04/05/2019
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🔊 FROZEN SHOULDER - CAN MASSAGE AND EXERCISE HELP?
Frozen shoulder is a condition where an individual will experience pain and stiffness in the shoulder and is not able to lift the arm over the head. Frozen shoulder causes stiffness and restricted range of movement in the shoulder. This condition is medically known as "adhesive capsulitis." However, the adhesive capsulitis is a specific condition where there is a slow onset of stiffness and pain in one shoulder due to inflammation and tightening of the joint capsule. Usually the terms frozen shoulder and adhesive capsulitis are used alternately.
💡 PHASES
Clinical presentation is typically in three overlapping
phases:
🔁 Phase 1 – lasting 2 months to 9 months. Painful
phase, with progressive and increasing pain on
movement. Pain tends to be constant and diagnosis
in the early stages before movement is lost can be
difficult.
🔁 Phase 2 – lasting 4 months to 12 months. Stiffening
or freezing, where there is gradual reduction of pain
but stiffness persists with considerable restriction in
range of motion. Pain pattern changes from constant
to end range pain of reduced intensity.
🔁 Phase 3 – lasting 12 months to 42 months.
Resolution or thawing phase, where there is
improvement in range of motion with resolution of stiffness. End range pain may persist until full
resolution.
💡 TREATMENT
In most of the cases adhesive capsulitis resolves on its own over a period of a year to year-and-a-half. Treatment for adhesive capsulitis basically focuses on alleviating pain and trying to preserve as much range of motion as possible in the affected shoulder.
➡️ EXERCISE
Stretching exercises are usually the cornerstone of treating frozen shoulder. Here are just a few.
1. Cross-body arm stretch
2. Pendulum stretch
3. Arm circles
4. Towel stretch
➡️ MASSAGE
Massage therapy is very beneficial in treating frozen shoulder as it increases the blood circulation to the injured region and also reduces the formation of scar tissue. Regular massage should be done to reduce the muscle stiffness. The pain and stiffness usually gets relieved after several massage treatments.
There are various combinations of techniques done by a professional massage therapist, which provide relief from shoulder pain and help in the recovery stage.
▪️DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE
One of the common techniques used to treat frozen shoulder is deep-tissue massage. In this technique, the massage therapist applies constant pressure to the muscles in order to release the scar tissue or adhesions, which may be causing the shoulder pain.
Shiatsu is a Japanese form of deep-tissue massage, which involves deep pressure on certain regions of the body. These are called acupressure points and helps in controlling the energy flow ("Ki" in Japanese) across the body and thus results in decrease in pain. Deep-tissue massage techniques should not be done in case of acute shoulder pain, swelling or inflammation, as it may aggravate the condition.
▪️TRIGGER POINT THERAPY
Trigger point therapy is another massage technique, which benefits the frozen shoulder. In this technique, a steady pressure is applied on certain targeted points within the muscles. This helps in relieving the muscle spasms.
▪️HEAT THERAPY
Heat therapy is also very helpful in treating the frozen shoulder. It can be applied before or after a massage. Heat therapy can be also done for trigger point massage for frozen shoulder. It helps in relaxing the muscles and decreasing pain. Mild heat can be applied for multiple times daily using pads, which are heated an hour before application.
source: Harvard Medical School, British Orthopaedic Association.
