Adhesive Capsulitis or Frozen Shoulder, is one of the most common conditions that are followed by stiffness in one of the shoulders or both, which will decrease their mobility and cause a lot of pain in the shoulder joint.
Mostly this condition occurs in people from 40-60 years old, and believe it or not, they are 3% of the world’s population. If you are affected by this health condition then you should definitely visit a doctor and seek for medical attention, because it can cause a lot of complications.
The cause of the stiffness and pain in the shoulder joint is still not fully understood by doctors, and as the time passes they gradually develop. The symptoms of this health condition are separated in three different stages, and as the stages change the condition gets worse, and they are usually resolving within couple of years.
The 3 stages of this issue:
The freezing or painful stage — This is a stage that lasts from 6 to 9 months, and as the time passes the pain increases.
The Frozen Stage — In this stage that lasts from 4 to 6 months the pain cannot worsen or increase, but the stiffness is still the same.
Thawing Stage — In this stage that lasts from 1 to 2 years, the pain goes away as the time passes.
Mostly the reason of the pain is the scar tissue formation in our shoulder, that is the thing that is tightening our joint capsule and it also thickens it, which is why the ability of moving is reduced! But the stiffness and immobility can be caused by an injury or a fracture as well.
Women who are over the age of 40 or that are dealing with diabetes, have an increased risk of developing this health condition. And believe it or not 70% of the people who are dealing with this health condition are women. Also the frozen shoulder can be caused by an arm fracture or surgery.
The risk can also be increased in case of the following issues:
Parkinson’s disease
Underactive thyroid — hypothyroidism
Overactive thyroid — hyperthyroidism
Stroke
Heart disease
Doctors may diagnose a frozen shoulder on a physical exam, symptoms and signs as well, but if you go under a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or X-ray they will be able to identify the structural issues too!
Treatment:
If you go under a treatment, ten the mobility and flexibility of the shoulder should be preserved and the intensity of the pain should decrease. The recovery process is very slow and requires a lot of patience, and it would take years to fully get rid of the symptoms.
Most Effective Way to Treat this Health Condition:
Shoulder Arthroscopy — It is a small surgery in which a small endoscope is inserted or instead of that a tube is inserted inside the shoulder joint, which will eliminate adhesions or a scar tissue.
Shoulder Manipulation — In order to increase the mobility of the shoulder, the joint is moved very gently.
Physical Therapy — Exercising the shoulder will boost the mobility and flexibility of the shoulder.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) — With this technique the nerve’s endings in our spinal cord will be numbed, because they are the ones that are bonded to the control of the pain.
Cold or Hot Compression Packs — With these packs you will be able to reduce the pain and swelling of the shoulder.
Most commonly a frozen shoulder is caused by an inflammation of the joint, and with certain treatments you will be able to decrease the pan and boost the mobility and flexibility of the joint.
Most Effective Natural Ways that will Soothe the Inflammation in the Shoulder:
In a warm bath add a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to treat the inflammation.
To soothe the discomfort, gently massage in that area.
In a warm bath add Epsom Salts and this will relieve the pain and boost the circulation as well.
Enjoy a few warm cups of ginger tea on daily basis.
Use coconut oil to massage in that area to treat the inflammation and soothe the pain.
Create a mixture of lime and honey to soothe the pain in the shoulder.
To treat the pain and the swelling apply olive oil on the shoulder.
Consume blackstrap molasses with honey, ginger and apple cider vinegar.
crush a few mint leaves and apply them directly on the painful area, it will also reduce the swelling and pain.
Boil a few garlic cloves in coconut oil, than use that mixture to soothe the discomfort and pain.
Source: thehealthyfoodhouse.com