A large pragmatic randomised trial has found that acupuncture is an effective alternative to conventional orthopaedic treatment for chronic shoulder pain (CSP). The German Randomized Acupuncture trial for chronic Shoulder Pain (GRASP) studied 424 patients with an average visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score of 50mm, who were randomly assigned to receive six weeks of Chinese acupuncture (verum), sham acupuncture (sham) or conventional conservative orthopaedic treatment (COT). At the end of the treatment, the percentages of responders (defined as those who achieved at least a 50% reduction in VAS pain score) were: verum 68%, sham 40% and COT 28%. Three months after the end of treatment, the percentages of responders were: verum 65%, sham 24% and COT 37%. These results are significant for verum over sham and verum over COT for both endpoints. The verum group also exhibited greater improvement of shoulder mobility versus the control group, both immediately after treatment and after three months.

German Randomized Acupuncture Trial for chronic shoulder pain (GRASP) – A pragmatic, controlled, patient-blinded, multi-centre trial in an outpatient care environment. Pain. 2010 Jul 22.