Frozen Shoulder 

PAIN!

This is probably one of the most painful and debilitating conditions faced in the chiropractic clinic. What's more it remains extremely painful, and disabling, for a long time if not properly managed. Up to three years and longer. 

Simple daily activities like taking off a t-shirt or putting on a coat, even combing one's hair become an ordeal. Sleep is invariably disturbed, which is why it gets such a high quick dash rating; see lower down.

Prevention is the key! Nip the pain in the bud before your shoulder turns to ice.

Shoulder pain is caused by many conditions. The majority, but not all, are the result of irritation of nerves in the lower neck or upper thoracic spine. That is why chiropractic treats shoulder pain so successfully.

It is one of the more difficult conditions causing shoulder pain. It can be successfully treated with chiropractic, however the shrunken shoulder capsule, depending on how advanced the shoulder pain is, may take several months and very occasionally a whole year to resolve, even with chiropractic.

Medically, the condition is acknowledged to take up to three years to resolve.

And understanding of  shoulder anatomy will help you grasp the complexity of this painful condition. 

To give the arm the large range of motion it enjoys, the socket is shallow and there are four complex joints to give the shoulder stability. To understand why this joint gives such trouble some understanding of theshoulder anatomy will be instructive.

To deepen the socket there is a labrum which is often involved in the impingement syndromes. For example, a fall on the outstretched arm may tear the labrum. It can only be diagnosed on an mri or ultrasound scan.

See another photo of the man above at the bottom of this page.

AcromioClavicular joint

 

What is a Frozen Shoulder? FS

Adhesive capsulitis, it's medical name, is a condition that causes substantial loss of movement in the shoulder joint. The joint capsule becomes shortened and tight, and adheres to the bone, hence the complete medical name for frozen shoulder is an adhesive capsulitis. 

It is one of the most painful conditions treated in chiropractic clinics. Prevention is the word, but it can develop with frightening rapidity.

Arm pain treatments at the chiropractic coalface always begin with a search for irritation of the nerves from the lower neck to the muscles, tendons, ligaments or capsule is usually, but not always, central to this condition.

A diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis is often used for any painful shoulder condition associated with a loss of motion which is not strictly true.

The pain and disability in frozen shoulder are often extreme. Any and all movements of the upper arm, particularly internal rotation, become severely limited. Chiropractic treats the frigid capsule particularly successfully, but it remains a nuggety problem. There simply is no quick fix.

Often the cause lies elsewhere so the cervical spine, the first rib and the acromio clavicular joint must all be carefully examined.

The triceps muscle in the upper arm, and the subscapularis muscle beneath the shoulder blade are often involved.

A fine emulsion of calcium is sometimes deposited in the glenohumeral joint; it's called toothpaste shoulder for obvious reasons.

What Are The Symptoms Of Frozen Shoulder?

FS is characterized by a extreme loss of shoulder motion. Raising the arm, both forwards and sideways, and turning it inwards becomes very limited and extremely painful. Thus taking off a t shirt and particularly putting on a coat may cause extreme pain. Reaching the bra hook behind the back is quite impossible.

It is most common in the middle years around 40 to 50 and is twice as common in women as men.

This condition begins with just a little irritation in the shoulder, but rapidly enters the acute phase, characterised by extreme pain, sleep disturbance and functional impairment; you can't brush your teeth, get a cup out of the cupboard or clean the bath. Because chiropractic addresses function, it is able to treat frozen shoulder particularly well.

This is followed by a progressive stiffening phase as the shoulder motion worsens, particularly internal rotation, and raising the arm above the head. Extreme disability is common, with even simple everyday activities such as brushing the hair, dressing, and household work causing extreme shoulder pain. This phase may last several years if not properly treated.

The final phase, inadequately treated, often only begins after a year or two, with a mountain of frustration first to be experienced, is the resolution or thawing phase identified by the gradual return of both motion and function.

The overall course is variable but can last 12 to 36 months.

Common Causes 

1. Chiropractic Subluxation and degenerative changes and NECK PAIN.
2. Old neck injuries such as WHIPLASH CHIROPRACTIC falls down the stairs, MVAs, horse falls, gymnastic injuries, rugby injuries. 
3. Shoulder injuries, such as in skiing falls, which may or may not fracture any one of the arm bones, overuse (weight lifting, or gymming which is not properly supervised), improper warm-up before sport, and often there is no obvious cause. It may even start with a stiff neck. Read more about NECK PAIN ANATOMY >> 
4. Shoulder surgery. 
5. It may also be associated with a variety of medical conditions: Hyperthyroidism, Diabetes, Degenerative arthritis of the shoulder, Heart and circulatory diseases. 

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ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Any and all conditions of the human body are affected by a defective blood circulatory system and that includes FS. Insufficient oxygen means that tissues can't heal. Pathophysiology of atherosclerosis; hardening of the arteries explained in layman's terms.

While these common causes of frozen shoulder may seem quite different, they all result in one or more of the following:

• Irritation of the nerves supplying the shoulder
• Shortening of the capsule of the shoulder.
• Medical conditions causing a high density of impurities in the blood which can settle near the shoulder joints, muscle joints, and the belt of muscles, blocking the normal blood circulation in these areas, which leads to shoulder pain and loss of motion in the shoulder joint. 

All of the above may lead to inflammation in the shoulder joint capsule. This capsule includes the ligaments that attach the shoulder bones to each other.

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When inflammation occurs within the capsule, there is less ability for the shoulder bones to move freely within the joints (there are four shoulder joints). For this reason a frozen shoulder is also called an adhesive (scarred) capsulitis (inflamed joint capsule). 

CERVICAL RIBS

Ribs pertain correctly to the thoracic spine but very occasionally a cervical rib may affect the nerve and blood supply to the arm causing amongst other things frozen shoulder. Usually the ribs are small and of little clinical significance, but every now and then there's a giant.

Arm Pain treatments

How is Frozen Shoulder treated?

Chiropractic Help treatment is directed at four domains:

1. Shoulder pain is most often caused by subluxations in the neck. Neck pain and stiffness is commonly associated with this condition confirming the neck problem. Without treating the cause adequately, often in the neck, all other treatment options are slow and dependent on the body's natural recuperative powers. With no treatment at all this condition usually resolves within three years, owing to this natural healing power of the body. Three years of hell.
2. Movement. The worst treatment of this condition is immobilisation, as in a sling. It rapidly worsens the pain and stiffness. A gentle set of stretches for the FS, done frequently, numerous times a day, is an essential part of the chiropractic care. As the movement returns, and the pain lessens, active rehab exercises, are essential.
3. Key to shoulder treatment is mobilisation and/or adjusting theAcromioClavicular joint.
   
4. Management of any associated medical conditions such as diabetes is essential.
5. Pain control is an important part of the management of this nasty condition. Ironically an ice pack, in a face-cloth, placed over the painful parts for about 20 to 30 minutes is best, followed by moist heat as in a shower, followed by the stretching program. Acupuncture, NSAIDs, and various electrical modalities may be helpful.
6. A FS can sometimes be a real bastard, excuse the French. It's a very mean condition. There is new research coming out on the effectiveness of microcurrent stimulation in the treatment of frozen shoulder.