Treatment for Frozen Shoulder: Frozen shoulder is a condition that causes pain and stiffness in the shoulder and eventually makes it difficult to move the upper arm and shoulder. The symptoms of frozen shoulder start slowly and get worse over time. Frozen shoulder treatment aims to relieve shoulder pain and improve the ability to move (ROM) the shoulder using physiotherapy techniques, with a physiotherapist teaching you shoulder exercises.
What is Frozen Shoulder?
“Patients with shoulder stiffness most often experience shoulder pain when they try to remove the wallet from the hip pocket.” Dr. Arun Partani – The best Shoulder Replacement Surgeon in Jaipur explains that activities like combing hair, driving, and undressing – all these lead to shoulder pain.
Often referred to as a frozen shoulder, shoulder pain and stiffness are common problems that turn everyday tasks into painful challenges. This limits your ability to move your shoulder and affects your quality of life.
Dr. Arun Partani, a Senior Joint replacement Surgeon in Jaipur, says, “Some people may even wake up in the middle of the night with difficulty in turning due to shoulder pain. These are some of the common things we hear from people with shoulder pain or frozen shoulder.”
Frozen shoulder is almost always found in the age group of 40+ years, usually in the age range of 40-70 years. About 3% of the population will be affected by it, with a slightly higher incidence of frozen shoulder in women and five times more in diabetics.
Symptoms o Frozen Shoulder:
If you have a frozen shoulder problem, you will typically experience shoulder pain, followed by an increase in shoulder stiffness. Shoulder stiffness can affect your ability to perform everyday activities and sometimes, you will not be able to move your shoulder at all.
What are the symptoms of Frozen Shoulder?
How Does Frozen Shoulder Grow?
Shoulder stiffness usually develops gradually and in three stages. Each of these phases can last for several months.
Painful Stage:
During this stage, there is pain in any movement of your shoulder, and your ability to move your shoulder begins to be limited. This stage lasts from 3 to 9 months.
Frozen Stage:
During this stage, the pain may start to subside. However, your shoulder becomes stiff, and your ability to move your shoulder is greatly reduced. This stage lasts from 4 to 12 months.
Thawing stage:
During the thawing stage, your ability to move your shoulder begins to improve. This can take anywhere from 12 to 42 months.
Tips for Relieving Frozen Shoulder:
Some simple steps to get relief from shoulder stiffness:
- Use a hot water bag/hot pack on your shoulder for 10 to 15 minutes several times each day.
- Place a thin towel between your skin and the hot pack to avoid burns.
- If possible move your arm/shoulder every hour.
- Take the medicine as prescribed by your doctor.
- Sleep comfortably. If you sleep on your back, place a pillow under your aching arm and rest your hand on your stomach. If you sleep on your side, sleep on the right arm side with a pillow against your chest.
Seating Position:
Sit in good posture/posture. Avoid sitting down. Try to keep your shoulders back and away from your ears.
It may be beneficial to meet with your physiotherapist to help you regain normal functional use of your hand. Your joint replacement surgeon can help you ease the pain and help you get back to using your hand normally. Call us at +91-98873 02501 or contact us by clicking here and we will connect you with a qualified joint replacement surgeon near you.
Why Does Frozen Shoulder Happen?
In a frozen shoulder, the shoulder capsule becomes swollen and thickened. When you stop using the shoulder joint normally due to a shoulder injury, surgery to any part of the upper body, motor impairment disorder (all neurological disorders), diabetes, heart conditions, etc. then it develops into a frozen shoulder
Women over 40 years of age are usually affected after long-term immobilization/non-use of the shoulder, such as after surgery (mastectomy) or an arm fracture. People who have certain medical problems are already at risk for frozen shoulders. examples include:
- Diabetes
- Overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)
- Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
- Heart disease
- TB
- Parkinson’s disease
What is the Best Treatment For Frozen Shoulder:
You can try all kinds of treatments like massage, acupuncture, bracing, medication, etc, which will surely give you temporary relief from pain, but without aggressive physiotherapy rehab, you may have permanent problems with shoulder movement.
The study concluded that various physiotherapy techniques such as hot packs, ultrasound, capsular stretches, strengthening exercises, and home rehab have significant effects in reducing pain, increasing the ability to move the shoulder and joint stiffness in frozen shoulder.
Also, Read This:
Frozen Shoulder: कंधे की अकड़न क्या है?
What is the procedure of shoulder arthroscopy surgery?
FAQ: Treatment For Frozen Shoulder
Q. 1 How long does shoulder pain last in a frozen shoulder?
Ans: Without intervention, frozen shoulder pain can last between 2 and 12 months. After which you begin to feel less pain and resume some shoulder movements. With proper treatment, its self-recovery time can be halved by reducing the time period.
Q. 2 Is Massage Good for Frozen Shoulders?
Ans: The ‘soft tissue release’ performed by a physiotherapist helps relieve the symptoms of a frozen shoulder by improving blood circulation and breaking down the scar tissue. This scar tissue often develops when the tendon and its surrounding structures become rigid.
Q. 3 Can ‘Frozen Shoulder’ Be Permanent?
Ans: If not treated properly, even if symptoms have subsided over time, you will never regain the ability to move the shoulder well – this loss will be permanent.