Frozen Shoulder Treatment and Exercise Blog

The actual cause of frozen shoulder it not fully known. This is probably because people get frozen shoulder for so many different reasons. But by and far the number one way that I have seen people get frozen shoulder is when they stop moving shoulder for an extended peroid of time.

Common reasons for doing this are because your should is in a sling, perhaps you have injured your shoulder, or you might be recovering from surgery. When you stop moving your shoulder joint, things called adhesions form and prevent your from moving your shoulder through a normal range of motion. So it is sort of a self fulfilling prophecy. Stop moving your shoulder and adhesions form so that you can’t move your shoulder.

Watch the video below to learn more and hear my entire answer.

The frozen shoulder question of the day is: Can I prevent my shoulders from getting frozen?

The good news is that the answer is YES! Watch the video below to see what you need to focus on doing to prevent frozen shoulder from happening. This is also really important if you had frozen shoulder, got rid of it, and now you are worried that it might come back again.

Here’s a quick recap of the 3 things you need to do to prevent frozen shoulder

1. Keep Your Shoulders Strong
2. Specific and Proper Stretching Routines
3. Proper Range of Motion Activities

If you are looking for instant pain relief make sure to check out my ‘tennis ball trick’ video. It’ll have you pain free in 90 seconds or less. Click here to gain access to the video.

Treatment of frozen shoulder is commonly utilized to alleviate pain and symptoms and restore mobility in the arm  that it is affecting. It is usually a lengthy condition that has a time span from start to finish of about 2 1/2 years. Mainly doctors concentrate on treating it, because there is no cure for frozen shoulder indefinitely. However, certain treatments can relieve the patient in such a high-standard that they do not experience symptoms and feel like they have conquered their frozen shoulder with a cure. Most people are unaware that frozen shoulder surgery is not their only option of treatment, and that often surgery hinders and results in a longer recovery for what may have been already be relieved.

There is a large assortment of treatments that are commonly recommended for frozen shoulder. They are all dependent on the severity of the condition, the preference of the patient, and the recommendations of the doctor. However, they are more effective when combined in most situations. The first treatment a physician will refer is that the individual begin anti-inflammatory medications to see if it will lessen the pain. When the pain level is higher the doctor may give steroidal injections or prescribe oral steroids to help with the stiff shoulder that frozen shoulder is known for. Also most medical professionals will encourage the patient to get physical therapy and to exercise in the comfort of home using gentle stretching exercises.

Often treating physicians try to avoid surgeries for frozen shoulder, because surgeries can worsen the condition as well as expose the individual to many unnecessary risks and recovery. With the majority of options available to the frozen shoulder syndrome sufferer, surgery should be decided upon only in the worst of situations. There are efficient and effective treatments for adhesive capsulitis that work just as well if not better than frozen shoulder surgery. Recovery is imminent from this syndrome,however it is the endurance that makes people resort to evasive surgeries for immediate relief. It should be understood that this type of surgery does not supply complete resolve of the problematic ailment. It takes months to recover from surgery, and often it can be a detriment in what would have already subsided.

Most times frozen shoulder surgery is rarely recommended, and only in the most crucial situations does a doctor perform surgery for the condition. This is because adhesive capsulitis can be treated thoroughly will less evasive techniques and methods and there is no guarantee that the surgery will improve or cure the ailment.  The most successful techniques used to treat frozen shoulder are not commonly surgical procedures, and a very good physician will tell you this in all honesty. He or she will also explain all of the options that you have in regards to frozen shoulder treatment, and they will inform, educate, and provide you with the essential options that are best for your unique circumstances. So if you have been diagnosed with frozen shoulder you can discuss all of these elements with the physician who is directly treating you.

Eliminating frozen shoulder is a complex endeavor and it will take a complete, well planned system to have true success. A question that is commonly asked by patients that are suffering from frozen shoulder is; “How fast can I get rid of my frozen shoulder?” There are many factors that influence just how fast success can be achieved. For one, it depends on how long the patient has had the problem as well as which areas of the shoulder are affected. However, with all of that said, a good program can speed up the recovery.

Frozen shoulder can actually be treated successfully or eliminated faster than many people think. For some, it can take less than a month if the patient is committed to following a progressive and aggressive program, completing all of the exercises and being consistent with their program. For others, it may take a little longer…again, depending on how bad the specific issues are and how long they have had the symptoms. It is important to realize that many people have been in treatment for their frozen shoulder for years and some have never found a successful treatment plan and live with the limitations of this problem for the rest of their lives.

While one to three months is much better than a year and always better than a lifetime, most people are anxious to get rid of their frozen shoulder faster. While I believe that in many people a frozen shoulder “cure” can be fast, it is very important to understand that frozen shoulder is an extremely complex issue and speeding up the rate of a full recovery can only happen if there is a solid plan followed. Many people will start to see some symptoms go away rather quickly, and while this is a good thing, it is important not to stop the plan or program at this point. Some people have made the mistake of stopping their treatment after their shoulder starts to feel better, thinking that they are on the road to a full recovery. However, to have real, long-term success the person must continue and finish the program in its entirety.

With all of the treatments out there for frozen shoulder, sometimes I get asked about massage and whether it is a good treatment for frozen shoulder sufferers. The answer to this question is a resounding “yes.” While the patient still needs to incorporate other treatment protocols into their program, massage is an excellent tool to help eliminate frozen shoulder. In fact, any program that does not have a soft-tissue component to it, is lacking in my opinion.

