Looking For A Frozen Shoulder Cure? Start Here

I'm very familiar with the pain and dysfunction caused by adhesive capsulitis and the desparation to find a frozen shoulder cure. In fact in 1998 after rotator cuff surgery I developed this condition despite practicing as a physical therapist. I was about one year out from getting my license and this was the last thing I expected to develop. This actually turned out to be a good thing as it has allowed me to "connect" with my patients who have this diagnosis. It also has motivated me to discover what works and what doesn't by trying various treatments and techniques on myself.

Frozen shoulder syndrome or FSS is a condition marked by stages of progressive pain and stiffness in the shoulder which can take months or even years to recover. A cure implies a short course of treatment or single intervention which would eliminate the physiological process of frozen shoulder syndrome or "adhesive capsulitis". A "cure" would also imply an immediate halt to the progression of the stages of FSS. None of the current treatments available for frozen shoulder have met the above criteria, although in my experience a well planned and developed program can hasten the end results a person with this condition desires, that is, return of normal and pain free range of motion. Therefore the term "cure" for the purpose of this article refers to reduction of pain and return of function.

Studies have shown while there is no one single "frozen shoulder cure", there are treatments available to reduce pain and speed return of function when otherwise just resting the affected limb will do little to no good.

WHERE TO BEGIN?

* Start with an accurate diagnosis by a qualified physician, preferably one who specializes in treatments of frozen shoulder or conditions of the upper extremity

* Educate yourself about this condition and try to determine what stage you are in. Education is key in helping you maintain the motivation to continue and to choose the right program or treatment

* Choose programs that are multi-faceted in approach and treat both the painful symptoms and return of function

* Good programs are ones designed by a licensed professional and provide follow up support or answers to your questions

An accurate diagnosis prevents unnecessary treatments, wasted time and carries with it the benefit of finally knowing why your shoulder hurts. I have seen numerous clients who self-diagnosed a frozen shoulder, put themselves through unnecessary injections and exercise only to find that the problem was coming from the neck (yes, you can have pain in the shoulder which is coming from a compressed nerve in the neck).

Education begins by asking questions. Never take your doctor's word or anyone's word for that matter as the "gospel" without probing a little further and asking what that strange word the doctor said means, and/or why you are getting the treatment you are getting. If you are seeing a doctor you are unfamiliar with, it doesn't hurt to as what his/her medical specialty is (if it's not obvious). In these days of Medicare cuts and changes the specialists are starting to branch out and see more diagnoses outside their specialty. If you decide to educate yourself via the internet, make sure you are familiar with the medical terminology within your diagnosis or otherwise your frozen shoulder "cure" you find on the web can turn out to be harmful or ineffective.

Frozen-Shoulder-Help.Info is the closest thing to a "frozen shoulder cure" available. This is a comprehensive program specifically designed for this condition and focuses on returning function and reducing pain. "What Is A Frozen Shoulder Cure" originally posted on EzineArticles by this author.

Top Frozen Shoulder Remedies

After suffering through the pain and debility of a frozen shoulder back in 1998, I finally realized what my physical therapy patients had been talking about. Not that I wasn't listening, but I mean I finally understood their desperate cries and the reasons they sought relief in the form of home frozen shoulder remedies. With this type of pain an individual will try most anything, including the absurd, to find a relief from this type of pain. Now I still stand firm on the fact that a good, organized physical therapy program is the best frozen shoulder treatment -- this based on the outcomes I see with most of my patients. However, not all patients subscribe to diligently following a program of exercise and stretching, but those that do will eventually break the cycle of pain and debility.

Frozen shoulder remedies have their place, though, despite their strangeness at times. Therefore I will list below the top frozen shoulder remedies as told to me over the years. Remember that some of these are anecdotal and anyone following them without advice from a doctor is doing so at their own risk -- the risk of increasing pain, dysfunction, or the risk of the remedy providing nothing in the way of relief.

1. Mustard Poultice -- This one is still used, mostly by the elderly. It consist of mustard powder mixed with water to form a paste. This paste is wrapped in cheesecloth or muslin cloth and applied to the affected area then covered with plastic wrap.
2. TENS unit -- These units are small portable electrical stimulation units which provide a current to the involved area. They have been widely used in physical therapy and by chiropractors as an adjunct to frozen shoulder treatment. They are really a "coping mechanism" meant to help the patient "tune out" the shoulder pain by irritating the skin. This works by bombarding the sensory nerves with electrical stimulations which override the nerves that signal pain to the brain (simply put). They are NOT the cure for a frozen shoulder.
3. Epsom salt bath -- The warm water does more for relief than the salts do. The idea is that the salts some how "draw" out the toxins that cause pain.
   
4. Auto part lubricant -- I'll avoid using the trademark name of this one, but it won't be hard to guess. Starts with a "W" and ends with a number. This remedy is more of a skin irritant and does nothing to heal a frozen shoulder.
   

These are the top remedies I hear of from some of my patients. I typically do not argue with anyone believing that they help (TENS actually does help with muscle spasm), but rather point out to the patient that there are other solutions that provide more lasting relief. Besides, who am I to argue that something does not work if it does work in the patient's mind (placebo effect).

Frozen Shoulder Therapy Massage

Will Massage Help My Frozen Shoulder?

The benefits of massage in frozen shoulder therapy are numerous. Besides just "feeling good" a massage calls in to play the release of pain inhibitors which can often sustain relief hours after receiving the massage. The type of massage most effective is "trigger point" massage and can be viewed in this video.

Trigger point massage involves applying pressure to particularly painful areas in the rotator cuff which contribute to stiffness and soreness when attempting to move the affected shoulder. Although a trained massage therapist is most effective in determining these trigger points, anyone can apply the massage and find these areas through feedback from the sufferer of the frozen shoulder.

Before beginning the massage it's best to apply moist heat for approximately 10 minutes to the affected shoulder. When applying the massage use a scent-free massage lotion or cream to reduce friction.

It's best to start with the person lying on their side with a pillow under their affected arm. The person applying the massage should start with "stroking" the affected arm. This induces relaxtion initially which is "key" to maximizing the effects of the massage. Next, gradual increasing pressure should be applied in a circular fashion to the back and side of the shoulder, taking note of painful trigger point areas as the patient responds.

Once a trigger point is found, the area should be worked on for 2-3 minutes before moving on to the next area. After completing massage to the shoulder for about 15-20 minutes, the patient should be left to lie in a relaxed position for another 5 minutes before getting up.

More information regarding frozen shoulder exercise and treatment can be found at http://www.squidoo.com/Melt_Frozen_Shoulder

Topical Rubs Can Give Frozen Shoulder Pain Relief

While it's true that topical rubs such as Icy Hot, Biofreeze, etc... only provide short-term relief for frozen shoulder pain sufferers, they do have their place in the treatment of adhesive capsulitis, provided the patient has a targeted program and only uses it as an adjunct to treatment.

These or similar rubs work basically by irritating the skin, giving the recipient a warming sensation. This warming sensation is then translated by the brain into pain relief. This is known as the "pain gate" phenomenon and basically means that certain pain pathways in the peripheral nervous system can only process a certain amount of pain signals at any given time. After that, the "gate" is shut off to further pain signals in that pathway.

Think of it this way, if you have a headache and someone suddenly stomps on your toe, your headache is suddenly gone and the focus of pain is now on your freshly stomped toe. Same thing with topical rubs: Shoulder pain present? Rub in Biofreeze... ointment irritates the skin and therefore pushing a large amount of "irritant" pain signals to the brain, overriding the shoulder pain signals, and subsequently PAIN RELIEF!

Now there are certain rubs that are more effective at generating the amount of "heat" than others. A little research and experimentation will help you decide although I have found Biofreeze to be very effective for patients.

Even the best frozen shoulder exercise programs needs a boost, and often the answer can be found in the wide variety of ointments available on the market today. Don't fall for pitches that state a particular product "goes deeper" than another product, as this simply isn't true. NO topical ointment can penetrate past the dermal layers into the muscle, and thank GOD for this because then you're talking some SERIOUS pain. Therefore do not consider a higher cost product necessarily more effective.

Frozen Shoulder Pain Relief - How Long Does It Take?

I hate to sound wishy washy, but the length of time to get frozen shoulder pain relief depends upon a number of factors, even with a good frozen shoulder program. As much as I would like to give a general "catch all" answer but it honestly would be misleading. Therefore I will try to break it (pain relief time it takes) down:
(The following assumes the person is in stage II freezing stage -- These are my statistics based on clinical treatment, NOT nationwide or CDC statistics.

• If you are greater than age 45 (most frozen shoulder sufferers are) then you are in the "takes longer" category. Here, generally in my experience, relief comes in spurts with consistent exercise but I have typically seen significant progress with range of motion in about 3-4 weeks. If you are attending therapy 2-3 times per week with a trained manual therapist who is performing joint mobilization then this time frame is less. Remember, you must gain range of motion before you will have any lasting pain relief.
  
