Frozen Shoulder | Chiropractic Pain Management | Trusted Bournemouth Chiropractors | Charminster Chiropractic Clinic
Chiropractic treatment and pain management for frozen shoulder symptoms From Bournemouth Chiropractors | Charminster Chiropractic Clinic
What is frozen shoulder?
Frozen shoulder, also called adhesive capsulitis, can cause shoulder pain, shoulder stiffness, and hard to move. It happens when your shoulder cover (capsule) gets very sore (inflamed) or as a result of previous shoulder issues in the past.
It can affect the joint cap (capsule) in your shoulder, making it painful to rotate your shoulder inwards and outwards. At first, your shoulder may feel painful and stiff, and over time, it can become even harder to move. Some people also suffer with neck pain and are often treated along with the shoulder.
Recovering from a frozen shoulder usually takes about a year or longer and unfortunately not guaranteed to get full movement back without pain. It’s important to change activities carefully, make changes to life habits and learn more about how to deal with this condition.
Stages
Frozen shoulder commonly happens in three stages. These stages explain how frozen shoulder can change and get better over time. Treatment can help ease the pain and stiffness, making it easier for you to move your shoulder and do the things you love and everyday activities.
Freezing Stage
At first, the freezing stage causes you to feel pain in your shoulder that gets worse over time, especially at night. Your shoulder will start feeling stiff, making it hard to do regular activities that need your full shoulder movement (range of motion).
Frozen Stage
During the frozen stage, the stiffness in your shoulder gets worse. It becomes really hard to lift your arm or move it outward (like turning it to reach behind you, putting clothes on or combing your hair). The joint capsule around your shoulder will start to get thicker and will be more sore, swollen and painful (inflamed), which makes it even harder to move.
Thawing Stage
In the final thawing stage, your symptoms start to get better. Your shoulder slowly becomes easier to move again, but remember this can take several months to years. Sometimes, you might still have times when your shoulder hurts or feels stiff now and then.
Common causes of frozen shoulder
The cause of frozen shoulder isn’t fully clear, but many things can make it more likely to happen. These reasons explain why frozen shoulder happens and why some people might be more likely to get it. Treatment can help ease the stiffness and pain, making it easier to move your shoulder again.
Inflammation and Scar Tissue
Inside your shoulder joint, there could be swelling and scar tissue building up over time. This makes your shoulder stiff and hard to move.
Medical Conditions
If you suffer from conditions like diabetes, thyroid problems (like hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism), heart disease, and autoimmune conditions (such as rheumatoid arthritis) it can make it more likely that you can get a frozen shoulder. These conditions can make the shoulder joint more swollen and slow down the healing process.
Shoulder Injuries or Surgeries
If you hurt your shoulder or have surgery on it, you might have a higher risk of getting a frozen shoulder. Not moving your shoulder enough after an injury or surgery can make scar tissue form and make your shoulder stiff.
Hormonal Changes
Changes in hormones, especially in women, can play a part in getting frozen shoulder. Things like shifts in oestrogen levels can make the process of forming healthy collagen (protein that is found almost everywhere in the body that builds up muscle, bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, skin, hair, nails etc) worse, and make your shoulder stiffer.
Common symptoms of frozen shoulder
Symptoms of frozen shoulder comes on slowly and move through different stages. These symptoms show how frozen shoulder gets worse over time and affects your daily life.
Persistent Shoulder Pain
The most important sign of frozen shoulder is never-ending shoulder pain that starts off mild and gets worse as time goes on. It’s often a dull, achy pain in your shoulder joint that doesn’t seem to go away easily. If you notice this kind of pain, it’s important to talk to your chiropractor to get the right diagnosis and treatment. The pain might be worse at night or when you move your shoulder.
Increasing Stiffness
Your shoulder can start feeling stiff slowly. At first, you might have trouble reaching up or behind your back. As time goes on, it gets harder to move your shoulder at all. This can make everyday things like getting dressed or combing your hair tough.
Limited Movement
Moving your shoulder can become really difficult, especially raising your arm out to the side or turning it outward. Your shoulder could feel different to how it used to and can make normal activities harder.
Trouble Doing Daily Activities
Frozen shoulder can make it tough to do everyday things because of the pain and how hard it is to move your shoulder. Tasks that need your shoulder to move fully, like reaching, lifting, or doing things above your head, might be too hard or even impossible.
When to get urgent help
If you have any of these signs, it’s important to get help right away. Seeing a healthcare provider quickly is important to check for any problems and make sure your frozen shoulder is managed well.
- Sudden, Severe Shoulder Pain: If your shoulder suddenly hurts a lot and the pain won’t stop no matter what you do to ease the pain.
