Home » Frozen Shoulder Therapy
Frozen shoulder, a common condition that causes stiffness and pain in the shoulder joint, can significantly limit your ability to perform everyday tasks. However, various treatment options, including physiotherapy, are available to help manage your symptoms and improve your shoulder’s mobility. These treatments aim to reduce discomfort and enhance your day-to-day function.
Clinic Director and Chief Physiotherapist
Hong Kai has been practising musculoskeletal physiotherapy for more than a decade. He is the first Singaporean to achieve dual credentials as both an APA Titled Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist and a tertiary-trained Exercise Scientist.
Hong Kai's broad and extensive skill set allows him to create solutions that are simple, effective, and tailored to a client’s musculoskeletal needs. His belief in continuing education and self-improvement led him to complete his Master’s in Clinical Physiotherapy (Musculoskeletal), where he had the opportunity to participate in formal research into knee osteoarthritis under the supervision of world-renowned researcher and physiotherapist Prof. Peter O’Sullivan.
Hong Kai has experience treating a variety of musculoskeletal conditions, with a specific focus on addressing lower back, neck, shoulder, and knee pain.
Principal Sports Massage Therapist
Being an active practitioner for numerous years, Darren is trained and has experience in addressing various musculoskeletal conditions using a variety of techniques, including trigger point therapy, clinical dry cupping, myofascial scraping (instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilisation) and PNF stretching.
Darren has experience addressing a variety of conditions, including shoulder pain, knee pain, hip pain, leg pain and neck pain. Darren can also perform a relaxing deep-tissue massage to relieve general stress and fatigue or focus on problematic areas.
Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a condition characterised by pain, stiffness, and limited range of motion in the shoulder joint. Other common names include:
It occurs due to inflammation and thickening of the capsule surrounding the joint, restricting its movement and causing the characteristic “frozen” feeling.
This condition can significantly impact daily activities, making simple tasks like reaching overhead or behind your back challenging. While the exact cause remains unclear, it is often associated with prolonged shoulder immobility, such as after an injury or surgery.
Living with a frozen shoulder can impact your daily life, affecting your ability to perform even simple tasks and reducing your overall quality of life. Understanding the different stages of this condition can help you manage expectations and seek timely treatment, such as physiotherapy, for managing the pain and discomfort.
This initial stage typically lasts up to 3 months. You’ll experience increasing pain and stiffness in your shoulder, making movement difficult and uncomfortable. The pain might worsen at night, disrupting your sleep.
This stage can last anywhere from 6 weeks to 9 months. The pain might start to subside slightly, but the stiffness worsens, and your range of motion becomes even more limited. Certain movements may trigger sharp pain.
During this stage, which lasts around 4 to 6 months, your shoulder starts to “thaw.” The pain gradually decreases, although you might still experience a dull ache, especially at night. Your range of motion slowly begins to improve.
The recovery stage can take anywhere from 6 to 24 months. Your shoulder’s range of motion continues to improve, and you gradually regain your ability to perform daily activities. However, some residual stiffness or discomfort may persist.
Pinpointing the exact causes of a frozen shoulder can be challenging. In many cases, there’s no clear trigger, a situation referred to as primary frozen shoulder. However, we do know that inflammation plays a significant role. This inflammation causes the capsule surrounding the shoulder joint to become thick and tight, restricting movement and leading to stiffness.
While the precise causes remain undetermined, certain factors can increase your risk of developing a frozen shoulder:
Frozen shoulder often starts subtly, but its symptoms can progressively worsen, impacting your daily life. Key symptoms include:
Managing a frozen shoulder typically involves a combination of non-surgical and, in some cases, surgical approaches, aimed at reducing pain, improving mobility, and restoring function.
Non-surgical treatment options include:
Surgery may be considered in severe or persistent cases where non-surgical treatments haven’t provided sufficient relief. The most common surgical procedure for a frozen shoulder is arthroscopic capsular release. This minimally invasive surgery involves cutting the tightened capsule to release the shoulder joint and improve mobility.
Following surgery, physiotherapy plays a crucial role in optimising recovery and regaining full shoulder function. Your physiotherapist will guide you through a personalised post-surgical rehabilitation programme that may include exercises, manual therapy, and other techniques to help you regain strength, flexibility, and range of motion.
Diagnosing a frozen shoulder typically involves a combination of a physical examination, discussion about your symptoms, and a review of your medical history. Your doctor or physiotherapist will carefully assess your shoulder’s range of motion and identify areas of tenderness or pain. They’ll also inquire about the onset and severity of your symptoms, as well as any activities that aggravate or alleviate them. In some cases, additional tests like nerve conduction studies, electromyography (EMG), or imaging tests such as X-rays or MRI scans may be recommended to rule out other conditions or confirm the diagnosis.
While preventing a frozen shoulder isn’t always possible, especially when there’s no identifiable cause, you can take steps to reduce your risk. If you’ve recently experienced a shoulder injury or surgery, early mobilisation and gentle range-of-motion exercises under the guidance of a physiotherapist are crucial. These exercises can help prevent stiffness, maintain mobility, and minimise the likelihood of developing frozen shoulders.
While many individuals experience significant improvement in their range of motion with appropriate treatment, including physiotherapy for frozen shoulders, a full recovery depends on several factors. These include the therapy approach, overall health condition, and adherence to the prescribed treatment plan.
The healing time for a frozen shoulder varies considerably from person to person. Factors such as the severity of your condition, the specific therapies used, and your overall health and response to therapy can all influence the duration of recovery.
If left untreated, a frozen shoulder can lead to prolonged pain, severely restricted shoulder movement, and potentially even long-term disability. Seeking professional advice and treatment is crucial for managing the chronic pain and dysfunction associated with this condition.
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