Exercises For Frozen Shoulder Treatment

Some of the best exercises for frozen shoulder treatment actually involve two people, you and a partner. These do not involve the other person "yanking" or "cranking" on your arm (which is a no no) so try to be in a relaxed state when following these suggestions. Moist heat also helps just prior to beginning these exercises. As always, it is recommended that any exercise is done under the guide of your physician or physical therapist, therefore you are on your own if attempting these without the above:

• Lie supine (on your back) and have your partner (standing) hold onto your wrist with your arm extended fully at the elbow and your shoulder at about 45-60 degrees. Your partner then will gently shake your arm, almost at a vibrating pace, for 30 seconds to a minute. This helps to relax tense and guarded muscles.
• Have your partner then gently pull your arm (while you relax) first straight down towards the direction of your toes. Hold this for about 20-30 seconds. Next, have them pull out to your side and hold the same amount of time. After that, have them pull in an upward direction and hold 30 seconds. Repeat this sequence 3-4 times before moving on to the next exercise.
• While lying on your back, have your partner stand facing towards the direction of your head. Your shoulder should be at about 45 degrees away from your body with your elbow bent at 90 degrees. Your hand should be pointing towards the ceiling if possible. They should then support your elbow underneath with the hand closest to your body and hold your wrist with the other hand. While relaxed, have them gently push your hand backwards toward your head until a mild stretch is felt. Hold this stretch at least 30 seconds then relax. Repeat several times.

The above frozen shoulder rehab exercises are great preliminary warm-ups for further stretching on your own. For maximum effectiveness, these should be done 3-4 times per day if possible, particularly if you are in the "freezing" stage of a frozen shoulder.

Frozen Shoulder Trigger Points

Trigger points are painful areas of hypersensitivity with muscle tissue. They often accompany a frozen shoulder and make the condition even more painful than it already is. These trigger points go through flare-up phases and can feel like your neck muscles or muscles of the upper back are tied in knots. There is relief for those trigger points - namely "trigger point massage". This involves using a hard, knobby instrument or one's knuckles to apply deep tissue pressure over the hypersensitive area. This will "release" the trigger point if done with enough force over time. Most people do not have the strength or endurance to perform this type of massage on another. The answer to this problem is the "knobber" which is a commercially available product designed to take the effort out of giving a trigger point massage. An excellent trigger point massage can be performed independently with a "Theracane". This ingenious device is shaped like a candy cane with knobby projections coming out from the side. This in conjunction with frozen shoulder exercise can make life much more bearable during a frozen shoulder.

A theracane is described and can be purchased at Frozen Shoulder Therapy on Squidoo.com

Physical Therapy Or Surgery - Which Is Best For A Frozen Shoulder?

You may have gotten the bad news from your doctor - "You have a frozen shoulder". Worse yet, he or she may have told you the terrible statistics regarding this condition: A frozen shoulder can take up to 2-3 years to heal on it's own. Now that's awful news or good news depending on which side of the coin you are viewing. On one hand 2-3 years suffering through a stiff and painful shoulder sounds like pure hell. On the other hand at least there's hope that your condition will improve and may not be permanent.

Personally, I don't like the sound of living with gut wrenching pain every time I try to reach to open a door or get a glass out of my kitchen cabinet. I want pain relief now, not 24-36 months from now. Your doctor may even suggest surgery or physical therapy. But which is best?

Surgery for a frozen shoulder involves arthroscopic methods which are supposed to release the tiny adhesions that have formed between the joint capsule and rotator cuff tendons. Anytime surgery is done anywhere on the body there is risk for infection. Therefore the risk may significantly outweigh to potential benefit, particularly if your immune system is down for any reason. Also if you are diabetic then you can look forward to slow healing times.

Another type of "surgery" that may be suggested is not really surgery at all. I'm speaking of manipulation under anesthesia. While the risk for infection is not present, you still have all of the risks associated with being put under anesthesia, including death. The risk of death, however small, is never an option to me, that is unless the pain is so bad that death would be a welcome option.

Physical therapy for frozen shoulder involves performing specific exercises at frequent intervals to increase shoulder range of motion (ROM). Increasing range of motion will lessen the pain and stiffness as adhesions are released. Physical therapy also involves joint mobilization by a trained therapist which loosens the joint capsule allowing for greater ROM. Your therapist may also introduce modalities such as ultrasound (typically used for focused deep heat), electrical stimulation (for short-term pain relief), and massage (relaxes spasms and tight muscles). Physical therapy, if performed in a structured program designed for this condition, can significantly reduce the chance of permanent dysfunction and can hasten recovery.

So when faced with the decision between physical therapy or surgery to treat a frozen shoulder, in my opinion, physical therapy wins hands down. It's simple - the benefits outweigh the risks. However even the best exercise can be risky without a proper diagnosis, therefore consult with your doctor before beginning any program or treatment for a frozen shoulder.