We examined the effects of acupuncture therapy on 41 patients with various levels of periarthritis scapulohumeralis. These patients were classified into two groups: one consisting of 20 patients having no contracture, those of freezing type (age 61.0±9.0; suffering period 3.0±5.1 months) and the other consisting of 21 patients having contracture, those of frozen type (age 53.8±7.3; suffering period 5.8±7.8 months).
As a result, we found that acupuncture therapy relieved pain more effectively in patients having no spontaneous pain than in those having spontaneous pain regardless of the presence or absence of contracture. We next investigated the effects of this therapy by the patient types. In the group of 20 freezing-type patients, which includes only six patients having spontaneous pain, pain relief was relatively easily obtained as indicated by the pain score after the therapy of 3.6±1.8. In the group of 21 frozen-type patients, which includes 13 patients having spontaneous pain, however, it was difficult to obtain sufficient pain relief as indicated by the pain score of 5.7±2.8. There was a statistically significant difference (P<0.002) between these scores. This shows that acupuncture therapy is more effective on freezing-type patients than on frozen-type patients.
Therapy also improved the range of motion. In many freezing-type patients, the range of motion was expanded due to pain relief. The abduction ROM expanded from 151.8±39.0° before therapy to 163.8±25.0° after acupuncture therapy. In frozen-type patients, however, the range of motion did not expanded significantly (87.6±24.1° before to 94.8±21.1° after therapy). The above results suggest that acupuncture therapy is effective for relieving the pain of periarthritis scapulohumeralis and that this therapy is particularly effective when applied to those patients having no spontaneous pain before they enter into the frozen phase.

Poor circulation is considered to be a cause of stiff shoulders, but there have been no studies on deep hemodynamics and the subjective estimation/palpation of stiff shoulders. We evaluated the relationship between deep hemodynamics and the degree of the subjective estimation/palpation of stiff shoulders by near-infrared spectrophotometry.
The subjects were 146 patients who visited our center and 23 healthy volunteers. Deep hemodynamics (tissue oxygen saturation: StO₂, total hemoglobin concentration: total Hb) was measured in the scapular region of the bilateral shoulders using a deep hemodynamics measurement system (PSA-IIIN, Biomedical Science), and its relationship with the severity of the subjective estimation of stiff shoulders (5-grade rating) and that of palpation (4-grade rating) was evaluated. Deep hemodynamic values were affected by the body mass index (BMI) that is highly correlated with subcutaneous fat thickness. Therefore, analysis was performed in 70 patients and 8 healthy volunteers with BMI of 20-24 that does not affect hemodynamic values. Compared with the healthy volunteers, patients who reported marked shoulder stiffness showed a significant decrease in total Hb, and that who reported shoulder stiffness showed a significant decrease in StO₂. On the other hand, compared with the healthy volunteers, patients with marked shoulder stiffness observed by palpation showed significant decreases in both StO₂ and total Hb; the decreases were more marked with more marked stiffness. These results suggested that deep hemodynamics is a diagnostic parameter of stiff shoulders.

We investigated the difference between muscle-EAT and nerve-EAT basically and clinically. A basic study was performed on healthy adult males. The skin blood flow, deep-tissue temperature, deep hemodynamics, heart rate, and deep-pain threshold were adopted as indexes, and they were compared for a total of three groups: the muscle stimulation-EA group, nerve stimulation-EA group and control group (no stimulation). An acupuncture needle was inserted into the gastrocnemius muscle for muscle stimulation-EA and another needle into the tibial nerve in the femoral region for nerve stimulation-EA. Electric current was then applied at 1Hz for 15 minutes after the flexibility of the foot joint was conformed. Each index was measured after it became stable and was recorded from 10 minutes before starting stimulation until 20 minutes after ending stimulation.
A clinical study was performed on 41 patients with cervical radiculopathy. Muscle-EAT was applied to the patients as the first choice. Cases graded five points or less in pain score (10-point method) after one month were included in the muscle-EAT group. Cases graded six points or more were subjected to nerve-EAT and were included in the nerve-EAT group. The therapeutic results in these two groups were examined for a period of three months at intervals of one month based on the pain score and the evaluation criteria for the results of treatment of cervical radiculopathy.
As a result, we found that the skin blood flow significantly increased on the stimulated side in both the muscle stimulation-EA and nerve stimulation-EA group. The increase was greater in the nerve stimulation group than in the muscle stimulation group. The deep-tissue temperature rose significantly on the stimulated side in the nerve stimulation-EA group. Regarding the deep hemodynamics, deoxy Hb decreased significantly in the nerve stimulation-EA group. No difference was found in heart rate between the two groups. The deep-pain threshold was significantly raised by nerve stimulation.
Patients with cervical radiculopathy who did not respond to continuous muscle-EAT for one month were subjected to nerve-EAT. After three months (two months after changing to nerve-EAT), similar improvements were found in both groups. Significant improvement of paresthesia was obtained with nerve-EAT.
These results suggested that the nerve-EAT influences the peripheral circulation and the deep pain threshold more effectively, enhancing the clinical efficacy.

The effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation on tissue circulation in the human ocular fundus (choroidal blood flow) was studied in 11 adult healthy volunteers (6 males and 5 females, age 31.5±5.7y) who had no physical or ocular disease. Using the laser speckle method, normalized blur (NB) values, a quantitative index for tissue blood flow, were measured over an area of choroid between the macula and the optic nerve papilla with no discrete visible vessel. The EA stimulation was applied between BL 10 and GB 20 and between GB 21 and SI 13 on the right side for 15 minutes at 1Hz with an intensity which cause slight muscle contraction. The NB value and intraocular pressure (IOP) in both side eyes, blood pressure (BP) and pulse rate (PR) were measured at baseline time, immediately after EA, and every 5 minutes after EA up to 15 minutes. These procedures were repeated on the same subjects as a control trial on another day. The NB value of choroid on the stimulated side significantly increased following EA stimulation compared with the control value, while that in the unstimulated side showed no significant change. No significant change was observed in BP, IOP or ocular perfusion pressure throughout the experimental period.

We evaluated the clinical effect of acupuncture treatment on 21 patients with Arteriosclerosis Obliterans (ASO). Severity of ASO was grade I in one case, II in 17 cases, III in two cases, and IV in one case (Fontaine classification). Mainly low-frequency electroacupuncture was applied to inpatients two to four times per week and to outpatients, once or twice a week. Effects on claudication distance (ICD), pain, coldness, and Ankle Brachial Pressure Index (ABPI) were assessed on inpatients by comparing the status before starting treatment with that before the acupuncture treatment at the 17th visit. We also assessed the thermograph and plasma calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) of the lower extremities.
Improved warmth, increased intermittent limping distance, and relief of pain during walking were observed in patients of grade I and II (Fontaine classification of severity). No improvement of symptoms was observed in patients of grade III and IV. No change in ABPI was observed in any patient. Surface temperatures in the peripheral extremities were significantly elevated from 15 minutes after insertion of the needles until 15 minutes after removal. A significant increase in plasma CGRP was observed immediately after the treatment.
These findings suggest that acupuncture treatment may be effective for some symptoms of grade I and II ASO and that improvement of peripheral circulation via vascular dilatation may be involved in the mechanism of action.

Hemiplegia after a cerebrovascular event is a complication that causes problems in daily life such as difficulty of walking and may lead to social disadvantages. Furthermore, various subsequent health issues that accompany hemiplegia tend to hinder rehabilitation. In particular, Shoulder-Hand Syndrome (SHS) is an intractably painful disease with primary symptoms of pain and swelling in the upper limbs of patients. We investigated the effect of the acupuncture treatment on those patients with hemiplegia after a cerebrovascular event who are suspected to have SHS because of such symptoms as pain, swelling, and paresthesia in the upper limb of the affected side by measuring the changes in the numerical scale (NS), Gibbons' RSD score, and range of motion (ROM) in upper extremities.
The present study consisted of 13 hemiplegic subjects (eight males, five females) with pain, swelling, and paresthesia in the upper limbs. Acupuncture treatment was applied twice a week for over two months. Specifically electrical acupuncture and/or the retaining needle technique was applied to the upper extremities for 20 minutes in each session. Of 13 participants, 10 showed a significant decrease in NS (reduced by five or more points), eight showed improvement of the swelling in the upper limbs, and nine showed reduction in paresthesia.
From these results, we concluded that the acupuncture treatment was effective for SHS that accompanies hemiplegia after a cerebrovascular event and that the improvement of the peripheral blood flow might play an important role in generating treatment effects.