If you feel stiffness and pain in your shoulders, you might be suffering from frozen shoulders. This condition limits movement in the shoulder joint and causes difficulties in performing simple chores, which in turn makes daily life difficult. As a result, it is important to seek effective treatment for this condition.
Chiropractic care is a non-invasive approach that is popular for treating musculoskeletal conditions. However, can a chiropractor help a frozen shoulder?
The answer is yes, and in this post, we will get deep into this answer and provide a comprehensive guide on how chiropractic care can help frozen shoulders.
What Is a “Frozen Shoulder”?
Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, causes pain and stiffness in the shoulder joint. It restraints shoulder movement and often worsens over time. This condition reduces your range of motion and hampers your ability to perform daily tasks. For example, it prevents you from raising your arms for simple chores. It also causes difficulties in sleeping by preventing you from sleeping on your side. These problems can make daily life difficult if you are suffering from a frozen shoulder.
A frozen shoulder can get better within 12 months, but it can last for years if you do not undergo proper treatment.
The 3 Phases of the Frozen Shoulder Syndrome
The frozen shoulder disorder has three stages: freezing, frozen, and thawing.
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The Freezing Stage
The freezing stage marks the start of the frozen shoulder syndrome. You will feel a slow onset of pain in this stage. Even the slightest movement can cause pain, and your shoulder gets stiffer over time. The pain gets worse and can even hurt more at night.
This stage can last between 6 weeks and 9 months, which makes early detection important.
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The Frozen Stage
This is the second stage of the frozen shoulder condition. A slow improvement in pain marks this stage, but the stiffness gets worse. Moving your shoulders becomes more difficult, and your range of motion gets severely capped.
The frozen stage can last between 4 to 12 months. Chiropractic care can help you manage the pain and improve mobility during this stage.
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The Thawing Stage
This is the final stage of the condition. Your range of motion is slowly restored during this stage.
The thawing stage can last anywhere between 6 months to 2 years, but proper chiropractic treatment can speed up the recovery. It can also ease any lingering pain you might have during this stage.
What Are the Causes of Frozen Shoulder?
The shoulder joint is surrounded by a capsule of connective tissues. When this capsule thickens and tightens around the shoulder joint, your movement gets restricted. As a result, your shoulder can stay still for an extended period, which leads to the disorder.
Other potential causes can include surgeries or injuries such as arm fractures. These cases might keep your arm in a sling and restrict your shoulder movement for a long time. Reduced arm and shoulder movement in these cases can lead to a frozen shoulder.
Some common risk factors for this condition are age, gender, and existing shoulder injuries. People aged 40 and above – and particularly women – are more likely to suffer from this condition.
Medical conditions linked to this syndrome include:
- Diabetes
- Hormonal changes
- Thyroid disease
- Parkinson’s disease.
What Are the Common Symptoms of the Frozen Shoulder Syndrome?
The main symptoms of frozen shoulders include pain and stiffness in the shoulder joint. This results in a loss of shoulder mobility. For instance, affected shoulder issues will cause difficulties in holding your arms up. You can also feel pain in your shoulders when you try to brush your hair or sleep on your side.
How Is Frozen Shoulder Syndrome Diagnosed?
The typical diagnostic process involves:
- A physical examination
- Imaging tests such as X-rays or MRIs
- Patient history
- Symptom history
Chiropractors can check your shoulder mobility and are often able to diagnose if you are unable to rotate your shoulder. It also helps rule out other underlying conditions, such as arthritis or torn rotator cuffs.
How Can a Chiropractor Help a Frozen Shoulder?
Chiropractors are experts in joint and muscle treatments, and their range of expertise definitely includes frozen shoulders. They employ a holistic approach to treating your musculoskeletal system. Chiropractic care for frozen shoulders ensures complete muscle, joint, and bone treatment with:
- Joint mobilization and manipulation
- Active release technique (ART)
- Soft tissue techniques
- Postural corrections
1. Joint Mobilization and Manipulation
Chiropractors use gentle joint mobilization and chiropractic manipulation to increase your range of motion. This technique involves gently applying pressure to reduce pain and improve movement in a stiff joint. Joint mobilization and manipulation can go a long way in healing and reducing shoulder pain and stiffness to aid frozen shoulder relief.
