Understanding frozen shoulder: Causes, symptoms & treatment

Remedial massage can offer techniques such as trigger point therapy and your therapist can offer a range of stretches that can be practised at home.

Wellness with Linda Goggan, Sacred Body Montville

Adhesive capsulitis, another name for frozen shoulder, causes discomfort and stiffness in the shoulder joint.

Typically, signs and symptoms start out mildly before getting worse. Symptoms normally improve over the course of 1 to 3 years.

The shoulder joint is protected by a connective tissue capsule. Healthy connective tissue is smooth, slippery and flexible.

When this capsule around the shoulder joint becomes thicker and tighter it limits movement and frozen shoulder develops.

It’s unclear why certain people experience this. However, holding a shoulder immobile for an extended period of time is more likely to cause it, such as following surgery or an arm fracture.

There are 3 stages of frozen shoulder:

Freezing - The shoulder hurts with every motion, and its range of motion is constrained. This can last for approximately 2 to 9 months.

Frozen - During this phase, pain might lessen. The shoulder, though, stiffens up. It becomes more challenging to use if at all. 4 to 12 months is typical for this stage.

Thawing - The shoulder starts to move more easily. This phase lasts for 5 to 24 months.

Exercises that increases range of motion are part of the treatment for frozen shoulder. Injections of numbing agents and corticosteroids are occasionally used as a kind of therapy. Most commonly people seek support from massage and physiotherapy.

Remedial massage can offer techniques such as trigger point therapy and your therapist can offer a range of stretches that can be practised at home.

As this is an issue in the connective tissue then there are also nutritional factors that can support the health of the tissue. Connective tissue does best when supplemented with Vitamins D, C, calcium, zinc and copper. Some foods that nourish the connective tissue might include cherries, blackberries, blueberries, acai, red cabbage, onions, apricots, cinnamon, nectarines and raw cacao.

▶ Sacred Body, 4/130 Main St, Montville. Phone 0422 852 899.