What is a Frozen Shoulder?

Have you ever been told by someone that you have a “Frozen Shoulder”? Or has one of your relatives been to their GP and come back telling you that they have a Frozen Shoulder? Do you want to know more about what is actually going on? Read below to get an insight to what is happening when your shoulder, suddenly becomes “Frozen”.

Does your arm appear “stuck” by your side? Or does it feel “seized up”? Do you have an aching, burning feeling deep in the shoulder? Can the pain be excruciating if you move to fast or are you struggling to clip your bra, or unable to scratch your back? You COULD have a Frozen Shoulder… Or the more fancy term - Adhesive Capsulitis. Frozen Shoulder is still somewhat a mystery for us Physio’s and our patients. It’s really hard to define, diagnose and treat. Don’t despair, It can that spontaneously, but it often takes way longer than we want, sometimes years.

Frozen Shoulders are more common in females, around two thirds of people with Frozen Shoulder are females, no one knows why this is! They are also more common in people over 40, who may or may not have diabetes and other health conditions that would indicate that someone is not in the best of health. They can also occur after a trauma or period of immobilisation, they often don’t occur due to over use, quite the opposite.

The tendons, muscles, joint capsule and other soft tissues around the shoulder, for some reason, become incredibly sticky and rigid, leading to the characteristic frozen or stuck nature of them.

Does it sound like you, or a relative may have a Frozen Shoulder? If so, it is best to be assessed by a Physiotherapist so that we can determine the best course of treatment (yes, there are things you can do to get better).

Call our team on 01563262123 to find out more….

You can also download our FREE Ultimate Guide to Shoulder Pain by clicking here.