18 Jul Frozen Shoulder

Have you heard the term Frozen Shoulder before but you’re not sure what it means?

 

Maybe you do know what it is but you don’t know what you should do if you think you may have a frozen shoulder.

 

Don’t worry- we’re here to help!

 

 

No, it has nothing to do with a Disney movie, and it doesn’t involve being cold.

 

Frozen shoulder is a widespread diagnosis where all of a sudden you can’t move your shoulder, and you don’t have the full range of motion to be able to do all the basic things that you can do everyday.

 

For women, maybe you can’t reach behind you to unclasp your bra. For men and women, maybe you can’t reach your arm above your head.

 

Now you may be wondering–what can cause a frozen shoulder?

 

The answer is not so straightforward.

 

The general consensus is that if you hurt your shoulder and you stop moving the way you normally would- you can give yourself a frozen shoulder. So if you do have a shoulder injury, it’s important not to baby it. Keep reaching for the sky.

 

 

Now you may be thinking–okay so as long as I don’t have a shoulder injury, I don’t have to worry about getting a frozen shoulder.

 

Not quite.

 

Women at the peremenopause/menopausal age have a higher prevalence for a frozen shoulder to spontaneously appear. The reason for this is simple: hormones.

 

When women in this age range have a decrease in estrogen levels, the body starts to not be able to fight off inflammation as well. 

 

Don’t worry ladies, you’re not the only ones that can develop a frozen shoulder-men can also get a frozen shoulder. Other factors that can increase risk for men and women are metabolic conditions like diabetes and lifestyle factors.  

 

Think about the last time you’ve raised your arm over your head. Go ahead, I’ll wait. If it’s been too long, then I’m sorry to say- you’re at risk for developing a frozen shoulder.

 

Now, let’s say you think you may have a frozen shoulder. How will you know? Oh. You’ll know. It is very painful. The pain is mostly at the side of the shoulder, and it will feel like a dull pain– like a toothache.

 

 

Frozen shoulder is common and similar to the pain of a shoulder impingement. There are certain levels where you raise the arm in certain positions, and you feel pain on the side of the shoulders.

 

If you do have frozen shoulder, see your PT so that they can aggressively stretch you. Why?

 

Let’s take it back to the anatomy.

 

The shoulder is a ball and socket joint with a soft tissue covering that we call a ligament or capsule. When you have a frozen shoulder, the capsule that sits around the ball of the ball and socket joint constricts so you cannot accommodate any movement of the spinning and turning of the ball and socket joint.

 

 

So then, why stretch it? Well, because we have to make sure we’re maintaining the elasticity of the capsule of the shoulder so we can allow ourselves to use the muscles that we need to move the shoulder. The muscles will forget how to work correctly if you stop using them. If you don’t expose your muscles to all different ranges of motion, then they’re not going to know how to move back to where they’re supposed to go.

 

So what if I don’t go to physical therapy? Will I never get better? There is a chance that your shoulder will get better or “thaw.” This can happen 1-2 years after developing the frozen shoulder.

 

Even though this can happen, we do not recommend waiting and doing nothing. You want to regain your function ASAP, which is why you need aggressive motion– but not too aggressive because then you repeat the cycle of too much inflammation

 

If you think you have a frozen shoulder, get to PT ASAP to educate yourself on what kind of stretches and things you need to do. There are many positions and shapes you need to get the arm into just to make sure the capsule doesn’t stiffen. 

 

The more the capsule releases, the less pain.

 

Is PT the only answer? No– you could get surgery BUT the surgery is manipulation under anesthesia aka what the physical therapist would do, but you’re not awake to resist it. After your surgery, guess where you’ll have to go?

 

We’ll give you one guess.

 

 

 

That’s right! You’re coming to see us anyway! So why not shorten the process and come straight to us? We would love to see you and get you out of pain as soon as we can.

 

Do you have any other questions about a frozen shoulder? We did an entire podcast on it that you can find here: