Frozen Shoulder / Adhesive Capsulitis

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What is Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen shoulder is a painful shoulder joint condition. In medical terminology it is called "adhesive capsulitis". The cause of a frozen shoulder is still not known but minor traumas, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, psychiatric patients, post-surgical patients, and prolonged immobilization of the shoulder may in some way cause this condition. The disease is characterized as having freezing, frozen, and thawing stages, and is self-limiting (in time it goes away on its own).

 

With frozen shoulder, the thick capsule of tissue that surrounds the shoulder joint begins to experience chronic inflammation. The body begins a cycle of inflammation and scarring that causes the capsule around the shoulder joint to contract and become limited in its flexibility. This causes very painful range of motion in the shoulder when trying to move the arm.

 

At the beginning of frozen shoulder, it is very painful and range of motion becomes limited. This can be around 4–8 weeks in duration. After that, motion is very limited in the shoulder, but often not as painful. Depending on the severity of the condition, it can take sometimes up to a year to resolve and improve range of motion.

 

  

 

How physical therapy helps

Physical therapy can make a big difference in shortening the time it takes to recover from frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis). By coming to therapy as early as possible, the inflammatory cycle can be significantly reduced, limiting scarring and contraction of the shoulder capsule. In turn, physical therapy, along with medication can limit the pain and ensure a faster recovery.

 

Our physical therapists work with many frozen shoulder patients to reduce pain quickly and restore range of motion to the shoulder. Physical therapy treatments focus on hands–on therapy and specialized exercises to maintain as much range of motion as possible during the inflammatory phase of frozen shoulder. During the "thawing" phase we work with you to improve range of motion in your shoulder and restore strength.

 

It can take quite a while for the motion to be restored to the shoulder, but by coming to physical therapy, we can help you recover as quickly as possible.