In our digital age, it’s common to experience tension, stiffness, and muscular pain in the shoulder and neck area. Craning our necks over our smartphones and hunching our shoulders over our work computers can take a toll and can result in uncomfortable pain throughout the shoulder and shoulder blade region. That said, there are also other shoulder conditions that affect the shoulder joint that can be incredibly painful. One of these conditions is called “Frozen Shoulder.”
So what is frozen shoulder? Well, there are three bones that make up your shoulder joint: your upper arm, your shoulder blade, and your collarbone. They form a ball-and-socket joint, which has tissue surrounding it that holds everything together. Frozen shoulder is when the shoulder tissue becomes so tight and thick that it can’t move, resulting in scar tissue and not enough fluid. Ultimately, this limits the range of motion within the shoulder, causing it to become “frozen.” This can become incredibly painful, stiff, and uncomfortable.
Frozen shoulder develops slowly over time. There are three stages of frozen shoulder — the freezing stage, the frozen stage, and the thawing stage.
The Freezing Stage
During the freezing stage, the pain develops in your shoulder and you begin to feel it when you move it. Over time, it gets worse and you have a hard time moving your shoulder. The pain can last for months on end.
Frozen Stage
The next phase is the frozen stage. It is here that your pain might lessen, but the stiffness around the shoulder increases, resulting in limited motion and use of this shoulder.
Thawing Stage
The thawing stage is exactly what it sounds like — you begin to get back your range of motion, the stiffness dissolves, and everything starts to feel a little more normal. That said, it can take up to two years for a frozen shoulder to completely “thaw” and oftentimes, this doesn’t bring the lasting relief that it may lead you to believe.
Can Chiropractic Care Help?
If you are suffering from frozen shoulder, chiropractic care can bring you some relief. When you first notice the warning signs, be sure to visit a chiropractor immediately to get it treated as soon as possible. An accurate diagnosis is the first step in reversing this painful, immobilizing condition.
As a completely natural, integrative healthcare method, chiropractic care can help to restore proper movement in the affected shoulder, as well as in the spine, neck, and other affected areas. A chiropractor can assess the area, provide insight, increase stability, and offer exercises, joint manipulation techniques, and stretches to get the frozen shoulder back to its original state.
If you live in the Orland Park area and are looking for chiropractic care, you’re in the right place. Orland Park Integrated Health offers a wide range of integrative healthcare, including chiropractic care, spinal decompression, acupuncture, massage therapy, laser therapy, and physical therapy, as well as trigger point injections and other effective pain management treatments. Today is the day to invest in chiropractic care to bring relief to your frozen shoulder. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment.