Otherwise known as adhesive capsulitis, frozen shoulder is a nasty problem to deal with.

In a nutshell. . . .

Often for no obvious reason, but sometimes following surgery or a period of no movement, the capsule surrounding the ball and socket joint of your shoulder becomes inflamed, stiff and thickened. This prevents most of the movement available in the shoulder.

What to look out for:

Difficulty with general shoulder movement, in particular reaching above your head, reaching your back pocket or difficulty brushing your hair. There may also be pain when lying on the shoulder and the pain may be worse at night, or in the cold weather.

The long and short of it. . . .

Left untreated, frozen shoulder can last up to 2 years, the longer it stays in the system, the more likely it is that the muscles around the shoulder joint shorten, weaken and stop functioning.

What can physio do for you?

Most importantly, a Life Ready Physiotherapist can assess and correctly diagnose your shoulder problem. There are many other disorders that be be disguising themselves as adhesive capsulitis.

Treatment includes things like soft tissue release, dry needling, joint mobilisation, capsule stretching and home stretching exercises. An overwhelming majority of cases can be treated effectively with good physio care.

Don’t leave that shoulder pain untreated, come in and see one of our fantastic physiotherapists pronto!

Jess