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Frozen Shoulder

What is Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen Shoulder, or ‘adhesive capsulitis’, is an extremely painful condition in which the shoulder becomes slowly and increasingly immobile. The condition can occur out of the blue but often follows a mild injury to the shoulder, such as falling onto the outstretched hand. Jarring through the shoulder may start off the process and then the joint capsule surrounding the shoulder becomes inflamed, swollen and contracted.

Unfortunately, approximately 10% of patients with a frozen shoulder develop the condition on the other side within five years.

The term Frozen Shoulder is often misused and there are many other conditions that cause pain in the shoulder, such as tendonitis, bursitis, referred pain from the neck, muscle damage and wear and tear. It is very important to make sure that your pain is accurately diagnosed as quickly as possible to avoid long-term or even permanent reduction of arm movement.

There are some more serious problems that can also refer pain to the shoulder including inflammation of the gall bladder (right shoulder) and heart problems (left shoulder and arm only).

Your Chiropractor is trained to differentiate between all the different signs and symptoms and make an accurate diagnosis.