What is Frozen shoulder?How we can prevent it.

A frozen shoulder is a joint problem that causes stiffness, pain, and loss of motion in the shoulder. This may lead to severe disability and can cause prolonged pain if left untreated. It occurs because of prolonged immobilisation of the shoulder, which can be due to injury, surgery, or illness.

With proper treatment (physiotherapy and medication), patients can usually unfreeze their shoulder joint.

Stages of Frozen shoulder.

• Painful freezing phase: This phase typically lasts from 2–4 months. In this, limitations of movement and stiffness accompany the pain. The pain is typically worse at night. patient has difficulty lying on the affected side.

• The frozen-stiff phase: This phase lasts from 4–8 months. The pain on the frozen side eases, but the movement becomes more restricted like shoulder rotation. All movements of the shoulder get affected.

• The thawing recovery phase: This phase lasts from 8–12 months. In this phase, the pain and stiffness may gradually decrease, and normal movement may return.

Causes of Frozen Shoulder.

Inflamed joints are a typical cause of a frozen shoulder. A tissue in the form of a capsule holds the joints together. This capsule becomes inflamed, and scarring takes place. When the capsules continue to harden and constrict, the patient’s shoulder motions are limited..

Some lifestyle changes that will help to improve the pain and swelling of the patient’s frozen shoulder are:

• Cold compress therapy helps control inflammation and improves blood supply to the affected joints. A trained medical attendant can apply cold compresses at home by taking ice cubes, placing them in a plastic bag, wrapping them in a thin towel, and applying them to the affected area for 10–20 minutes daily.

• The patient’s caretaker can gently massage the affected area with oil. It can help reduce short-term and long-term pain.

• The patient’s caregiver can perform heat therapy on the patient with a rubber bag filled with warm water to effectively treat muscle stiffness and spasms.

Placing a pillow below the elbow helps in relieving pressure on the shoulder and encourages blood flow to the tissue.

Weeheal is providing patient care and elderly services at home in Mohali and Chandigarh. To know more. Kindly contact us at 9056667111.