This physical therapy technique is backed by medical studies. According to the International Journal of Sport, Exercise and Health Research, joint mobilization gives good results in general musculoskeletal disorders.
2. Active Release Technique (ART)
Active release technique is an excellent approach to treating muscle and joint conditions. It is a non-invasive technique for soft-tissue problems such as muscle disorders, strains, and sprains. It helps release tension and scar tissue to improve flexibility and ease shoulder problems.
When performing the active release technique, chiropractors will feel the target region with their hands and locate the affected area. They will then gently apply pressure to break up the scar tissues and ‘adhesions’
Chiropractors can use this technique to treat the tight muscles and tendons in your shoulder and speed up your recovery from a frozen shoulder.
3. Soft Tissue Techniques
A chiropractor can help with a frozen shoulder with techniques such as myofascial release. This soft tissue technique targets your myofascial features. “Myo” refers to muscles, and “fascia” refers to the connective tissue that covers and supports all your muscles.
During a myofascial release technique, chiropractors focus on releasing tension from your fascial tissues. To do this, they will locate knots or trigger points in your aching muscle. Then they will gently apply pressure until the tension is released. This technique is also called the trigger point therapy.
Besides a myofascial release, therapists also perform different massages to heal joint pains. These techniques release tension from your muscles and improve circulation to help your frozen shoulder pain heal faster.
4. Postural Corrections
Correct posture is central to improving shoulder health and preventing injuries. It is a common frozen shoulder chiropractic treatment technique to restore shoulder function. Chiropractors often focus on correcting your posture to reduce strain on your shoulder joint capsule. For example, they may realign your spine with gentle pressure and improve rounded shoulders.
Good posture reduces strain on your spine and helps you recover from frozen shoulders. It also prevents such problems from recurring and keeps your organs healthy.
What Are the Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Frozen Shoulder?
We know that chiropractors can help treat frozen shoulders. But how is chiropractic treatment beneficial for frozen shoulders? Let’s learn in detail:
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Swift Alleviation of Shoulder Pain
Chiropractic care can offer quick pain relief through non-invasive treatment. Techniques such as joint mobilization and postural corrections can help ease pain in your shoulder joint.
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Restoration of Full Range of Motion
Chiropractic care involves loosening knots in tight muscles. This helps to reduce scar tissue and restore joint movement. Chiropractors can also show you exercises to aid your recovery from a frozen shoulder. This can help you maintain a full range of motion.
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Regaining Everyday Mobility
A quick recovery means you can return to your daily tasks faster. Chiropractic techniques can help you recover from shoulder joint pain in a quick time. This will enable you to use your arms and shoulders to their full extent. You can perform daily actions such as driving, reaching overhead, and lifting things better than when you suffered from a frozen shoulder condition.
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Tailored Treatment Approach
Chiropractors offer personalized treatment plans. These plans are tailored based on the severity and stage of your frozen shoulder. Whether you are at the freezing, frozen, or thawing stage, a chiropractor adjusts to your needs to ensure a unique recovery process.
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Proactive Focus in Chiropractic Mindset
Chiropractors ensure comprehensive treatment for frozen shoulders. They also offer an overview of frozen shoulder relief. This means they will treat the symptoms and provide counsel on preventing recurrence. They will guide you on long-term maintenance to ensure you can move the shoulders perfectly. This can also help prevent future instances of frozen shoulders.
Conclusion
To sum up, you should consider chiropractic if you suffer from a frozen shoulder. Chiropractors use a holistic treatment plan to approach frozen shoulder relief using personalized care techniques. They can identify frozen shoulder symptoms, reduce shoulder pain, and restore motion in the shoulder. Consulting with a chiropractor can ensure early detection of this syndrome. This can help you avoid prolonged discomfort and regain full mobility with chiropractic adjustments and shoulder manipulation.
For help with frozen shoulder treatment options, get in touch with The Brost Clinic today! Our expert chiropractors have been serving patients in Minnesota since 1986. Schedule an appointment with us and find out why we are Minnesota’s award-winning chiropractic clinic!
Call us at (952) 473-9637 to get an appointment or for any queries!