 La Aljorra, Cartagena, Murcia, Spain; Unidad de Tratamiento del Dolor, Unidad de Gestión Clínica "Doña Mercedes", Segovia s/n, 41701 Dos Hermanas, Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: D Rafael
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Lopez
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D019534:Shoulder Impingement Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D020069:Shoulder Pain / Q000628:therapy
keywords: Acupuncture; Impingement syndrome; Rotator cuff tendinitis; Shoulder pain; Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)