Treatment principle The treatment principle adopted was to expel Cold, warm the channels,
and move Qi.
Acupuncture The main points used were:
L.I.-15 Jianyu and S.I.-10 Naoshu with warm needle as a local point to
remove obstructions from the channels.L.I.-11 Quchi to benefit tendons.Six weekly treatments were enough to clear up this problem.Case History 23.7
Painful Obstruction Syndrome: Cold-Female, Age 50
A 50-year-old woman had been suffering from pain of the shoulder for the past 14 years. She
had had several cortisone injections. The pain was located in the left shoulder joint and it
extended up to the neck and down the arm along the Large Intestine channel. At times the pain
extended also to the left scapula. The points L.I.-15 Jianyu, T.B.-14 Jianliao, Jianneiling
extra-point, S.I.-11 Tianzong, S.I.-9 Jianzhen and S.I.-10 Naoshu were all very tender on
pressure. The shoulder was very stiff and the arm difficult to abduct. The pain was aggravated
during spells of rainy weather and alleviated by heat. She was overweight and her tongue was
Pale-Purplish.
Diagnosis This is a case of Cold Painful Obstruction Syndrome. She also had an
internal condition of Yang deficiency and Internal Cold as shown by the
Pale-Purplish tongue. In such chronic cases of shoulder ache it is
essential to search for tender points not only around the joint itself, but
also the points on the corresponding scapula along the Small Intestine
channel, i.e. S.I.-9 Jianzhen, S.I.-10 Naoshu, S.I.-11 Tianzong, S.I.-12
Bingfeng, S.I.-13 Quyuan and S.I.-14 Jianwaishu. T.B.-15 Tianliao
should also always be checked for tenderness.
Treatment principle The treatment principle adopted was to expel Cold, warm the channels
and tonify Yang.
Acupuncture In this case the main points used were:
L.I.-15 Jianyu, G.B.-21 Jianjing and Jianneiling extra point as local
points.L.I.-1 Shangyang as distal point to remove obstructions from the Large
Intestine channel. This was alternated with T.B.-8 Sanyangluo, meeting
point of the three channels of the arm because the pain involved all
these three channels.