Table of Contents
What is a frozen shoulder?
A frozen shoulder is a painful condition that usually persists for over three months. This condition freezes your shoulder by limiting its rotation (most commonly external rotation). It develops gradually and heals slowly. The shoulder joint is supported by strong and flexible connective tissue that helps in the gliding movement of your shoulder joint. A frozen shoulder occurs when the connective tissue surrounding the shoulder joint becomes stiff and inflamed, making your shoulder movement difficult and painful.
The shoulder joint is called a ball and socket joint. This joint is a super important structure of your body that helps you perform your daily activities. Your shoulder joint is made up of three bones. These are:
1-Humerus (Upper Arm Bone):
The long bone of your upper arm proximally connects with your shoulder joint. The round head of the humerus fits into the socket of the scapula, allowing for a wide range of motion.
2-Scapula (Shoulder Blade):
The scapula is a flat, triangular bone on your shoulder’s back. It provides the socket (glenoid cavity) into which the humeral head fits, forming the ball-and-socket joint.
3-Clavicle (Collarbone):
The clavicle is a long bone that runs horizontally between the sternum (breastbone) and the scapula. It helps stabilise the shoulder and maintains the position of the scapula.
What is a shoulder capsule?
The shoulder capsule is a dense, fibrous tissue surrounding your shoulder joint. It provides stability to the joint and allows a wide range of movements. In a frozen shoulder, this capsule becomes inflamed, thickened, and contracted, severely limiting your shoulder movement and causing significant pain.
How many people are affected by frozen shoulders?
The overall incidence of frozen shoulders is 5%. It most commonly affects females. Non-dominant shoulder joints (those that are not used frequently) are more prone to this than active ones.
What are the signs and symptoms of a frozen shoulder?
The capsule of the frozen shoulder tightens with time and causes pain, followed by decreased movement. The signs and symptoms of the frozen shoulder depend on the stage. The frozen shoulder is divided into three stages according to its severity. These are:
1-Freezing stage:
This stage is the initial phase of adhesive capsulitis, known as frozen shoulder. During this stage, you typically experience increasing pain in your shoulder joint, progressively limiting the range of motion. This pain often disrupts your sleep, especially when lying on the affected side, and can significantly impact your daily activities. This stage lasts for 6 to 9 months.
2-Frozen stage:
This is the second phase of adhesive capsulitis. During this stage, you will experience decreased shoulder pain compared to the previous stage, but the shoulder joint becomes significantly stiffer and more difficult to move.
This stage is marked by the shoulder capsule’s thickening and tightening, leading to scar tissue formation. As a result, your shoulder range of motion is greatly restricted, making tasks such as reaching overhead, behind the back, or even performing simple activities like dressing and grooming increasingly difficult. This stage lasts for 6 to 12 months.
3-Thawing stage (resolution phase):
It is the final phase of adhesive capsulitis or frozen shoulder. During this stage, you will notice a gradual improvement in shoulder joint function. The stiffness of your shoulder joint begins to decrease, and the range of motion starts improving. This phase can last from 1 to 2 years.
What are the causes of frozen shoulder?
The exact cause of frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) is unknown. The common reason is emotional stress and trauma. However, certain conditions and risk factors are associated with its development. These factors can lead to inflammation in the shoulder joint, causing the shoulder capsule to thicken and form scar tissue. This process reduces the amount of lubricating synovial fluid in the joint, further restricting movement.
Who is at risk of developing a frozen shoulder?
Some factors make you more prone to have this painful disease. These factors include:
1-Age:
As you age, your synovial fluid and joint flexibility decrease gradually, making you more prone to this disease. It is usually more common at the age of 40-60 years, and women are most commonly affected.
2-Diabetes:
If you have diabetes, you’re 2-4 times more likely to develop a frozen shoulder compared to those without diabetes.
3-Immobilization:
An extended period of inactivity of your shoulder joint, more often due to surgery, injury or trauma, increases the risk of developing a frozen shoulder.
4-Systemic diseases:
Some systemic conditions can also trigger this condition. These include:
- Thyroid disorder
- Parkinson’s disease
- Stroke
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Cancer
- Complex regional pain syndrome
- Tuberculosis
5-Previous history of shoulder injury:
A previous positive history of shoulder joint injury increases the risk of getting a frozen shoulder.
6-Emotional stress:
According to Dr. Mikel H-G Hoff, continued stress makes your muscles tense and triggers inflammatory responses. It also impairs your immune system and decreases the body’s healing power. Therefore, stress increases your risk of having frozen shoulders.
