Bursitis and Acupuncture
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Bursitis is very common, particularly in adults over 40, active individuals, tradespeople, athletes, and people performing repetitive movements or prolonged postural loading. The exact prevalence is difficult to measure because many cases are grouped into broader musculoskeletal pain categories, but:
Shoulder bursitis/subacromial pain syndrome is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain worldwide.
Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (commonly called hip bursitis) affects an estimated 10–25% of the population at some point, particularly women aged 40–60.
Prepatellar bursitis (“housemaid’s knee”) and olecranon bursitis (“student’s elbow”) are also relatively common in occupations involving kneeling or leaning on elbows.
More broadly, musculoskeletal conditions are now considered one of the leading causes of disability globally, and bursitis frequently overlaps with tendon irritation, overload syndromes, and chronic inflammatory joint pain patterns.
What is Bursitis?
Bursitis is the inflammation of the cusioning sacs between the bones of major joints of the body and can develop from repetitive strain, overload, injury, or biomechanical strain. From a Chinese medicine lens we also acknowledge poor recovery, stress, constitutional weakness or lingering cold and damp accumulation within the tissues as causal factors. The symptoms include pain, stiffness, swelling, and reduced range of motion.
How can Acupuncture and Chinese medicine help?
From a Chinese medicine perspective, bursitis is not simply viewed as local inflammation but often understood as a blockage within the channels and sinews where circulation of Qi and Blood has become impaired. This impairment can actually be distant from where the site of pain is! The needles help activate acupuncture points that free up where the blockage which in turn eases pain and improves mobility.
Patients will often often describe immediate reduction in pain, and also a feeling that the joint becomes freer, lighter, warmer, and less “stuck” without relying heavily on anti inflammatory medication, repeated corticosteroid injections, or more aggressive interventions like surgery. This is one of the reasons acupuncture has remained a cornerstone treatment for musculoskeletal pain for thousands of years.
From a bio medicine vantage, acupuncture is increasingly being studied as a supportive treatment option for bursitis and related shoulder pain conditions, particularly when pain becomes persistent or doesn’t fully respond to rest, anti-inflammatory medication, or exercise therapy.
Research into shoulder pain conditions including subacromial bursitis, rotator cuff disease, and shoulder impingement syndrome has shown promising results. A 2024 systematic review found that acupuncture improved pain, shoulder function, and disability outcomes in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome. Another review examining rotator cuff disease (which commonly overlaps with bursitis) suggest acupuncture may be an effective non surgical option for reducing shoulder pain and improving function.
Research into lateral hip pain conditions, including greater trochanteric pain syndrome (commonly referred to as hip bursitis), suggests acupuncture may help reduce pain and improve function, particularly in persistent or chronic cases. A 2023 systematic review examining acupuncture for hip pain found promising evidence for pain reduction and functional improvement, with acupuncture also demonstrating a strong safety profile.
While research specifically examining knee bursitis is still emerging, acupuncture is already widely used in the management of knee pain conditions involving tendon irritation, bursitis, overload syndromes, and chronic inflammatory pain patterns.
Chinese herbal medicine may also be prescribed alongside acupuncture to support recovery. Depending on the presentation, herbs may be used to improve circulation, reduce pain, dispel “wind-damp” accumulation from the joints, nourish tendons and connective tissue, or help resolve lingering inflammatory processes. In chronic or recurrent cases, treatment may also focus on strengthening the body’s underlying resilience and recovery capacity, rather than only chasing symptoms.
In clinic, treatment is rarely only just about reducing inflammation of the bursa. Treatment with both herbal medicines and acupuncture focuses on the system as a whole and how the affected joint became susceptible in the first instance. This is what makes Chinese medicine exceptionally powerful in treating pain, and maintaining mobility and works beautifully alongside supportive movement practices such as Pilates, yoga, exercise physiology, mobility training, and strength work.
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At Indigo Chinese Medicine, we practise a refined distal acupuncture style using as few needles as necessary to create meaningful and lasting change. Treatment often doesn’t require needling the painful area or removing clothing. By using precise, targeted input, acupuncture gives clear instruction to the central nervous system, helping create immediate pain relief and broader systemic effects throughout the body.