- Signs of Infection: If your shoulder gets more red, warm, swollen, or if you have a fever.
- Can’t Move Your Shoulder at All: If you suddenly can’t move your shoulder at all, which might mean something underlying that needs to be diagnosed quickly.
Risk factors for frozen shoulder
Many things can make you more likely to get frozen shoulder. Knowing these things can help you take steps to keep your shoulders healthy and catch any issues early on. If you’re worried about your shoulders or notice any changes, it’s a good idea to talk to your chiropractor.
Age and Gender
Frozen shoulder often affects people between 40 to 60 years old, and it’s more common in women than men.
Medical Conditions
Diseases like diabetes (especially if it’s hard to control), thyroid problems (like hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism), heart disease, and autoimmune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis) can increase your chances of getting a frozen shoulder. These conditions can have an effect on how well your joints work and cause more swelling.
Shoulder Injuries or Surgeries
If you’ve hurt your shoulder in the past or had surgery on it, you might be more likely to get frozen shoulder. Not moving your shoulder enough after an injury or surgery can lead to stiffness and make it harder to move.
Hormonal Changes
Changes in hormones, especially in women, can play a part in getting frozen shoulder. Factors such as shifts in oestrogen levels can affect how well your joints work and make them stiffer.
Family History
If someone in your family has had a frozen shoulder before, you might be more likely to get it too. Reasearch suggests there could be a genetic reason for some cases.
Examination and diagnosis for frozen shoulder
Diagnosing frozen shoulder involves a detailed evaluation by a chiropractor. By doing these tests, your chiropractor can figure out if you have a frozen shoulder and make a plan to help you feel better. It’s important to get checked out if you’re having shoulder pain or stiffness that doesn’t go away.
Medical History
We’ll ask about how your symptoms started, how they’ve been getting worse, and if you’ve had any shoulder injuries or surgeries before. We’ll also ask about any medical conditions you have, such as diabetes or thyroid problems.
Physical Examination
We’ll check how well your shoulder moves and see where it hurts. We might ask you to do certain movements to see how far you can reach or if it hurts when you move your arm in certain ways. We might also use tests (Apley scratch test or Codman’s drop arm test) to check how well your shoulder works.
Imaging Tests
We might get a radiologist to take X-rays to make sure there aren’t any broken bones or arthritis in your shoulder. Sometimes, we’ll refer to use MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to look at the soft tissues around your shoulder. This helps us see if the joint capsule around your shoulder is thickened or swollen, which can confirm if you have a frozen shoulder. However, MRI is not always necessary to diagnose or treat frozen shoulder as the physical examination often reveals and confirms frozen shoulder.
Chiropractic care and pain relief for frozen shoulder
Chiropractic care can help with pain management and help getting more movement with frozen shoulder. If you have a frozen shoulder, chiropractic care could be a good option to help you move more freely and comfortably again.
Gentle Mobilisation
Chiropractors use gentle mobilisation to move your shoulder joints. This can help you move more easily and feel less stiff.
Soft Tissue Techniques
We also use massage and other methods to relax tight muscles around your shoulder. This can help reduce pain and make it easier to move.
Exercises
We’ll give you exercises to do at home that strengthen the muscles around your shoulder. We’ll also give you exercises for you to move it in specific ways and get more movement over time. This can help how well your shoulder works and make it less stiff.
Therapy
We may recommend heat or ice, ultrasound, or electrical stimulation to help with pain and swelling in your shoulder. These treatments can also help your shoulder heal.
Prognosis for frozen shoulder
How well your frozen shoulder can get will vary based on how severe your symptoms are, how quickly you get a diagnosis and receive treatment, and how your body responds.
Natural Course
Frozen shoulder often gets better on its own over time. You might notice that your shoulder slowly starts to move more freely as you enter the last stage (thawing), which can take months to years.
Effect of Treatment
Getting diagnosed early and starting treatment, such as chiropractic care, can really help. It can make your symptoms better and make them go away faster. However, for some people symptoms may last longer, even with treatment. That’s why getting maintenance care and regular treatment may be needed to keep your shoulder moving well and treat any lasting pain.
Possible Complications
While complications are rare, some people may continue to have stiffness or symptoms that come back even after treatment. We will keep a close eye on your progress and make sure any issues are treated as soon as possible.
Overall, with the right care and attention, most people with frozen shoulder get better and can get back to their regular activities comfortably. Working closely with one of our Bournemouth chiropractors could be the help you need in order to get better shoulder health.
By following these tips and working with our Bournemouth chiropractors at Charminster Chiropractic Clinic you can receive chiropractic treatment and pain management for frozen shoulder symptoms to improve your chances of pain relief, better shoulder function and mobility, and rehabiliation. Book your chiropractic appointment here today!
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