This article is excerpted from “Li Tingfang’s 50 Years of Clinical Acupuncture Experience”丨Authors: Li Tingfang, Zhu WeiIntroduction:Professor Li Tingfang utilized acupuncture at the Four Penetrating Points (Jianyu (Shoulder Yang), Jianzheng (Shoulder True), Jianliao (Shoulder Meeting), Quchi (Pool at the Crook)) combined with flash cupping to treat shoulder periarthritis, achieving excellent results that are worth our reference.Acupuncture and Flash Cupping at the Four Penetrating Points for Treating 200 Cases of Shoulder PeriarthritisAuthors: Li Tingfang, Zhu Wei Since 1970, we have treated 200 cases of shoulder periarthritis using acupuncture at the Four Penetrating Points combined with flash cupping, with satisfactory results, which are described as follows.1. General Information Among the 200 patients, there were 115 females and 85 males; the oldest was 70 years old, and the youngest was 35 years old; the longest duration of illness was 5 years, and the shortest was 3 weeks.2. Treatment Method Selected Four Penetrating Points (Jianyu (Shoulder Yang), Jianzheng (Shoulder True), Jianliao (Shoulder Meeting), Quchi (Pool at the Crook)).
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Patients were seated or lying down, using 30-gauge 4-inch filiform needles, after routine disinfection, the needles were inserted vertically into the acupoints. The needle tips did not need to penetrate the skin, and the needles were slowly twisted and lifted. After obtaining qi, the needles were retained for 30 minutes. After removing the needles, flash cupping was applied to the corresponding areas, repeatedly suctioning and releasing until the skin turned red.3. Efficacy Criteria Cure: Pain disappears, and the affected limb can be abducted, adducted, elevated, and flexed and extended freely. Significant effect: Pain disappears, and shoulder joint function is basically restored, but the affected limb occasionally feels sore and heavy. Improvement: Pain is significantly reduced, and shoulder joint function has improved markedly compared to before treatment. Ineffective: No significant change in symptoms after one treatment course.4. Treatment Results Among the 200 patients, 120 were cured, 40 had significant effects, 37 improved, 2 discontinued treatment midway, and 1 was ineffective, resulting in a total effective rate of 98.5%.5. Typical Case Zhang Xiuzhen, female, 68 years old, has suffered from shoulder periarthritis for over 2 years, with recurrent episodes, sometimes mild and sometimes severe, experiencing pain and coldness in the shoulder joint, worse in winter and better in summer, with recurrence upon exposure to cold, and more severe at night. The affected limb’s abduction, adduction, and elevation were limited, with muscle atrophy, flaccidity, and reduced elasticity around the shoulder joint. She had previously undergone two courses of treatment with prednisone, 36 sessions of massage, and over a hundred doses of Chinese herbal medicine, as well as 200 tablets of anti-inflammatory medication, with no significant effect. On November 5, 1986, she came to our outpatient clinic for treatment. She reported: shoulder pain had recently worsened, insomnia at night, loss of appetite, inability to care for herself, pale complexion, and poor spirit, with a thin white tongue coating and a wiry slippery pulse. She received acupuncture and cupping treatment, following the aforementioned method. After 31 treatments, she was cured, with muscle atrophy gradually returning to normal, and she has not relapsed in the 3 years since follow-up.
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