• If you are diabetic then you also fall into the above category. This is just a fact for just about anything healthwise diabetics go through. Here, the diabetic patient, in addition to consistent exercise, joint mobilization, and stretching, must pay strict attention to his/her diet. If you are able to do cardiovascular exercise, then this will help as well. A good cardio program, believe it or not, will help significantly. This has to do with oxygen exchange and bloodflow without getting too complicated. For diabetics - 6-10 weeks for significant range of motion gains. Pain relief will follow.
• If you are less than 35 years of age you also fall into the above category. This has nothing to do with physiological factors, but rather is an issue of compliance -- This age group typically has kids, a full time job on the upward career path, busier schedule, etc... and therefore will devote less time to consistent exercise.
• If this is your second or more frozen shoulder then you typically will get over it quicker. This has to do with previous knowledge and earlier recognition and initiation of treatment.
• The group that I see with the quickest recovery is female and 35-45. By contrast I see less patients in this category. I have actually treated individuals in this group and seen significant gains in ROM within 2 weeks!
• Sufferers of frozen shoulder pain in the age group 70+ take the longest and also have less favorable outcomes. There are various reasons for this, but one has to assume that some of it has to do with compliance, bone structure/posture, and possibly pain tolerance.

Is My Shoulder Frozen?

As a physical therapist I'm often asked how to tell if someone's shoulder pain and stiffness means they are getting (or have) a frozen shoulder. A frozen shoulder (or Adhesive Capsulitis) is a specific condition typically involving adhesions which form around the joint capsule. The joint capsule is simply a fibrous structure encasing shoulder joint.

This capsule can shrink with disuse of the shoulder, such as after long term immobilization after a fracture (called adaptive shortening) causing increased stiffness and pain with range of motion. This is not a true presentation of primary frozen shoulder. Primary frozen shoulder seems to appear without cause or warning, often presenting as painful shoulder motion at first, then progressing to increased stiffness.

The treatment of these two presentations differ (at least they should), because the type of exercise used for treating a primary frozen shoulder is different than treating simple adaptive shortening. In primary frozen shoulder the first motion lost is external rotation (reach back and touch the palm of your hand to the back of your head), followed by loss of abduction (raising your arm out to the side), then flexion (forward elevation of the arm overhead), and finally internal rotation (reach behind your back as if fastening a bra (or threading your belt if you're a male).

In addition, a primary frozen shoulder will be painful at night without movement of the arm/shoulder. In contrast, adaptive shortening does not follow this pattern of loss of motion as any direction can be stiff/painful. Also with adaptive shortening the shoulder does not typically hurt at rest.

So if or a love on is asking "Is my shoulder frozen" the you can follow the above descriptions to better decide which condition you may have. In any case you should get a formal diagnosis from a physician and seek treatment from qualified professionals. It's important to get specific treatment for frozen shoulder syndrome as the wrong exercise can actually delay healing and prolong symptoms.

An excellent program for treating frozen shoulder is designed by a physical therapist and covers specific exercises and the best frozen shoulder exercise strategies for this painful condition.

frozen shoulder cure?

As a physical therapist I'm often asked if injections "cure" a frozen shoulder. I almost always begin by saying "no" and then proceed to tell the patient that an injection (typically and anti-inflammatory agent) MAY give some temporary relief, but is not the answer to their stiffness and pain.

In fact, an injection with a corticosteriod, if given multiple times, can cause way more problems than it solves. Repeat steroid injections can weaken tissues and bone and may actually put the recipient at further risk.

Now if the pain is unbearable I'm not totally against this type of injection, but would rather educate the patient on the benefits of specific frozen shoulder exercise and treatment to reduce the amount of pain and stiffness.

You see, when a frozen shoulder develops the first thing a patient does is stop moving the shoulder as much. This causes "adaptive shortening" of the joint capsule surrounding the crucial rotator cuff. When this happens the cuff muscles do not have enough "room" to perform their function and end up getting iritated due to friction againt the capsule wall.

Guess what happens then? MORE pain and stiffness. The best solution to relieving frozen shoulder pain is with a specifically targeted exercise program designed by a healthcare professional that has experience in this area. The gradual stretching of capsular tissue and release of adhesions is the true "cure" for a frozen shoulder.

Frozen Shoulder Treament After Cuff Surgery

This particular patient has developed a frozen shoulder (secondary) 4 weeks after undergoing cuff surgery. She came to physical therapy 1 week after her surgery and did well to begin with. I've discovered her main problem to be her exercise frequency as she is inconsistent. I was able to perform P/A glides with her and gained 20 or so degrees today. I reviewed her posture (very important) and her exercise frequency - focused on performing stretches in 10 (yes 10) brief sessions over the next few days. Believe it or not I find this type of frequency with my patients to be very helpful. She understands there is no frozen shoulder "cure" and that consistency is key in getting return of function. Here's hoping this session was successful! Also reviewed the most efficient frozen shoulder exercise.