By Comfpack | 30 November 2021 | 0 Comments
3 Stages of Frozen Shoulders and How to Thaw It
Frozen shoulder (also called adhesive capsulitis) is a common disorder that causes pain, stiffness, and loss of normal range of motion in the shoulder. The resulting disability can be serious, and the condition tends to get worse with time if it's not treated. It affects mainly people ages 40 to 60 — women more often than men.
You probably don't think about your shoulders much, until you suddenly experience pain in one of them. Shoulder pain can make a simple act — brushing and drying your hair, reaching behind your back to fasten a bra, or grabbing something overhead — seem like a monumental task.
As you age, you're more likely to experience shoulder pain from a variety of common conditions. Shoulder problems are very common, the pain can come on gradually or abruptly, and it may range from mild to excruciating.
Frozen shoulder typically progresses through three stages, although the duration of each stage varies from person to person.
Stage 1: Freezing. The shoulder becomes inflamed and the shoulder capsule progressively shrinks, leading to increasing pain and stiffness. This stage can last from two to nine months.
Stage 2: Frozen. The shoulder remains stiff, limiting range of motion. However, the pain begins to recede. This stage lasts from four to six months.
Stage 3: Thaw. The stiffness improves, and you gradually gain more motion in the shoulder. Most of the time the condition gets better on its own, yet it can take between six months and two years to fully regain movement and function in the affected shoulder.
If you think you have a frozen shoulder or are developing one, see your clinician or a shoulder expert for a physical exam. To assess your shoulder's range of motion, the clinician will ask you to perform various movements with your arm, such as reaching across your chest to touch the opposite shoulder or down your back to touch the opposite shoulder blade (the Apley scratch test). She or he may take x-rays to make sure there's no other underlying problem, such as arthritic changes or a dislocation. An MRI may be ordered to check for a rotator cuff tear.
In performing the following frozen shoulder exercises, stretch to the point of tension but not pain.
Pendulum stretch. Perform this exercise first. Relax your shoulders. Stand and lean over slightly, allowing your affected arm to hang down. Swing the arm in a small circle — about a foot in diameter. Perform 10 revolutions in each direction, once a day. As your symptoms improve, increase the diameter of your swing, but never force it. When you're ready for more, increase the stretch by holding a light weight (three to five pounds) in the swinging arm.
Towel stretch. Grasp a three-foot-long towel with both hands behind your back, and hold it in a horizontal position. Use your good arm to pull the affected arm upward to stretch it. You can also perform an advanced version of this exercise with the towel draped over your good shoulder. Grasp the bottom of the towel with the affected arm and pull it toward the lower back with the unaffected arm. Do this 10 to 20 times a day.
Finger walk. Face a wall three-quarters of an arm's length away. Reach out and touch the wall at waist level with the fingertips of the affected arm. With your elbow slightly bent, slowly walk your fingers up the wall, spider-like, until you've raised your arm to shoulder level, or as far as you comfortably can. Your fingers should be doing the work, not your shoulder muscles. Slowly lower the arm (with the help of the good arm, if necessary) and repeat. Perform this exercise 10 to 20 times a day.
Cross-body reach. Sit or stand. Use your good arm to lift your affected arm at the elbow, and bring it up and across your body, exerting gentle pressure to stretch the shoulder. Hold the stretch for 15 to 20 seconds. Do this 10 to 20 times per day.
Armpit stretch. Using your good arm, lift the affected arm onto a shelf about breast-high. Gently bend your knees, opening up the armpit. Deepen your knee bend slightly, gently stretching the armpit, and then straighten. With each knee bend, stretch a little further, but don't force it. Do this 10 to 20 times each day.
Outward rotation. Hold a rubber exercise band between your hands with your elbows at a 90-degree angle close to your sides. Rotate the lower part of the affected arm outward two or three inches and hold for five seconds. Repeat 10 to 15 times, once a day.
Inward rotation. Stand next to a closed door, and hook one end of a rubber exercise band around the doorknob. Grasp the other end with the hand of the affected arm, holding the elbow at a 90-degree angle. Pull the band toward your body two or three inches and hold for five seconds. Repeat 10 to 15 times, once a day.
You probably don't think about your shoulders much, until you suddenly experience pain in one of them. Shoulder pain can make a simple act — brushing and drying your hair, reaching behind your back to fasten a bra, or grabbing something overhead — seem like a monumental task.
As you age, you're more likely to experience shoulder pain from a variety of common conditions. Shoulder problems are very common, the pain can come on gradually or abruptly, and it may range from mild to excruciating.