Management of frozen shoulder with ANF Therapy®️:
ANF Therapists diagnose this condition clinically by taking your detailed history and examination. These include:
History:
During history, your ANF Therapists will ask you some questions regarding your disease. These are:
- What is your age?
- Onset of symptoms
- Duration of symptoms
- Affected side
- Range of motion
- Previous medical illness
- Lifestyle activity
- Do you have diabetes?
Physical examination:
After a history, a thorough physical examination can help diagnose this condition. In the physical examination, your ANF Therapists will examine your shoulder joint to check for any abnormality and check its range of motion, which helps stage the disease.
Application of ANF Devices:
Dr. Mikel H-G Hoff states that different types of ANF Devices are applied to the affected area of the body to reduce pain and inflammation. These devices include the following:
Anti-inflammatory devices:
These positive and negative anti-inflammatory devices are applied to the affected area. The main purpose of these devices is to remove the chronic inflammation in your body and decrease your pain.
Energy devices:
Energy devices are applied to the affected part. The main functions of these devices are:
- Release muscle spasm and contraction
- Increase muscle strength
- Increase blood flow to your muscles
Expected outcome:
Dr Mikel H-G Hoff states that most patients feel relief from shoulder pain within 30 minutes, but some may take several days, depending on the severity of the disease.
Follow-up:
You will need to follow up regularly with your ANF Therapist to assess improvement in pain and range of motion. Depending on your body’s response to treatment, your treatment may take a few days to up to a few months.
Start your journey with ANF Therapy®️:
How to prevent a frozen shoulder?
You can prevent yourself from developing a frozen shoulder and decrease your risk by following. Physical examination includes:
1-Engage in Physical Activity:
Regular exercise keeps you fit physically and mentally and helps keep your joints flexible and strong. Therefore, engaging in physical activity decreases the risk of having frozen shoulders.
2-Physiotherapy:
If you have a history of shoulder injury, start daily physiotherapy straightaway. It helps to restore your shoulder movement and prevent joint stiffness.
3-Control Your Blood Sugar:
Keeping your blood sugar level in a normal range decreases the risk of developing a frozen shoulder.
4-Healthy Diet:
A balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals supports overall joint health.
5-Avoid Stress:
Stress can exacerbate the ongoing inflammation in your body. Therefore, incorporating stress-relieving activities into your daily life routine decreases the risk of a frozen shoulder.
FAQs:
What should I not do with a frozen shoulder?
If you have a frozen shoulder, there are some things that you should not do:
- Quick or sudden movements
- Heavy lifting, especially overhead
- Overstretching your shoulder
- Repetitive shoulder motions
- Prolonged immobilisation of your shoulder
- High-impact activities
- Ignoring persistent or severe pain
What is the difference between a frozen shoulder and a shoulder impingement?
A frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is caused by inflammation of the shoulder capsule, leading to joint stiffness and limited rotation of the shoulder joints. The pain associated with a frozen shoulder gradually worsens over time and then eventually improves. In contrast, shoulder impingement is caused by inflammation of the rotator cuff tendons. The pain in shoulder impingement is typically sharp and activity-related, especially noticeable during overhead movements. While frozen shoulder pain develops and subsides gradually, shoulder impingement pain is more immediate and sharp.
Is a frozen shoulder caused by stress?
Stress triggers the inflammatory process. Continued stress can induce inflammation, resulting in frozen shoulders.
Which therapy is best for a frozen shoulder?
How do I sleep with a frozen shoulder?
To sleep with a frozen shoulder, avoid sleeping on the affected side. Instead, sleep on your back or on the side of the unaffected shoulder to minimise pain. You can also use pillows to support your arm and keep it in a comfortable position. Placing a pillow under the affected arm can help relieve pressure and reduce discomfort during the night. Moreover, you can use ANF Devices to reduce pain and discomfort and sleep comfortably.
About ANF Therapy®️
ANF Therapy®️ uses circular ANF Devices, which are applied directly on the skin after palpation and assessment by a trained ANF Therapist following the ANF Therapy®️ Method, Patented Model no. U202030252, ES1259974.
The ANF Therapy®️ purpose is the alleviation of injury and pain within minutes.
Our aim is that the patient experiences a reduction of pain and swelling, an increase in range of motion, and an improvement in quality of life related to health. Non-transdermal, non-invasive device, NO needles or chemicals are used.
Do you need help with your health issues? Have you been experiencing symptoms of Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)?
Contact us, and we will explain how we can help you!
