Shoulder osteoarthritis (SOA), a degenerative joint disease, affects nearly one-third of adults aged 60 and older in the United States and can cause pain, stiffness, reduced range of motion, and crepitus—“hearing and feeling grinding and clicking noises as you move your shoulder.”
These symptoms can impinge on daily life, taking a physical and emotional toll on people with SOA. A recently published long-term observational study reported that nonsurgical, integrative Korean medicine (KM) effectively treats SOA.
KM originates from traditional Chinese medicine and includes acupuncture, cupping therapy, Chuna therapy, and herbal medicine. These approaches to SOA are considered “conservative” because they do not incorporate surgery or drug treatment….