Frozen shoulder typically progresses through three stages, although the duration of each stage varies from person to person.
Stage 1: Freezing. The shoulder becomes inflamed and the shoulder capsule progressively shrinks, leading to increasing pain and stiffness. This stage can last from two to nine months.
Stage 2: Frozen. The shoulder remains stiff, limiting range of motion. However, the pain begins to recede. This stage lasts from four to six months.
Stage 3: Thaw. The stiffness improves, and you gradually gain more motion in the shoulder. Most of the time the condition gets better on its own, yet it can take between six months and two years to fully regain movement and function in the affected shoulder.
If you think you have a frozen shoulder or are developing one, see your clinician or a shoulder expert for a physical exam. To assess your shoulder's range of motion, the clinician will ask you to perform various movements with your arm, such as reaching across your chest to touch the opposite shoulder or down your back to touch the opposite shoulder blade (the Apley scratch test). She or he may take x-rays to make sure there's no other underlying problem, such as arthritic changes or a dislocation. An MRI may be ordered to check for a rotator cuff tear.
Then how to thaw a frozen shoulder?
The treatment for a frozen shoulder is focused on relieving pain and restoring the shoulder's normal range of motion. Your clinician may recommend an anti-inflammatory medication such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), or naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn, Anaprox). An ice cold pack applied to the shoulder for 10 to 15 minutes several times a day can also help with pain. You may be given a corticosteroid injection into the shoulder joint or soft tissues. But the cornerstone of treatment is physical therapy, concentrating first on exercises that stretch the joint capsule, and later, on strengthening exercises. A physical therapist can show you how far to push yourself and can teach you the appropriate exercises. Once you've learned your limitations, you can practice most of your exercises on your own at home.There are 7 stretching exercises for frozen shoulder you can follow at your home :
Always warm up your shoulder before performing your frozen shoulder exercises. The best way to do that is to take a warm shower or bath for 10 to 15 minutes. You can also use hot and cold ice packs ，heated in the microwave 20-30s,then put on your shoulder for some minutes.In performing the following frozen shoulder exercises, stretch to the point of tension but not pain.
Pendulum stretch. Perform this exercise first. Relax your shoulders. Stand and lean over slightly, allowing your affected arm to hang down. Swing the arm in a small circle — about a foot in diameter. Perform 10 revolutions in each direction, once a day. As your symptoms improve, increase the diameter of your swing, but never force it. When you're ready for more, increase the stretch by holding a light weight (three to five pounds) in the swinging arm.
Towel stretch. Grasp a three-foot-long towel with both hands behind your back, and hold it in a horizontal position. Use your good arm to pull the affected arm upward to stretch it. You can also perform an advanced version of this exercise with the towel draped over your good shoulder. Grasp the bottom of the towel with the affected arm and pull it toward the lower back with the unaffected arm. Do this 10 to 20 times a day.
Finger walk. Face a wall three-quarters of an arm's length away. Reach out and touch the wall at waist level with the fingertips of the affected arm. With your elbow slightly bent, slowly walk your fingers up the wall, spider-like, until you've raised your arm to shoulder level, or as far as you comfortably can. Your fingers should be doing the work, not your shoulder muscles. Slowly lower the arm (with the help of the good arm, if necessary) and repeat. Perform this exercise 10 to 20 times a day.
Cross-body reach. Sit or stand. Use your good arm to lift your affected arm at the elbow, and bring it up and across your body, exerting gentle pressure to stretch the shoulder. Hold the stretch for 15 to 20 seconds. Do this 10 to 20 times per day.
Armpit stretch. Using your good arm, lift the affected arm onto a shelf about breast-high. Gently bend your knees, opening up the armpit. Deepen your knee bend slightly, gently stretching the armpit, and then straighten. With each knee bend, stretch a little further, but don't force it. Do this 10 to 20 times each day.
Starting to strengthen
After your range of motion improves, you can add rotator cuff–strengthening exercises. Be sure to warm up your shoulder and do your stretching exercises before you perform strengthening exercises.Outward rotation. Hold a rubber exercise band between your hands with your elbows at a 90-degree angle close to your sides. Rotate the lower part of the affected arm outward two or three inches and hold for five seconds. Repeat 10 to 15 times, once a day.
Inward rotation. Stand next to a closed door, and hook one end of a rubber exercise band around the doorknob. Grasp the other end with the hand of the affected arm, holding the elbow at a 90-degree angle. Pull the band toward your body two or three inches and hold for five seconds. Repeat 10 to 15 times, once a day.
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