Shoulder pain is a common musculoskeletal condition that causes significant discomfort in daily life. In Korean medicine, shoulder pain isn’t viewed as a simple localized problem, but is approached comprehensively — as a disruption in meridian flow (Qi-Blood stagnation), an imbalance among the internal organs, or a misalignment of body structure. Because the shoulder has the widest range of motion of any joint in the body, it’s structurally unstable, so pain can arise from many different causes.
▪️ Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis)
▫️ The joint capsule becomes inflamed and adhered, causing the shoulder to stiffen.
▫️ Moving the arm in any direction becomes difficult, with severe pain especially when raising or rotating the arm toward the stiffened direction.
▪️ Rotator Cuff Tear
▫️ The four tendons surrounding the shoulder (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis) become damaged or torn from degeneration, overuse, or trauma.
▫️ Pain is severe when raising the arm at certain angles, with a characteristic loss of strength when lowering it.
▪️ Impingement Syndrome
▫️ The bones and tendons of the shoulder rub against each other, causing inflammation and pain — often a precursor to a rotator cuff tear.
Referred Pain from Cervical (Neck) Conditions
▫️ When a nerve is compressed by a herniated cervical disc or similar issue, radiating pain or numbness can travel from the shoulder down through the arm to the fingertips.
▪️ Causes in Korean Medicine (Disrupted Qi-Blood Circulation)
▫️ Korean medicine identifies the main causes as: invasion of external pathogenic factors — wind, cold, dampness, and heat — into the shoulder area; Qi stagnation and Blood stasis (氣滯血瘀) from stress and fatigue; and Liver-Kidney deficiency (肝腎虧損, depletion of the organs governing muscles and bones) due to aging or chronic fatigue.
