If you experience significant pain and limitations in your ability to move your arm through the normal range of motion or reach behind your back, you could be suffering from a condition called adhesive capsulitis or “frozen shoulder.” This blog post will review the causes, symptoms, and effective physical therapy treatments for frozen shoulder.
Understanding Frozen Shoulder:
Frozen shoulder occurs when the tissues surrounding the shoulder joint become thickened and stiff, resulting in restricted movement. While the exact cause is not always clear, certain risk factors increase the likelihood of developing this condition. These factors may include age (40-60 years old), gender (more common in women), a history of shoulder injuries, diabetes, and prolonged immobilization of the shoulder joint.
Symptoms of Frozen Shoulder:
The primary symptoms of frozen shoulder typically progress through three stages, each lasting several months:
- Freezing Stage: During this stage, you may experience pain and gradual loss of shoulder motion. Daily activities such as reaching overhead, combing your hair, or fastening a bra may become challenging.
- Frozen Stage: The pain may subside during this stage, but stiffness and limited range of motion persist. Simple tasks like reaching across the body or behind your back may prove difficult.
- Thawing Stage: In this final stage, shoulder movement gradually improves, and pain subsides. Restoring full range of motion may take time, but with the right treatment approach, recovery is possible.
Physical Therapy Treatment for Frozen Shoulder:
Physical therapy plays a crucial role in managing frozen shoulder and facilitating the recovery process. Your physical therapist will tailor a treatment plan to address your specific needs, but here are some common approaches they may use:
- Gentle Range-of-Motion Exercises: Initially, your therapist will focus on relieving pain and improving flexibility through gentle exercises that aim to maintain or regain shoulder motion.
- Strengthening Exercises: As pain and stiffness decrease, your therapist will introduce strengthening exercises to improve the stability and function of the shoulder joint. These exercises may include resistance training using resistance bands, light weights, or bodyweight movements.
- Manual Therapy: Your therapist may use various hands-on techniques such as joint mobilization and soft tissue mobilization to help reduce pain, increase flexibility, and restore normal shoulder mechanics.
- Modalities: Certain modalities such as heat or cold therapy, ultrasound, or electrical stimulation may be used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and promote tissue healing.
- Home Exercise Program: To maximize the effectiveness of your therapy sessions, your physical therapist will provide you with a customized home exercise program. Consistently performing these exercises will accelerate your recovery and maintain progress between sessions.
Patience and Consistency:
It’s important to remember that recovering from frozen shoulder takes time and patience. Compliance with your physical therapy program and consistent practice of prescribed exercises are crucial to achieving optimal results. Be sure to communicate with your physical therapist about any concerns or difficulties you may encounter during the treatment process.
If you are experiencing symptoms similar to those described in this article, physical therapy can help get you on the path to recovery. Call Respire Physical Therapy today at 703-671-1871 or click here to request an initial evaluation with a physical therapist to reduce your pain and improve your ability to perform activities of daily living!
Tags: pt education, regain your movement freedom, Frozen Shoulder, movement is medicine, choosept, arlingtonva, alexandriava, Physical Therapy, fallschurchva, Respire Physical Therapy, ptworks, Shoulder Pain, pain free living, physical therapist
