Objectives:
The aim of this study is to summarise pattern-identification of shoulder pain based on the classics of oriental medicine, current literatures and domestic papers.

Methods:
The materials selected were based on the classics of oriental medicine, current literatures and domestic papers which contained data related to pattern-identification of shoulder pain. The pattern-identifications were compared to determine the similarities, and these were classified.

Results:
Thirty-five studies were reviewed, and thirty-seven pattern-identifications were collated. Thirty-seven pattern-identifications were classified into the following groups: wind-cold-dampness group (n = 8), blood stasis group (n = 3), phlegm group (n = 7), dual deficiency of qi and blood group (n = 4), deficiency cold group (n = 2), liver-kidney deficiency group (n = 1) and meridian-collateral group (n = 12).

Conclusions:
On the basis of the classification of pattern-identifications, two groups of pattern-identifications for shoulder pain were suggested. The first group included the pattern-identification associated with a disease cause, which included the wind-cold-dampness pattern (風寒濕型), blood stasis pattern (瘀血型), phlegm pattern (痰飮型), qi-blood deficiency pattern (氣血兩虛型), deficiency cold pattern (虛寒型), and liver-kidney deficiency pattern (肝腎虧損型). The second included the pattern-identification associated with the meridian-collateral, which included the hand greater yin meridian pattern (手太陰經型), hand yang brightness meridian pattern (手陽明經型), hand lesser yin meridian pattern (手少陰經型), hand greater yang meridian pattern (手太陽經型), hand reverting yin meridian pattern (手厥陰經型), hand lesser yang meridian pattern (手少陽經型), and foot greater yang meridian pattern (足太陽經型).