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Shoulder Pain

How Chinese medicine differentiates general shoulder pain into the four patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each — complementing this site's own Frozen Shoulder, Rotator Cuff Injury, Shoulder Bursitis and Shoulder Stiffness pages. Acupuncture only — no herbs.

This page is educational, for practitioners and students — it is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a proper in-person assessment. Sudden severe shoulder pain with chest pain, arm weakness, or trauma-related deformity needs prompt medical evaluation before assuming a simple pattern.
General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for shoulder pain — 10 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

PointKey action
L.I.-15Removes obstructions from the channel. Expels Wind and Dampness. Resolves Phlegm and dissipates nodules.
T.B.-14Removes obstructions from the channel.
S.I.-9Removes obstructions from the channel.
SP-10Cools Blood. Invigorates Blood and eliminates stasis.
L.I.-4Expels exterior Wind. Stops pain. Removes obstructions from the channel.
ST-36Tonifies Qi and Blood. Tonifies the Stomach and Spleen.
SP-6Strengthens the Spleen. Nourishes Blood and Yin.
DU-14Clears Heat. Releases the Exterior and expels exterior Wind.
L.I.-11Clears Heat and cools the Blood. Removes obstructions from the channel.
BL-23Tonifies the Kidneys and nourishes Kidney-Essence. Strengthens the lower back.
BL-18Resolves Damp-Heat. Moves Liver-Qi and eliminates stagnation. Nourishes Liver-Blood.
The Four Patterns

↑ reinforcing   ↓ reducing   ⊥ even method.

1. Qi and Blood Stagnation View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Sharp, stabbing pain in a fixed spot, worse at night and with pressure, pain follows injury or chronic overuse, better with gentle movement and warmth.
Tongue: Dark purple body with stasis spots and distended sublingual veins. Pulse: Wiry and choppy.
Treatment principle: Invigorate Blood, dispel stasis, unblock channels, move Qi, alleviate pain.
L.I.-15 ↓ T.B.-14 ↓ S.I.-9 ⊥ SP-10 ↓ L.I.-4 ⊥
Note: no moxa. Linked to this site's own Liver-Blood-stasis slide via the discoloration-marker rule.

2. Painful Obstruction With Qi and Blood Deficiency

Clinical manifestations: Dull aching pain (not sharp), worse with exertion or end of day, general fatigue and lack of strength, pale complexion, numbness or tingling in the shoulder/arm.
Tongue: Pale body, possibly thin with teeth marks, thin white coating. Pulse: Fine and weak, may be slow.
Treatment principle: Tonify Qi and Blood, warm channels, harmonize Nutritive and Defensive Qi.
L.I.-15 ⊥ ST-36 ↑ SP-6 ↑
Note: moxa applicable. This site has no combined Qi-and-Blood-deficiency slide framed as painful obstruction, a gap confirmed absent many times over — no pattern link is given here; points still link fine individually.

3. Painful Obstruction Due to Damp Heat in Channels

Clinical manifestations: Shoulder joint red, swollen, hot to touch, heavy aching sensation, fever or body heat, thirst with desire for cold drinks, irritability and restlessness.
Tongue: Red body (possibly slightly swollen), yellow greasy coating. Pulse: Slippery and rapid, may be soggy or wiry at the middle position.
Treatment principle: Clear Heat, drain Dampness, unblock channels, relieve painful obstruction.
L.I.-15 ↓ T.B.-14 ↓ DU-14 ↓ L.I.-11 ↓
Note: no moxa. This site has no organ-nonspecific Damp-Heat-in-channels Bi-syndrome slide, a gap confirmed absent many times over — no pattern link is given here; points still link fine individually.

4. Painful Obstruction With Liver and Kidney Deficiency

Clinical manifestations: Dull, aching shoulder pain (intermittent), lower back and knee soreness/weakness, worse in cold/damp weather, fatigue, pale complexion, stiffness, limited movement, chronic nagging pain never fully resolving.
Tongue: Pale, thin body with thin white coating. Pulse: Fine, weak, slow, especially deep at the rear (Kidney) position.
Treatment principle: Dispel Wind-Dampness, relieve painful obstruction, supplement Liver and Kidneys.
BL-23 ↑ BL-18 ↑ L.I.-15 ⊥
Note: moxa applicable on BL-23. This pattern's own Cold/pale/no-Heat-signs presentation doesn't match this site's only Liver-and-Kidney-deficiency slide, which is Yin-deficiency/Empty-Heat framed (night sweats, five-palm heat) — a real naming-vs-content mismatch, consistent with the project's standing discipline of reading the actual deck content before linking — no pattern link is given here; points still link fine individually.
Related conditions
Frozen Shoulder Rotator Cuff Injury Shoulder Bursitis

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Acupuncture-only reference — structure adapted (not text) from how other condition-lookup sites organize this kind of content. Let us know what to add or change.