Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of buccal acupuncture combined with tuina in treating frozen shoulder and explore its potential mechanism of action.Methods Sixty-four patients diagnosed with frozen shoulder were enrolled from the Rehabilitation Department of Qingyuan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine between May 2024 and December 2024.Patients were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group using a random number table,with 32 cases in each group.The control group received traditional Chinese tuina therapy,while the observation group received additional buccal acupuncture treatment.Three treatment sessions constituted one course,with a total of two courses administered.Clinical efficacy was evaluated after treatment,and the Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)scores for shoulder pain,Constant-Murley Shoulder Score(CMS),and Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA)scores were observed before and after intervention.Serum levels of interleukin 6(IL-6)and C-reactive protein(CRP)were also compared.Results(1)After treatment,the total effective rate of the observation group was 93.75%(30/32),and that of the control group was 75.00%(24/32),and the efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the VAS scores of patients in the two groups were significantly reduced(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving the patients'VAS scores,with a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the CMS scores of patients in the two groups were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving patients'CMS scores,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).(4)After treatment,the HAMA scores of patients in the two groups were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving patients'HAMA scores,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).(5)After treatment,the IL-6 and CRP levels of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving the IL-6 and CRP levels,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion The combination of buccal acupuncture and traditional Chinese tuina therapy significantly alleviates shoulder pain,improves shoulder joint function,reduces anxiety,and decreases inflammatory markers IL-6 and CRP in patients with frozen shoulder,demonstrating notable clinical efficacy.