When movement in your shoulder is restricted, it's called adhesive capsulitis, or frozen shoulder. Doctors can't always pinpoint a cause, but your risk of developing adhesive capsulitis increases when the mobility of your arm is limited, whether from injury, surgery or lack of exercise. Early treatment can begin at home, but be sure to consult your health care provider if the pain is severe or movement is quite difficult.
Stages and Symptoms
Pain and difficulty moving the shoulder occur when connective tissue that encases the joint becomes thick or scarred and tightens. Adhesive capsulitis usually develops slowly and progresses through three stages. At first you'll experience some limited motion and pain every time you move your shoulder. During the second, or frozen, stage, the pain may decrease while the shoulder joint becomes stiffer and movement becomes significantly worse. Range of motion gradually improves during the third stage.
Early Treatment
Early treatment includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications to help relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Your doctor may also prescribe muscle relaxants and stronger pain-relieving or anti-inflammatory drugs. He may consider steroid injections directly into the shoulder or recommend a heating pad or ice pack. It's important to continue using the shoulder in normal daily activities as much as allowed by pain and limited movement. Range of motion is improved in early treatment through exercises that may be done at home or with a physical therapist.
Exercises
FamilyDoctor.org recommends exercises to try at home, with a reminder to warm up for five to 10 minutes before starting. Warmups may consist of any gentle movement of your shoulder and arm, as well as stretching your neck and back by slowly tilting your head forward, backward and side-to-side, and bending over to reach for your toes. If the warmups are too painful or movement is too difficult, always consult your health care provider before performing these exercises.
In the first exercise, stand in front of a wall, place your hands with palms flat against the wall and use your fingers to climb up the wall like a spider. Move slowly and hold your hand in place for 30 seconds every few inches. Keep moving up the wall as high as you can reach. For the second exercise, sit sideways in a hard, straight chair. Resting your armpit over the back of the chair, swing your arm slowly in little circles. Do the circles forwards and backwards, and make them increasingly larger as much as you can tolerate.
Considerations
Exercises should be done every day to prevent the shoulder joint from freezing. Don't get discouraged, as it may take several weeks to see progress, and full recovery with daily exercises can take from six to nine months. Without treatment, the condition usually gets better within two years.
