Welcome to our monthly series!
Our goal is to share with YOU how Athletic Therapy can help you recover from common injuries you or a loved one may be experiencing. Each month will showcase and discuss a new condition athletic therapists see and treat each day
Enjoy!
Frozen Shoulder
If you have ever had to deal with a frozen shoulder, then you know what an odd and frustrating injury it can be. One day you’re fine, the next you have severe shoulder pain and can’t move your arm.
The clinical name for frozen shoulder is adhesive capsulitis. The connective tissue that helps hold your arm into your shoulder joint becomes inflamed and stiff causing shooting pain with arm movement. Eventually the shoulder joint becomes immobile that can last for a few months to a year or longer. While we don’t know exactly why this condition occurs, we do know that it is more common in the older adult (women more so than men), and people who have had their shoulder immobilized (being in a sling), or have been sedentary due to an accident or surgery may be more prone to developing frozen shoulder. Having certain medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease or thyroid disease can increase your risk as well.
Signs and symptoms typically begin gradually, then get worse overtime and can include:
The clinic has seen a number of clients suffering with frozen shoulder and sometimes it can be smooth sailing, and other times rough seas! Early intervention is key. Painful as it is, keeping the shoulder moving will help with recovery, being sedentary or resting the shoulder is the worst thing you can do.
Someone I know personally, (who was not a client of ours), had to stop playing tennis, (a sport she absolutely loved), because she could no longer get her arm to lift high enough to swing a racket. Limiting or stopping the activities a person loves to do because of an injury should be the last case scenario.
Recovery can be long and ineffective if you try to go it alone. Trying to tough it out and waiting too long isn’t worth it. Early intervention from a shoulder expert such as an athletic therapist can get you back on track faster and back to doing the things you love.
If you are struggling with frozen shoulder and want to get on the road to recovery then book a FREE 30min Discovery Visit with us today to see how we can help: https://okanaganathletictherapy.com/free-discovery-visit/