What is frozen shoulder?

Frozen shoulder, medically referred to as adhesive capsulitis, is a condition which effects the mobillity in your shoulder joint. This disorder usually only occurs on one side of the body, but can sometime spread to the other shoulder; although this is rare.

 The medical term for frozen shoulder describes what the injury actually is. The adhesive points to the lack of movement in the joint, "sticky" and the capsulitis meaning inflamation of the joint capsule. It is the inflamation of the joint capsule that causes the shoulder to be painful and difficult to move. This injury only occurs at the shoulder and is not to be mistaken with arthritis, although symptoms are similar.

Possible cause of the adhesive capsulitis

 There is a mystery that surrounds this condition, as its exact cause is unknown. There is a theory that  the shoulder may have an autoimmune component, with the body attacking healthy tissue in the shoulder. The condition may also cause chronic inflammation. Adhesions grow between the joints and tissue, greatly restricting motion and causing a number of painful complications. There is also a lack of fluid in the joint, further restricting movement.

 The injury is commonly found in 40+ age group and extremely rare in young people. The injury also seems to be more aparent and can be linked to people suffering from diabetes.

Anatomy of the injury

Bones: Adhesive capsulitis occurs in the shoulder joint, the humerus (upper arm), the scapula (shoulder blade) and clavicle (collarbone).

Capsule: The capsule inside the shoulder joint refers to the connective tissue surrounding the glenohumeral joint.

Symptoms of frozen shoulder

The most promenant sign of adhesive capsulitis is that the shoulder becomes so tight that you are unable to move it and every day functions become hard or impossible to perform. Coupled with this lack of motion is pain or aching that spreads throughout the shoulder, sometimes worsening at night.

The symptoms can be split into 3 stages. These stages mark the phase of which the condition is at.

Stage 1: The "freezing" or painful stage

• Gradual onset aching, or pain of the shoulder.


• The pain can increase and spread throughout the shoulder and can last 6 weeks to 9 months.

Stage 2: The "frozen" or adhesive stage

• A gradual improvement in the level of pain, however the siffness remains.


• Difficulty with daily living activites such as putting on clothes.


• This phase can last 4 to 9 months.

Stage 3: The "thawing" or recovery stage

• Movement of the shoulder slowly returns to normal.


• This stage can start 5 months in and take upto 26 months.

Treatment

• Try to keep the shoulder moving or it will get worse.


• If the pain does restrict movement see therapist or Dr's guidance.


• Seek medical advice from a doctor or therapist.


• Undertake a course of deep tissue massage (Sports massage) to help relieve tension, improve the blood circulation, thus helping remove scar tissue.