| The most common treatment for frozen shoulder is | | | | 2) A frozen phase, lasting up to 1 year, when |
| based on medications like anti inflammatories, both | | | | movement is severely restricted, though pain is |
| prescription and over the counter. They are effective | | | | somewhat duller and more manageable. |
| at curing the symptoms, relieving pain and soothing | | | | 3) A thawing phase, again lasting up to 1 year, when |
| inflammation, helping the unfortunate sufferer putting up | | | | movement is gradually but slowly restored. |
| with a disorder that by nature takes many months or | | | | All together, it makes for a long lasting, disabling |
| even few years to regress naturally. But it does not | | | | process that restricts mundane tasks such as reaching |
| need to be like this. | | | | out for something, driving, combing, and generally |
| Apart from anti inflammatories, and depending on | | | | worsening life quality. This is because the adhesions, |
| severity, other treatments for frozen shoulder may | | | | scars of the membrane capsule surrounding the |
| consist of hot packs to soothe the adhesions at the | | | | rotator cuff, interfere with the shoulder joint mechanics, |
| root of the problem, or cortisone injections, or even | | | | restricting movement. Hence the medical term for a |
| manipulation or surgery proper. Manipulation is the | | | | frozen shoulder: Adhesive Capsulitis. |
| breaking of the adhesions by the surgeon under | | | | A better treatment for frozen shoulder would be a |
| general anesthesia, following which a course of | | | | protocol of specific stretching exercises that can |
| physiotherapy is mandatory. Fortunately, both | | | | speed up recovery times while eliminating the |
| manipulation and arthroscopy, the shoulder surgery, are | | | | dependency on expensive anti inflammatories with |
| mostly avoidable. However, this does not mean that a | | | | their side effects. Such exercises have nothing to do |
| quick recovery should be automatically expected. | | | | with military presses performed in the gym, which |
| In fact, a frozen shoulder develops in 3 distinct phases: | | | | should be avoided for a while. Instead, these exercises |
| 1) A freezing phase, lasting 6 to 8 weeks, when | | | | help restoring elasticity in the shoulder joint, helping the |
| movement is still possible but pain is at its highest. | | | | natural healing process. |