Frozen Shoulder (or Adhesive Capsulitis)
Frozen shoulder is a specific condition which causes pain and immobilization of a shoulder joint. It is a form of acute inflammatory arthritis in only one joint.
Very often any form of mobilisation or manipulation therapy such as Pilates, yoga, physiotherapy or chiropractic aggravates the pain instead of helping it.
Symptoms
Movement is limited in most directions and any attempt to force increased mobility causes a lot of pain, which can occur as a ‘surge’ lasting about 30 seconds. Most commonly, the ability to rotate the hand away from the body is markedly reduced and painful.
Diagnosis
Radiology will often miss the diagnosis because it is not easy to visualize. It is a diagnosis usually made on a clinical basis. For doctors who rely on radiology to make a diagnosis, patients are often given treatment which does not improve the pain, because the treatment is mismatched to the condition that is actually causing pain.
At Joint Medicine, if frozen shoulder/adhesive capsulitis is suspected, PAIN MAPPING will confirm or excluded the diagnosis.
Treatment
At Joint Medicine PRP is commonly the treatment of choice in a series of 3 injections which are given once a month.
By the end of the treatment program the joint has been converted from a ‘hot’ stage to a ‘cold’ stage, in which pain has subsided, but stiffness remains to a greater or lesser degree.
Only after the pain has settled can the patient rehab to restore normal range of motion.