Stop My Shoulder Pain » frozen shoulder treatment

Frozen Shoulder Treatment – Grab The Tennis Ball

Rex — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:15:14 +0000

Frozen shoulder treatment comes in many forms. Some good, some bad, some ridiculous. However, anyone with a tight, painful shoulder will tell you that a good massage is just about the best thing for temporary pain relief. With a frozen shoulder, the muscles surrounding the shoulder often spasm, as well as become inflamed. This as well as the shrunken/tight inner joint capsule causes extreme pain when trying to lift or move your arm in any direction.

What to do when no one is around???

Grab a tennis ball…

The firm but not so hard tennis ball provides and excellent way to work out local muscle spasms and helps to gain back some of that precious motion lost during the frozen shoulder process. The most common technique is to place the ball along side your deltoid or humerus (your upper arm bone). Then simply lean into the wall and slide up and down along the wall. This will be painful at first, however you can control how much pressure you apply. Try to gradually work up to a firm pressure and work this for about 5 minutes. The increased blood flow along the lateral deltoid will act as a pain suppressor temporarily and actually help you to get some range of motion back.

Remember this is only temporary and should only be used as an adjunct to your prescribed exercise or frozen shoulder treatment regimen.

Frozen Shoulder Treatment – What Are My Options?

Rex — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:10:21 +0000

Frozen shoulder treatment options do and should depend on several factors. First of all you need to know what stage of a frozen shoulder you are in. Early stages of this condition, characterized by mostly pain and some stiffness, are best treated with aggressive active and passive range of motions exercise, taking care to avoid impingement syndrome. Even the most well meaning practitioners can cause more damage and pain if they are not experienced in the proper execution of range of motion exercises. Early stages also respond better to anti-inflammatories, provided the treating physician feels this is in order. Middle stages of frozen shoulder syndrome, which involve increased stiffness and loss of motion, respond well to joint mobilization by a trained clinician. Later stages, where motion is starting to return and the pain is less, should include strengthening exercises. This is due to the loss of muscle strength from months of decreased use and mobility.

Now obviously physical therapy may not be for everyone, particularly those who have a low pain threshold. These individuals may opt for more passive treatments involving various modalities such as heat, ice, injections, manipulation, or possibly surgery. Thermal modalities such as moist heat and ice only provide short term relief and are considered “coping treatment” as the patient “waits out” there symptoms — which may never occur or may occur at a much slower pace. Injections are more or less masking the symptoms with anti-inflammatory medication and do not get to the root of the condition, which is loss of motion and function. Manipulation is a last resort option (other than capsular debridement) which can lead to significant shoulder trauma and possibility of humerus fractures. Surgical debridement is an invasive treatment which carries with it the risk of infection.

All of the above frozen shoulder treatment options should be researched by the patient so they can decide the on the one that best suits them. Obviously physical therapy is the most preferred treatment as it addresses pain, loss of function, and loss of strength alltogether. If PT is the chosen course of treatment, the patient should make sure they choose a therapist with experience in this area, or use a program designed by a licensed clinician with a specialty in treatments of the upper extremity.

Got Shoulder Pain?

Rex — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:24:12 +0000

"Is This You?"

It’s time to get some answers…

I’m a registered physical therapist with a specialization in hand and upper extremity therapy. Being a former shoulder patient myself, I can tell you firsthand of the wrenching pain this one appendage can cause. All of my patients are special to me, but I have a certain special connection with my patients who have shoulder problems.

You see, the shoulder is a person’s connection with the world. An injury or disability to the shoulder suddenly breaks that connection. The patient’s focus is now on finding relief or getting back function so the connection to the world is once again re-established. This is often where the difficulty lies… There are so many reasons for shoulder pain and even more “remedies” that a person can become overwhelmed. Even worse, a wrong self-diagnosis can lead to ineffective treatment or even damaging treatment.

This site attempts to answer some common questions about shoulder pain, it’s origin or cause, and current available treatments for any given diagnosis.

What This Blog Is NOT Meant For:

This blog is meant for informational purposes only and not meant to replace the advice or treatment of a physician or qualified specialist.

What This Blog IS Meant For:

People with shoulder pain want pain relief, bottom line. They need a resoursce with easy-to-find answers to their most common questions. While education about their particular condition is a very important part of treatment, I believe it is not necessary to give overly detailed anatomy lessons, or spill out a lot of medical jargon in order to educate the patient. In fact, sometimes using an analogy that relates to the person’s hobbies or interest is the best education of all. They begin to understand their condition on their terms which translates to more emotional meaning for the patient and therefore more compliance with treatment.