Patients in this  stage ideally by now have been clinically diagnosed by a competent doctor. Should they be fortunate enough, then his or her physician has sent them to a knowledgeable physical therapist who specializes in treating this disease. Even so, a lot are simply referred to the nearest therapy clinic and end up receiving the ordinary, common frozen shoulder treatment routines.  Pulley stretches, ice/heat, ROM exercise, etc… A certain amount of initial movement can be restored but at the cost of much pain. It is no surprise a large number of individuals quit going after a couple of agonizing appointments. Does anyone want spend time and money on some torture sessions that produce few results?

If you’re fortunate enough to be among the blessed few to get a physical therapist knowledgeable in treating frozen shoulder, then you’ll hopefully notice him or her say such phrases as “active release”, “accupressure”, and “joint mobilization”, to name a few. Otherwise,  my recommendation would be to look for such a professional who includes these kind of therapies in care plan, or else plan some painful exercise sessions along with attempts to coerce your  irritated shoulder into submission! Practicioners having good results treating this problem realize the extreme pain their patients are living through and procede with therapy in a significantly gentler way.

Can you expect pain with the treatments? Absolutely, however the discomfort will likely be minimal and an increase in mobility will likely be attained, possibly within the first few visits. A thourough professional will likely consider the patients’ priority functional objectives and then try to concentrate on these first. Attaining such functions as tucking a shirt tail in or fastening a bra clasp on the initial few appointments can do wonders for a patients’ outlook on life and upcoming treatment sessions. These types of functions may be accomplished without attaining complete range of motion even though this will be the end objective regarding any worthwhile plan of care.

In conclusion, helpful advice for anybody with frozen shoulder would be to perform their due diligence to find an experienced physical therapist that has experience and knowledge in treating frozen shoulder… Not only to achieve ROM, but to improve function and the quality of life the person is searching for.