Frozen Shoulder: The Painful Condition That Can Lock Up Your Arm!

Frozen shoulder is a common yet misunderstood condition that can cause pain and stiffness, making arm movement difficult. Though frustrating, it’s manageable with the right treatment and patience. Here’s how.

WORDS SHAILAJA THOLKABIAN

FEATURED EXPERT SHAILAJA THOLKABIAN Physiotherapist IMU Healthcare

WHAT IS FROZEN SHOULDER?

To better understand how to manage frozen shoulder, we should first take a quick look at what that condition is.

Also known as adhesive capsulitis, this condition arises when the tissues around the shoulder joint become inflamed, thickened, and stiff.

Frozen shoulder is divided into 3 stages.

Stage 1: Freezing

• Gradually increasing shoulder stiffness.
• Shoulder pain, especially at night.
• Movement around the shoulder becomes limited.
• Activities such as hanging clothes and fastening seat belts become difficult to do.

Stage 2: Frozen

• The pain begins to ease at this stage.
• The shouder continues to remain stiff and movement around the shoulder is still limited.

Stage 3: Thawing

• The recovery stage, as shoulder stiffness begins to ease.
• Full recovery may take anything from months to years, depending on factors such as the person’s age, lifestyle, etc.

WHAT CAUSES THIS CONDITION?

• To date, we are still not sure as to its exact causes.
• What we do know is that frozen shoulder is more commonly seen among people aged between 40 and 60, and women seem to be more commonly affected than men.
• Frozen shoulder is also observed to occur more frequently on the non-dominant shoulder—which is to say, if the person is right-handed, then frozen shoulder is more likely to develop on the left shoulder

IF YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE FROZEN SHOULDER, SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION

• People experiencing symptoms that suggest they may have frozen shoulder should consult a doctor for proper advice.
• The doctor will analyze the patient’s medical history, conduct a physical examination, and prescribe imaging tests to confirm that the patient indeed has frozen shoulders.
• Once the patient is diagnosed with frozen shoulder, a physiotherapist can help devise a suitable treatment programme for them.

TREATMENT OF FROZEN SHOULDER

The main goals of treatment would be to restore the patient’s shoulder function and to help the patient manage their pain.

Pain Management

Depending on the patient’s condition, the physiotherapist may prescribe options such as therapeutic ultrasound, cryotherapy, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation to help manage the pain.

At home, the patient can do the following to deal with painful flare-ups:

• Apply cold packs to the affected shoulder.
• Wear shoulder support—this also helps with the healing process.
• If pain persists, seek medical attention.

Furthermore, the physiotherapist may recommend halting favourite hobbies that can lead to pain—these activities can be resumed once the person has recovered.

Restoration of Shoulder Function

• The physiotherapist will work with the patient to devise a home exercise programme for the patient to carry out every day.
• More intensive home mobilization exercises will be prescribed to patients with more advanced states of limited shoulder movement.
• Gentle stretching is useful to help improve the movement range of the affected shoulder.

Treatment Outcome

• The outcome varies from one person to another, and their recovery can be faster or slower based on their age and their lifestyle.
• Older persons and those leading a sedentary lifestyle, for example, are more likely to experience slower recovery.

For those that do not show desired improvements after 6 months of treatment, an orthopaedist will be consulted.

The orthopaedist—an expert that specializes in treating disorders and injuries related to the bones and surrounding tissues such as muscles—may prescribe more aggressive treatments such as capsular hydrodilatation and arthroscopic capsular release.

• Capsular hydrodilatation is a treatment in which the joint capsule is given saline injections in order to stretch it.
• Arthroscopic capsular release is a surgical procedure that is performed to help reduce the pain and improve the movement range of the shoulder.