Frozen Shoulder: Causes, Stages & How Chiropractic Care Can Help

Frozen shoulder is a common, frustrating condition that limits your range of motion, limits your activities, causes a lot of pain and can be difficult to treat. The "official" name for it is adhesive capsulitis. It keeps you from moving your arm, makes it impossible to get a good nights sleep, and will keep you from many forms of exercise that you enjoy. In this article, you will learn more about this common condition as well as non-invasive and non-surgical options including chiropractic care to eliminate it from your body.

Thinking about the anatomy of your shoulder joint, it is a ball at the end of your humerus that attaches into the socket of your scapula. Your rotator cuff muscles keep that ball tight against the socket and then there a lot of secondary muscles including your pectoralis minor and biceps that provide more function and mobility in your shoulder. When you hurt or injure any part of your shoulder and stop moving it, the joint capsule thickens, tightens and adhesions develop. This can also happen after a long career of keyboard use as your shoulder is locked in one position for many hours a day repeatedly all week long. This isn't the only type of shoulder injury that can cause shoulder pain. You can have rotator cuff tears, bursitis, arthritis and more. Frozen shoulder can last months or years without treatment but the good news is that with chiropractic care you can make noticeable progress in just a few weeks.

The defining symptom of frozen shoulder is that your shoulder stiffens progressively and the pain increases over time. It can takes a couple weeks without moving your shoulder to freeze it or it can happen over a period of months or years. Every day movements like reaching your arm overhead or behind your back, dressing yourself or sleeping on your side become more difficult and painful over time. The pain can radiate into your upper arm and can be worse at night and make sleep difficult and unbearable. The best diagnostic clue as to whether you have frozen shoulder or not is whether you can move your arm (active range of motion) but also whether someone else can lift your arm for you. (passive range of motion) If you have lost both passive and active range of motion, you most likely have frozen shoulder.

While the exact cause can be unknown, common associations include recent shoulder injury, prolonged immobility, diabetes, thyroid disorder, cardiovascular disorders and Parkinson's disease. It impacts 40-60 year old's most commonly and more often in women. It is often secondary after trauma or immobilization.

There are three stages: freezing, frozen and unthawing. The freezing stage can take weeks or months and the shoulder slowly stiffens and becomes more painful and immobile. Once the shoulder is frozen, the pain can lesson but you will have very limited range of motion. The stiffness is severe and your daily activities will be very limited. As your shoulder unthaws (which can take months) the range of motion will gradually improve. Recognizing what stage you are in is helpful for both managing expectations as well as tailoring the treatment approach.

Chiropractic can help restore mobility, lessen the pain and support natural healing without drugs or surgery. The chiropractic treatment will typically include gently mobilizing the shoulder and using spinal adjustment in the regions impacting the shoulder and shoulder blade movement including the cervical and thoracic spine. The chiropractor will also typically use soft tissue work to lessen the adhesions and address the muscle tightness. The spinal adjustments are designed to improve your posture and range of motion and are done after a posture assessment. The chiropractor will also often provide you with individual strengthening and mobility exercises after you get comfortable with your treatment. A chiropractor will often work in a complementary way with physical therapists or medical doctors.

The most important exercise you can do while waiting to see your chiropractor to be evaluated is simply moving your arm. Any and all ranges of motion. Walk your fingers up a wall in every direction and try to get a little higher each time. You can experiment with hot or cold compresses and how it impacts your range of motion afterwards to determine which is appropriate for you. You really do need to be aware of your posture and have it professionally evaluated by a chiropractor to determine how to improve it so your shoulder function improves. It is also important to stay as active as possible without aggravating your shoulder. While you are sleeping, do not sleep in a way that makes it hurt more and make certain your impacted arm is supported throughout the night in a way that reduces pain.

It is important to seek help from an experienced chiropractor when your pain and stiffness is persistent and lasts more than a week or two. The longer you let it freeze, the longer it will take to thaw. If your sleep is significantly disrupted, it is also important to seek help soon. Red flags that should make you go to the emergency room are fever, neurological signs or severe pain.

Frozen shoulder is very treatable and early intervention will lead you to the quickest results. Delaying care will result in a longer more extensive treatment plan to get your desired results. Many patients do regain function with chiropractic care and guided movement. If you are suffering with a frozen shoulder, let us help you by scheduling a new patient appointment online at https://www.activefamilychiropractic.com/booking-calendar/first-chiropractic-visit If you have any questions, you are welcome to reach out by text or phone and we will answer them for free over the phone so that you can find out if this is the right strategy for you.

You don't have to live with limited shoulder mobility and motion--help is available.