In this blog post you will learn how to recognize frozen shoulder. You will learn the signs and symptoms of frozen shoulder as well as the different stages. we will teach you some things you can do for yourself to help treat it before you come get some help.
Frozen Shoulder
The technical term for Frozen Shoulder is Adhesive Capsulitis. If you know Latin then you might know what Adhesive Capsulitis means. For the rest of us, I'll explain the translation. Adhesive Capsulitis is where the capsule of the shoulder starts to stick and become less mobile. This limits the range of motion you can move your shoulder and arm. Because the capsule keeps getting tighter and tighter, motion in the shoulder gets less and less. So it is basically like the shoulder is "frozen."
There are some risk factors for Frozen Shoulder, but I will caution you that you can have all of these and not have a problem or have none of these and have a frozen shoulder:
Female
Between 40 and 65 years old
Diabetes
Trauma to the region
Other risk factors include history of stroke, thyroid disease, and autoimmune disorders. Once again, just because you have a few of these does not mean you are destined to get a frozen shoulder.
What Causes Frozen Shoulder?
This question has no answer. There is no definite cause for frozen shoulder. Even with years of research, we can not say what causes frozen shoulder. There is still plenty of research going on to investigate this intriguing issue.
Stages of Frozen Shoulder
Stage 1 (1-3 months): Shoulder pain causes limited arm use and movement.
Stage 2 (3-9 months): Known as the "freezing" stage. This stage is marked by the inability to move your shoulder. There may be less pain then at the beginning, but you are restricted in your shoulder movement.
Stage 3 (9-14 months): Known as the "frozen" stage. During this stage the shoulder is stiff, but there is no pain. You are unable to move your shoulder freely and when you try, it just won't go any further.
Stage 4 (15-24 months): Known as the "thawing" stage. The ability to move you shoulder and arm gradually returns.
Not every frozen shoulder follows this timeline, but it does follow this order. This is why it is important to get shoulder pain looked at in the first month that it starts to hurt.
Assessing a Frozen Shoulder
When looking at someone with shoulder pain, it is important to get a total history of what has been going on with the shoulder. It is important to know if there has been any trauma to the shoulder (even a surgery 15 years ago) in order to accurately assess if what you are experiencing is possibly a frozen shoulder. Along with the history, there are some tell tale tests that can be performed in physical therapy to accurately diagnose a frozen shoulder.
Treatment For Frozen Shoulder
As with any injury, the sooner you can start rehabilitation the better. It is especially true with frozen shoulders. Often, but not always, you can prevent frozen shoulder by having your shoulder assessed and treated within the first few weeks following the onset of pain or other symptoms.
Treatment will consist of moving the shoulder through the available, pain free, range of motion, joint mobilizations of the shoulder, and work on the neck and upper back. Since the shoulder, neck, and upper back are so close together in the body, it is important to look at all of the structures and check for limitations in all or any of them.
By getting treated by a physical therapist, you can avoid surgery for either a capsular release or a manipulation under anesthesia.
It is our goal at BodyFix PT and Performance to help everyone avoid unnecessary surgeries, injections, and medications. We strongly believe that if you see us first (which you can), we can save you from having to go through these more invasive procedures.
If you feel that you know someone that can benefit from reading this information, please share it with them.
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