Do I Have Frozen Shoulder?
June 14, 2022
We ask a lot of our shoulder joints, and they offer a wide range of motion and movement, even when we don’t realize it. From driving to working to sitting, the shoulder joint and its surrounding soft tissues are often working, offering balance and support to the head, neck, and spine.
In some cases, frozen shoulder develops after the shoulder is injured and incapable of moving for an extended period.
Frozen shoulder is a condition that can cause significant discomfort and interfere with your daily routine, sleep, exercise, even your mental state. There are various reasons you may be experiencing frozen shoulder, but chiropractic care has been proven to help restore the shoulder’s function quickly and effectively.
Today we’re discussing:
• What frozen shoulder is
• What causes frozen shoulder
• How chiropractic care helps heal frozen shoulder
• How to sleep safely with frozen shoulder
• The dos and don’ts for frozen shoulder
• And more
Ready? Let’s go.
What is Frozen Shoulder & Why Do I Have It?
If you’ve had the unpleasant experience of dealing with frozen shoulder (also called adhesive capsulitis), you’ve likely been involved in some sort of accident that’s injured the shoulder, immobilizing it for a long period. This is often due to a broken arm, surgery, rotator cuff injury, or stroke.
The sensations of shoulder stiffness, motion loss, and discomfort usually start gradually and build up. Your discomfort may become heightened pain, with even the most insignificant movements becoming distressing.
The irony, of course, is that while resting your shoulder so it can heal from an injury, you’re actually harming your shoulder in another way. This happens when the connective tissues that surround the shoulder joint thicken and tighten around the joint, debilitating movement patterns.
Symptoms of frozen shoulder
You may have frozen shoulder if you experience any of the following symptoms:
• Inability to move the shoulder in comfort
• Restricted neck movement
• Limited range of shoulder movement
• Stiffness in the shoulder joint
• Consistent ache in the shoulder area
• Inability to sleep comfortably on the shoulder
• And more
Who gets frozen shoulder?
While anyone can get frozen shoulder, there are various patients who are more likely to, including:
• Those with diabetes
• Those with an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) or underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
• Those with cardiovascular disease
• Those with tuberculosis
• Those with Parkinson’s disease
At Tangelo, we’ve seen firsthand how chiropractic care can help remedy your frozen shoulder symptoms. Finding the cause of your pain is essential to the healing process, and our team has the knowledge to effectively rid your body of its imbalance so it can best support you.
How to Cure Frozen Shoulder Quickly
How to Cure Frozen Shoulder QuicklyIf we’ve learned anything at all, it’s to never underestimate the importance of exercise and stretching. Case in point, in almost every case, frozen shoulder treatment consists of range of motion exercises.
The chiropractic care we provide has seen tremendous benefits in extinguishing frozen shoulder. We help minimize pain, increase comfort and range of motion, and enhance the health and recovery of the shoulder through strengthening and motion exercises and stretches.
Using proven functional rehabilitation therapies, our team will find a safe, natural, reliable treatment plan unique to your needs and goals so you can get back to living life pain-free and doing the activities you love.
How to sleep and sit with frozen shoulder
You know the importance of sleep and how if we don’t get enough of it, it can cause a multitude of issues. Unfortunately, sleeping while in pain is often quite difficult, and using pain medication or sleeping medication has its own set of problems.
If your frozen shoulder is causing tumultuous sleeping patterns:
Side sleepers: Try to sleep on the unaffected side only and hold a pillow across your chest.
Back sleepers: Use a pillow under the affected arm and put your hand on your belly.
Try telling yourself before sleep that you need to remain still throughout the night; that can encourage you not to roll over or move while asleep. The mind is powerful! Let it help you.
If you work at a desk all day, you may find sitting very uncomfortable.
Here’s what to do:
• Take breaks so you can stretch (discuss stretches with your chiropractor to ensure safety)
• Sit with good posture; if you find yourself slouching, correct it
• Keep your shoulders pulled back and down away from your ears
These strategies may seem simple, and they are, but you’ll find yourself in more comfort as you strengthen and heal the shoulder.
Dos and Don’ts For Frozen Shoulder
If you think you have frozen shoulder, check out our list of what to do and not to do below:
Do
• Do contact our chiropractors in West Seattle, Fremont, Green Lake, or Portland Slabtown
• Do move the affected arm and shoulder as much as possible, safely
• Do watch your posture while sitting, working, and driving
• Do ensure you’re sleeping safely
Don’t
• Don’t be too aggressive with your movement patterns (no harsh pulls or jerks of the arms)
• Don’t skip your chiropractic care sessions; even when the pain is minimizing; you have a program you’ll want to stick to so you get the best, fastest results
• Don’t mask your pain using medications; you could further harm the shoulder
Visit Us to Heal Your Frozen Shoulder Naturally
We know that frozen shoulder has taken too much away from you already. Our teams are here to help you heal fast. It’s always smart to prioritize your health in the most non-invasive but effective way. We’re confident we can get your shoulder discomfort remedied so you can start enjoying your life again.