Massage techniques, when done correctly, help to work on soft-tissue restrictions that have developed in and around the shoulder. There are many different massage techniques that can and will help loosen up the soft-tissue limitations, increase range of motion, eliminate pain and bring back normal function to the shoulder. Combining good soft-tissue work with strengthening, range of motion exercises, and a good stretching program is the key to long term and fast success with frozen shoulder.

Muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other connective tissue are all part of the soft-tissue that surrounds a joint. When someone is suffering from frozen shoulder, some and many times all of this soft-tissue becomes tight, forming contractures, spasms, knots and other restrictions that limit range of motion, cause pain and decrease function. Working on these areas with targeted massage techniques is a sure way to speed up the recovery of frozen shoulder. It is important to always incorporate some kind of soft tissue work into the frozen shoulder program to address these issues. Massage is a great way to do this. It is important however, to make sure the massage therapist understands frozen shoulder and what to work on and why. Many people have learned how to perform their own soft-tissue work in the comfort of their own home pretty easily with the same good outcomes.

When people are told that they have a frozen shoulder, they have many questions. Some people want to know what they have to do to get rid of it, others want to know how long it will take to get rid of it for good. Some however want to know how much therapy will be needed to eliminate the frozen shoulder. In other words, people want to know how many days a week will they have to commit to working on the elimination program.

While I would love to say there is a clear-cut answer to this, as always it depends. Much of this depends on a few different things. It will depend on what program the person is following? How bad the frozen shoulder is? What is the patient’s schedule like? Depending on those answers will influence just how many days in the week the program will have to be followed.

I have successfully treated people in as little as three days a week, and others I have treated for five days a week. Finally, some people can get away with doing a program twice a week too. Usually, a three-day a week program can be very successful with a days rest in-between each session.

I have found that people are most successful when their frozen shoulder programs have all of the essential components included in every session. It is always important that each area that needs to be addressed is worked on each time. For example, strengthening, range of motion exercises, and stretching need to be included in a well thought out program each day. By incorporating each of these aspects, a person can and will be much more successful and will not need to do more than two or three days a week.

Frozen shoulder is a complex condition that plagues people every day. When people learn that they have a frozen shoulder, they scramble to find the best management. There are many different treatments that people have used to combat their frozen shoulder; however the ‘best’ treatment is to make sure the patient uses a multi-level protocol.

Using a multi-level treatment protocol means that the person is not focusing on one aspect only of dealing with the problems and symptoms, rather that they are dealing with all of the issues associated with their frozen shoulder. Treatments such as this will help cover all of the bases and allow proper motion, flexibility, strength and pain reduction, which will make certain that the frozen shoulder will be treated and eliminated much faster than not.

Frozen shoulder occurs for many different reasons and around different areas within the shoulder, so it is imperative that the person treats all of the symptoms and all of the areas that are involved. The message is that a person cannot just treat one thing and hope to eliminate their frozen shoulder. Patients that follow stretching only programs and do not have true success with their frozen shoulder treatment have demonstrated this many times.

To have true success is treating frozen shoulder, the patient must be sure to include a good, quality stretching protocol, as well as increasing strength, treating soft-tissue issues, and working on increasing range of motion in all directions. A well-planned, progressive treatment protocol that includes all of these components will ensure true success.

Many people erroneously think that only stretching will be enough to cure their frozen shoulder. While stretching is a very important aspect of any good frozen shoulder elimination program, it is only one component and true success is only derived when you combine stretching with other essential aspects.

Stretching is only part of the answer for eliminating frozen shoulder, but not the whole answer. It is important to realize that frozen shoulder is a very complex problem and there are many different things going on in and around your shoulder joint if you are suffering from frozen shoulder.

Besides stretching, proper strengthening of the shoulder joint and surrounding muscles is essential. While stretching will help increase range of motion of certain muscles and muscle groups, strengthening will enable the joint to move further through the range of motion, keeping the shoulder area strong and free of stiffness. Proper strengthening helps you to achieve greater range of motion in all directions because when the muscles and muscle groups are active and working properly, they will better be able to pull the arm through various directions and planes.

Another component that needs to be in every frozen shoulder elimination program, is quality soft-tissue work. The soft tissue consists of the muscles, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissue that is found in and around the joint. In people with frozen shoulder, this soft-tissue will shorten, form adhesions, knots and sticky scar tissues

Many people that are afflicted with a frozen shoulder wonder if frozen shoulder can be prevented, or if they could have done anything to prevent it from occurring. While every case is different, most cases of frozen shoulder can be prevented from happening in the first place. There are some things that can be done when symptoms arise.

Usually people have some kind of shoulder or upper extremity injury that starts them on the road to experiencing frozen shoulder. Whether it is a rotator cuff problem, or a minor injury that occurs from exercising, frozen shoulder can develop pretty quickly if the right measures are not taken from the beginning.

For one, if someone starts to experience shoulder issues it is vital that they have their shoulder checked out by a physician immediately to ensure that the proper course of action is being followed. Once the diagnosis and treatment is established, the patient must ensure that he or she is maintaining the essential components of function that are necessary for healing and more so important for preventing frozen shoulder.

One thing that a person can do is keep your shoulder strong by doing some type of resistance training in form of weights, resistance machines, heavy bends or just normal range of motion activities that help keep the muscles surrounding your shoulder strong. It is important that you do the right exercises through the right range of motions to keep your shoulders strong and moving the correct way as well.

The second thing that you can do to prevent Frozen Shoulder is to follow a good and very specific stretching routine. It is not enough just to do one or two stretches, but you have to do stretches through out the week through certain range of motion to keep your shoulders limber and moving the right way.