A Real Pain in my Shoulder! Treatment #2 Acupuncture

These are the pictures from the fateful day when I damaged my shoulder. Looking back now it is pretty clear that as I reached behind and above my head and grabbed the top line, I strained/stretched the muscles in and around my left scapula/shoulder. There are also some tears in the ligaments and the whole area is in spasm.

So getting back to my story... We are now back on the ship after the nice little beach massage. I am still looking for some relief to my shoulder. If you have missed the beginning of this shoulder saga click here to get the scoop. I have some aspirin but it doesn’t seem to touch the pain so I called the spa and asked if they had any appointments for acupuncture. I was in luck. The doctor was in! Yes!

I have been receiving regular acupuncture for quite a while now. My friend Dr. Tara Perry who was on a BraveHeart View and was one of the guests at RISE is a very gifted Doctor of Oriental Medicine who practices in Beverly Hills, CA. I make it a point to see her every time I visit the area. I recently underwent a minor surgical procedure and my wonderful, wonderful friend Dr. Perry came to my hotel room and did an acupuncture treatment within 48 hours after my procedure and then again 5 days after the procedure to assist with healing. (That is a true friend) I currently get acupuncture about once or twice a month primarily for stress relief and to balance Qi. I enjoy it immensely.

Ok back to the shoulder problem. I meet the doctor, explain the problem and remove my clothes and lay down on the table. He inserts the needles and then leaves (as is general practice - - usually the needles are inserted and you are left to meditate while the needles work their magic).

Unfortunately, (although this is usually a very pleasant part of the procedure) for me and my shoulder this was not the case. At this point my muscles went into major spasm and I was in tears. Literally taking a vagus breath every 2 seconds to keep from flying off the table with needles sticking out all over my body. To say it was miserable is no understatement. When the doctor returned I explained that the needles just weren’t giving me the relief that I had hoped for… so in addition to the needles he also began doing acupressure to some of the trigger points that were in spasm, which helped immensely.

So.... Results:
Therapy 2: ACUPUNCTURE
Price: $177.00
Time: 35 minutes
Results: Pain 8/10 at beginning of acupuncture session
Pain 10/10 during session
Pain 1/10 at end of acupuncture/acupressure session.
Unfortunately this lasted only about 5 minutes until I put my bra and shirt on and then the muscle went back into spasm again and the pain went back to about 6/10.

Main benefit: total relief for 5 minutes which again re-assured me that I didn’t have a serious internal injury.

The DOM (Doctor of Oriental Medicine) recommended two products to me. I will do another post in a few days talking about all the products that I have been taking both topically and internally…so you’ll have to wait on the edge of your seat to hear about those.

Rating: Two Thumbs up for 5 minutes of relief and peace of mind that what I have is going to be ok ... it is just a matter of time. Also for my belief in Acupuncture in general and for previous excellent results.
One Thumbs down for cost. Granted I was on a cruise ship but I felt like $177.00 dollars for a session was not cost effective for the results.

I am Doctor Sugar and I’ll be back with more of this exciting story real soon.

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**Ratings**
Pain Scale 1 to 10 with 1 being like a paper cut and 10 like childbirth or the worst pain ever
Thumbs Up Scale 1 to 3 (good – better – best)
Thumbs Down Scale 1 to 3 (not effective – wouldn’t take the time/money to try it – definitely would NOT recommend it)


The information contained in this blog is not medical advice.
Please consult your medical doctor before making any decisions
or taking any actions on your health or the health of your family.