Symptoms Of Frozen Shoulder - What You Need To Know

With all of the advances in medicine these days one does not need to suffer unduly with a condition such as adhesive capsulitis. Treatments vary from simple pain management to surgery, although the most conservative treatment and most effective is physical therapy. But before heading down to your local PT clinic (you'll need a doctor's prescription first), you might want to know what the symptoms of frozen shoulder are. Determining if you have this condition is the first crucial step to seeking the correct treatment for this or any other medical condition.

I'm often asked in the clinic "What are the symptoms of adhesive capsultis?" While this seems like a straight forward question with seemingly black and white answers, the fact of the matter is that the answers depend on what stage of frozen shoulder syndrome the person may be in. The best answer to that person may involve describing the general symptoms, then describing symptoms that are not associated with frozen shoulder or may be indicative of a different or even more serious medical condition. It's safe to say, and may seem obvious, that the symptoms of frozen shoulder are painful shoulder movement and/or stiffness. Depending on the stage of frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) a person is in, there may be no pain but increased stiffness and conversely, severe pain with range of motion but no limiting stiffness.

Why Does This Matter?

Early intervention in the case of any medical condition decreases the likelihood of the development of more serious problems and may prevent long term complications. Knowing and acting on this fact means that the treatment must be specific to the diagnosis. Treating a frozen shoulder with rotator cuff exercises alone will do little to resolve the condition and may make the problem worse in some cases. Treating a rotator cuff injury when the root cause of pain is due to a cervical (neck) disc impingement is a waste of time. This may seem obvious, but I see it happen all the time when someone attempts to self-diagnose and treat their shoulder pain. "Yes" answers to the following questions about shoulder pain may indicate a condition other than frozen shoulder.

* Do you have radiating pain in to the forearm or hand?
* Do you have tingling or numbness of the fingers along with shoulder pain?
* Is your shoulder pain present when resting or not moving your shoulder?
* After using your arm/shoulder such as when brushing your hair or putting on your belt, does the shoulder pain last for more than 30 minutes?
* Is there frank weakness with gripping or holding objects?

"No" answers to the above regarding your shoulder pain and stiffness do not necessarily mean you have a frozen shoulder but can prevent unnecessary treatment where further diagnosis and alternate intervention may be indicated.

When you have a correct diagnosis the next crucial step is getting proper treatment. Visit Frozen-Shoulder-Help.Info for the latest evidence-based conservative treatment to end your shoulder pain. Symptoms Of Frozen Shoulder originally posted on EzineArticles.