Have you heard of ‘frozen shoulder’? That’s the easy term for ‘adhesive capsultis’.
It’s a condition when tissues around your shoulder joint tighten and thicken. Scar tissue develops over time, which limits the space around your shoulder joint. This then hinders your range of motion and mobility. Symptoms include pain, stiffness, and swelling.
The cause is often unknown and may seem to come out of nowhere – or – it may be due to surgery, injury, or some type of illness.
Possible reasons include:
- If you have dealt with rotator cuff issues
- Immobility due to a heart condition or stroke
- Thyroid disorders
- Parkinson’s disease
- Diabetes
Your doctor may want to order an x-ray or MRI to identify and eliminate possible causes.
More common in women than men, frozen shoulder is a typically found in people between 40 and 60 years of age. The condition takes between two to nine months to develop, so it can definitely be a slow process.
As with most things, if you don’t seek treatment for it, it can get worse. It’s not the kind of thing you want to wait around and see if it gets better.
Here’s the great news: your physiotherapist will be able to help your frozen shoulder immensely with stretching and strengtheningexercise. Physiotherapy is definitely the ‘go to’ treatment for frozen shoulder. Your physio will also be able to give you advice with regard to icing, corticosteroid injections, and other ways to manage the pain.
Come see us at Dunbar Physio in Vancouver to start treatment on your frozen shoulder. Call us at 604-266-3303 or book online.
