What is Frozen shoulder?
Also known as adhesive capsulitis, frozen shoulder is exactly how it sounds, it’s a chronic condition in which your shoulder joint becomes progressively stiffer until the joint has minimal range of motion and is very difficult to move.
Frozen shoulder syndrome isn’t as prevalent a condition as something like lower back pain, but it still affects 2-5% of the general population – a significant number! Since the symptoms of frozen shoulder are common to many shoulder disorders, it is frequently misdiagnosed as general shoulder pain and other shoulder conditions such as Rotator Cuff muscle injuries, impingement and tendonitis.
Although it is not yet clear why some people have frozen shoulder, there are known risk factors such as being a female aged 40-60, diabetes, arthritis or a previous case of frozen shoulder.
How can chiropractic help?
Frozen shoulder is an unusual condition and will often recover by itself but this process can take up to 3 years! This is where chiropractic can help, whilst there is no cure for frozen shoulder chiropractic care can speed up the recovery time and prevent other compensatory issues from occurring.
Our Chiropractors will conduct a thorough case history and then examine the shoulder joint as well as surrounding areas to confirm a diagnosis. Once frozen shoulder is confirmed as the diagnosis the chiropractor will create a plan of management using a combination of manual therapy and home exercises to improve your shoulder mobility and help you achieve your goals.