What To Do With A Stiff, Painful Shoulder
The 40-year-old office worker 'A' felt a minor pain radiating from his right shoulder down to his forearm for one month. Over time it worsened and he has not been able to move his shoulder since last Monday. A thought the pain was the result of too much exercise over the weekend and tried to endure it, but the pain continued so he went to the doctor. He was diagnosed with frozen shoulder at the early age of 40. What should he do now?
What is a frozen shoulder?
Frozen shoulder, medically termed adhesive capsulitis, is a condition which can be recognized by feelings of stiffness and pain in your shoulder joint. The symptoms are commonly suffered by people in their fifties, but the age is gradually getting younger these days. The condition mainly develops over three phases. First, you feel pressure or pain in your shoulder. Sometimes the simple act of lifting your arm can cause you enormous pain.
The next phase makes it difficult to easily move your shoulder, along with added pain and stiffness developing in your shoulder. Usually, this phase lasts from 4 to 12 months. After this phase, the shoulder gradually begins to loosen up.
Diagnosis of Frozen Shoulder
Patients showing symptoms of frozen shoulder should not neglect shoulder pain. They may think lightly of the symptoms as something that will pass and that occurs only once in a lifetime to everyone, or they may not treat the illness properly thinking that the pain would go away on its own. However, depending on the severity, the symptoms may continue for one or two years, causing enormous inconvenience in the sufferer's everyday life. Therefore, the cause of frozen shoulder must be accurately determined and diagnosed so that it can be treated at an early stage.
Frozen shoulder is diagnosed based on the patient’s symptoms. Tests such as a computed tomography (CT), a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, an ultrasound scan, bone scanning, or an arthrography test may be needed. Such tests aim to eliminate the possibility of other causes of shoulder pain or impaired movement, and also try to accurately diagnose frozen shoulder.
Treating Frozen Shoulderr
The goal of treating frozen shoulder is to reduce pain and to recover the shoulder's ability to move freely. During the early stages of the condition, physical therapy or exercise treatment may be appropriate.
Physical therapy includes the use of a hot water pack, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and ultrasound treatment. However, it is best to carry out joint exercises actively in your own time, and not rely solely on physical therapy. In other words, active exercise therapy is an important treatment method in the case of frozen shoulder. For patients experiencing extremely severe pain or long-term stiffness, injections or surgery may be indicated. Recently, surgery using an arthroscope can be performed without having to make an incision.
Exercise Trement of Frozen Shoulder
To prevent the shoulder from stiffening further and to help the shoulder recover the ability to make regular movements, sufferers should stretch frequently and work out their shoulder muscles in order to strengthen the muscles around the shoulder. The muscle exercises are more effective after taking a warm shower or bath when the shoulder muscles have been softened.
1. Shoulder stretching exercises (pendulum exercise)
This is an easy-to-follow exercise that can be done at home and doesn't require any special equipment. Drop the painful shoulder down like a pendulum and sway it from side to side, or from front to back, or make circular movements. Perform this exercise three times a day.
2. Muscular exercise
Use a dumbbell or an elastic rubber band to perform the muscular exercise. Maintain the movement that requires the greatest amount of strength for 2 to 3 seconds and come back to the preparation position slowly.
The exercise should be repeated 10 times (the number of times should be gradually increased). It should be noted that the exercises must be performed within the limit of being able to tolerate the pain. Excessive exercise may aggravate the condition of frozen shoulder.
People say that frozen shoulder is an illness commonly seen among middle-aged people, but a report showed that about 70% of the patients who visit the hospital are diagnosed with a different illness. This means that an accurate diagnosis is important. We recommend that patients receive the right test to be diagnosed properly and go through adequate treatment, dismissing the idea that shoulder pain is automatically linked to frozen shoulder.
