Frozen shoulder is a weird thing.
Frozen shoulder is technically called adhesive capsulitis. It causes stiffness, pain, and discomfort in your shoulder joint. It occurs when the range of motion of your shoulder joint is reduced to the point that it feels as though your shoulder is frozen.
Signs and symptoms typically begin gradually, worsen over time and then resolve, usually within one to three years. Who wants to endure three years of shoulder pain and stiffness? Just to hope it goes away on its own?
What Causes Frozen Shoulder
Often it doesn’t seem to be caused by an injury or other event. However, it can be caused by underuse. For example, if you are recovering from a medical condition or procedure that prevents you from moving your arm like a stroke or a mastectomy.
Sometimes people just get it. It seems to affect people over the age of 40 and women more than men. More research remains to be done on the causes.
Regardless of what causes it, it hurts and you want the pain to go away.
According to the Mayo Clinic:
Frozen shoulder typically develops slowly, and in three stages. Each stage can last a number of months.
- Freezing stage. Any movement of your shoulder causes pain, and your shoulder’s range of motion starts to become limited.
- Frozen stage. Pain may begin to diminish during this stage. However, your shoulder becomes stiffer, and using it becomes more difficult.
- Thawing stage. The range of motion in your shoulder begins to improve.
For some people, the pain worsens at night, sometimes disrupting sleep.
What Can I do About Frozen Shoulder?
We feel it best to try non-invasive, non-drug approaches first to get relief. Massage for frozen shoulder includes focusing on myofascial trigger points in the muscles of the shoulder and surrounding areas.
Be sure to make an appointment with a licensed massage therapist who is knowledgeable about trigger points and frozen shoulders. All Body Kneads will take good care of you.
Here is a great article from Health Line with examples of stretches and foam roller exercises you can use for frozen shoulder.
Again, according to the Mayo Clinic, “treatment for frozen shoulder involves range-of-motion exercises and, sometimes, corticosteroids and numbing medications injected into the joint capsule. In a small percentage of cases, arthroscopic surgery may be indicated to loosen the joint capsule so that it can move more freely.”
Are you suffering from a frozen shoulder?
We know the pain is annoying and is limiting your ability to do the things you love, even sleep. Let us help you with your frozen shoulder pain.
Make an appointment today.