Physiotherapy Treatment for Frozen Shoulder

What is frozen shoulder?

Many people nowadays have a common condition known as frozen shoulder. It is a medical condition that has its effect in the shoulder joint of a person resulting in stiffness and pain in the shoulder joints. The pain gradually worsens and then goes away on its own. However, the period of pain could be longer and it can take almost 3 years of frozen shoulder care to make it go away.

Frozen Shoulder Symptoms
There are some main frozen shoulder symptoms that are very common. If someone sees these frozen shoulder symptoms then referring to the doctor is a must as this can become worse in the future. The most common symptoms of frozen shoulder include stiffness and pain in the shoulder joint. The person almost feels as if it is impossible to move the area.
If someone is suffering from a frozen shoulder, then there will be an achy pain in the shoulder. The shoulder muscles which are located on the top area of the arm will also feel the stress and pain.
Most people find it really difficult to sleep due to the pain. This could be another one of the signs of frozen shoulder.

Frozen Shoulder Stages
There are three main stages that take effect in the body of a person suffering from a frozen shoulder.

Freezing Stage

-Pain starts to develop in the shoulder area

-The pain worsens and it hurts at night

-The period lasts for about 9 months at most

-The movement of the shoulder is limited

Frozen Stage

-The pain starts to get better, the stiffness worsens

-Difficulty to move the shoulder

-The period lasts for 12 months at most

Thawing Stage

-The motion range becomes normal

-This period lasts for about 2 years at most

Frozen Shoulder Causes
The cause for frozen shoulder in some people is still not identified. However, there are certain groups that get affected by this condition the most.
Women are the most at risk when it comes to developing frozen shoulder
The people who are in between the age group of 40 and 60 years can get this condition
People who have just had some sort of surgery like mastectomy can be at risk as well
There are medical conditions that can be triggering factor. People with diabetes have a risk of getting a frozen shoulder. Also, thyroid, heart disease, or Parkinson’s can be some of the most common risk areas

Frozen Shoulder Diagnosis
For the diagnosis of frozen shoulder, the doctor prescribes a physical examination. The frozen shoulder test is recommended to see whether the movement of the shoulder hurts a lot or not. In the ‘Active’ exam part, the doctor will ask you to move the shoulder on your own. In the ‘Passive’ part of the exam, the doctor will help you move it.
The doctor might also decide to give an injection of anesthesia for the shoulder. This medication will help in numbing the pain in the shoulder. It helps the doctor in judging the active and the passive motion ranges.
The physical examination is often enough for the diagnosis of the condition. However, in certain cases, tests such as ultrasounds, X-rays, and MRIs are included for ruling out the other medical condition such as arthritis.