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Frozen Shoulder

Frozen Shoulder treatment in Kenilworth, Leamington Spa and Warwick

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Frozen shoulder is a common condition, affecting more women than men and mostly affecting those between the ages of 40 to 70.  

It often occurs after a traumatic injury, though high stress levels and diabetes can also increase the likelihood of frozen shoulder occuring.

Frozen Shoulder treatment in Kenilworth, Leamington Spa and Warwick

What is Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen shoulder is technically an auto immune condition where the body attacks the lining of the joint capsule.  The shoulder is what is known as a synovial joint. It has synovial fluid and a capsule to hold that fluid in.

 

This is why the shoulder is such a mobile joint. However in Frozen shoulder , or adhesive capsulitis to give it it's correct name, that fluid becomes thick and sticky, hence the term "Adhesive".

 

The fluid keeps the capsule healthy, and if the fluid is compromised, the capsule becomes inflamed, hence the term "capsulitis". 

Frozen shoulder has 3 stages:

  1. The freezing stage, when the joint gets progressively harder to move.

  2. The frozen stage, when the joint is very hard to move.

  3. The thawing stage, when the joint starts to move again.


This process can take anything from 1- 3 years to work through. 

Frozen Shoulder treatment in Kenilworth, Leamington Spa and Warwick

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of Frozen shoulder can be tricky. Frozen shoulder can mimic lots of other shoulder conditions, so it is important to have a thorough assessment to rule out other shoulder conditions.

The big marker of the problem being frozen shoulder though, is that the shoulder doesn't feel better, no matter how much strength work, massage or physical therapy interventions you do, the shoulder just doesn't improve. 

This is the time to get an ultrasound or MRI scan to confirm that frozen shoulder is occurring. Once the diagnosis is confirmed the doctor may try a steroid injection into the joint. As this is an autoimmune condition, where the body is affectively attacking itself, this can work in some people to help it move out of the frozen phase.

Frozen Shoulder treatment in Kenilworth, Leamington Spa and Warwick

Treatment

The treatment for Frozen shoulder is all around keeping the movement that the client has. We do this with targeted strength work. We also want to keep the joint as mobile as possible and we do this with soft tissue work.

The technique of Myofascial release works very well with this condition. This hands on technique is gentle and encourages fluid back into tissues, thereby giving temporary relief to the stiffness of the shoulder. 

One of the biggest issues with Frozen shoulder, is that as the shoulder freezes and the arm becomes less useable, the client will then adapt to not having this arm. As a result, even once the shoulder has unfrozen, it is so weak, that to the client it still appears "frozen". This is why it is so important to keep the movement you have and strengthen within that useable range. 

With this targeted strength and loosening work, we have successfully guided our clients through much faster freeze and unfreeze processes than are often cited in the research. 

Frozen shoulder needs regular treatment and this can last quite some time, so it is important to call us to discus your shoulder issue and ensure a thorough assessment occurs so we can help you manage this condition correctly. 

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