Frozen shoulder also known as adhesive capsulitis is a very painful and debilitating condition of the shoulder which can take nearly 18 months to heal. During this time, physiotherapy is needed to help improve and maintain It is characterised by stiffness and pain. Movements such as reaching above shoulder height, throwing a ball, reaching your hand behind your back or put on a seat belt become increasingly difficult. Approximately 20% of those who develop frozen shoulder will develop frozen shoulder in the other shoulder at some point in the future.
There are stages to the frozen shoulder:
1) Freezing: characterised by pain around the shoulder initially, followed by a progressive loss of range of movement.
2) Frozen – minimal pain, with no further loss or regain of range
3) Thawing– Movement begings to return to normal ranges
The shoulder capsule becomes inflamed and starts to shrink causing limitation in shoulder movements. This condition is very painful and can cause a lot of disruption. Daily activities such as brushing your teeth, feeding using your shoulder can become very painful. There is no exact reason why some people develop frozen shoulder. However, there is some research to suggest that 35-50 year old age groups are more prone. Those who have a history of shoulder trauma or surgery to the shoulder, suffering from diabetes, hyperthyroidism, autoimmune disease, inflammatory conditions, in activity of the shoulder are also more prone.
At Alimran Medical Center, we may recommend any of the following treatments
Chiropractic
Steroid injection
- Trigger point injections