Frozen shoulder is condition whereby the joint stiffens for a long period of time and movement can be largely limited. Often the reason for this is unknown. Unfortunately, if you have this condition, you may experience symptoms for up to 12-36 months. Read below to hear more about management strategies.
1. Get an early assessment
This is very important for you and your long term symptoms. By getting your shoulder looked at early, your clinician can help you with education, self-management strategies and advice to help with your recovery.
Early referrals to specialist doctors can also be important if you are interested in getting injection therapy (cortisone, hydrodilitation). There is solid evidence to suggest that if you seek injection therapy early, you may have better short term/medium outcomes in your pain levels.
2. Use pain relief strategies
Due to the long standing nature of frozen shoulder, it is worth discussing pain relief stratgies with your doctor and physiotherapist. From this, you may be able to move and function with more comfort. Some things to try now include:
– Using a heat or cold pack for 20 minutes in the morning and night
– Having a warm bath once daily
– Self massaging your shoulder
– Using a portable TENs machine
3. Keep your shoulder (and other joints) moving
If you have a frozen shoulder you know how stiff your joint can be at times. Despite this, it is important to try and keep up some sort of exercise with your arm. We recommend trying gentle shoulder stretches and strength exercises to ensure that you can keep as much function as possible. By keeping up a good exercise routine, it’s less likely that you will feel symptoms in surrounding joints like your upper back and neck.
Do you want professional and personalised advice?
Every person has a different and personal experience with frozen shoulder. You may recover over a year or your symptoms may take longer than that to settle. It is important to seek Physiotherapy advice so that you know what to do with your rehabilitation and when. At some times throughout your rehab we will suggest to exclude particular movements and at others we will encourage you to perform them
By seeking proper advice we can ensure you the best path to recovery given your circumstances. To make a booking now click here https://forgewestend.com.au/book-online/
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