Frozen Shoulder Treatments

The icy shoulder, also known as adherent capsulitis, is caused by stiffness and discomfort in the shoulder joints. It is mainly caused by paralysis that eventually results from shoulder damage, a shattered arm, or spasm. The moment your shoulder begins hurting, consult a therapist for immediate results so that it doesn’t result in an icy shoulder situation. The most affected people are people aged 40 years and above.

FROZEN SHOULDER

Indications

Icy shoulder usually formulates over time, and it occurs in three phases; and each phase lingers for about a month, and the phases include:

  • Freezing stage: the moment you start encountering the freezing stage is when your shoulder begins encountering anguish, and your shoulders’ spectrum of activities begins becoming restricted. The condition can linger from 6-9 months. You are restricted on how far you can shove your shoulder.
  • Frozen stage: discomfort begins to lessen once you enter this phase. However, your shoulder starts becoming stiffer, and it’s hard to use your shoulder. This phase lingers from 4 to 12 months.
  • Liquefying phase: your shoulder starts becoming better, and you can use it once again. This phase lingers from 6months to 2 years.

It differs for every person who experiences this condition because others feel pain at night while others don’t.

What Inflicts Frozen Shoulder

Frozen shoulder primarily arises when your bones, ligaments, and tendons capsule thickens and tightens around the shoulder joint, prohibiting its action. Doctors are still trying to figure out why this occurs, but it mainly occurs in victims with diabetes or those who immobilized their shoulders for a while or have had a shoulder fracture.

frozen-shoulder-after-stroke-treatment
frozenshoulder

Hazard Factors

Several factors increase the chance of getting frozen shoulders, and they include:
Age And Sex
Persons aged 40 and above are the ones who are likely to get icy shoulders, and it affects women more as compared to men.

Immobility Or Reduced Mobility
Persons with prolonged immobility or reduced shoulder mobility are at a higher risk of getting frozen shoulder. Immobility is caused by :

  • Rotator cuff injuries.
  • Broken arm.
  • Stroke.
  • Recovery from surgery.

 

Systemic Illnesses
People who suffer from certain illnesses are more likely to experience frozen shoulder disease, and the illnesses include:

  • Diabetes.
  • Overactive thyroid.
  • Underactive thyroid.
  • Cardiovascular disease.
  • Parkinson’s disease.
  • Tuberculosis.

 

Diagnosis
To be able to diagnose a frozen shoulder, you need a medical expert to examine your shoulder before you conclude that you have a frozen shoulder. The therapist will ask you to move your shoulder a couple of times so that they can know the intensity of your frozen shoulder. During the passive portion, the therapist will move your shoulder for you, and they identify the difference.

A physical exam Is enough to diagnose the intensity of your shoulder. In rare conditions you may be requested to have an MRI, ultrasound, and X-ray. This is so that they can do away with other conditions like arthritis or torn rotator cuffs, which cause the same problem.

Treatment

When the pain is unbearable, you can go to the pharmacy and ask for over-the-counter medicines like ibuprofen or aspirin because they act as pain relievers, but when the pain persists, seek medical attention as fast as possible.Once your therapist has done an analysis and found out that you have a frozen shoulder, they can give you stronger medication or advise you to carry out a physical exercise where you will visit a physiotherapist so that they can stretch and strengthen the muscles on your shoulder.

If all these types of treatment refuse to work, your doctor may ask you to employ other measures such as

  • A corticosteroid injection is injected on your shoulders so that it can relieve your pain and improve your range of motion.
  • Joint distension is a process where your doctor injects you with water into your shoulder capsule to stretch your shoulder, and this process will allow you to move your shoulders quickly.
  • In physiotherapy, the results are combined, and they can help you out with different stages of your frozen shoulder injury.
  • Surgery. This is quite rare, but this is the only option when your shoulder is experiencing a lot of pain, and no other medication has worked out for you. The procedure is known as an arthroscopic procedure that uses pencil-like equipment that is placed inside the tiny holes in your shoulders.
  • Shoulder manipulation. This condition assists you in loosening the shoulder tissues, and it is rarely performed anymore. It was replaced with arthroscopic surgery, and your doctor will move your shoulder forcefully while you are under anesthesia. However, it led to several complications, and the doctors refrained from this procedure.

Conclusion 

Always make sure you go to your therapist in case you have shoulder pains so that they can help to diagnose if you have frozen shoulders, and be able to treat it on time