Cupping Therapy for Frozen Shoulder
Frozen shoulder, also known as "leaky shoulder wind" or "fifty-year-old shoulder," mainly presents as:
Pain—initially intermittent, often triggered by weather changes or fatigue; later progresses to constant pain, lighter during the day, worse at night, making lying on the affected side difficult.
Restricted joint mobility—active and passive movements in all directions of the shoulder joint are limited. Especially when abducting the shoulder, a typical "shoulder-lifting" phenomenon appears. For example, actions like combing hair or dressing become impossible. Severe cases may result in inability to touch the shoulder with the hand when bending the elbow. Prolonged duration may lead to muscle atrophy, prominent acromion process, difficulty raising the arm, and limited extension. This condition commonly affects people around age 50, with higher incidence in women, especially manual laborers.
Cupping sites:
Neck—Yamen, Fengchi, Dazhui.
Shoulder and back—Jianjing, Tianzong.
Chest—Zhongfu, Yunmen, Quepin.
Upper limb—Jianzhen, Waiguan, Quchi, Hegu.
Lower limb—Zusanli, Tiaokou.