Frozen shoulder (i.e. periarthritis of the shoulder joint, commonly known as “frozen shoulder” or “fifty shoulders”) Definition: A disease characterized by pain in the shoulder, which gradually worsens, especially at night, with limited shoulder joint movement, and which gets worse and worse, and then relieves itself to a certain extent until it finally recovers completely. Definition: A disease characterized by pain in the shoulder, gradually worsening at night, limitation of shoulder joint movement, and gradually relieving to a certain extent until complete recovery. Typical symptoms: pain in the shoulder joint and difficulty in moving it Prevalence: around 50 years of age Incidence: higher in women than in men, more common in manual laborers. If frozen shoulder is detected and not treated in a timely and effective manner, it may result in limited functional movement of the shoulder joint. Widespread pressure pain may occur in the shoulder joint and radiate to the neck and elbow, and in severe cases, different degrees of deltoid muscle atrophy may occur. Symptoms of Frozen Shoulder Frozen shoulder has a relatively long course, with paroxysmal pain in the shoulder at first, which is mostly chronic, and then the pain gradually intensifies or becomes dull, cutting, and persistent, and spreads to the neck and upper limbs (especially the elbow). The pain may spread to the neck and upper limbs (especially the elbow). Shoulder pain is mild during the day and severe at night, and it is sensitive to climate change (especially cold). When the disease worsens, the shoulder joint is limited in all directions, and movements such as washing, dressing and combing hair in daily life are affected, and in severe cases, the elbow joint function is also affected. Frozen shoulder cycle 1. Pain stage (lasts 2-9 months) is mainly characterized by pain, which may involve the shoulder joint, upper arm, elbow, and even forearm, and is aggravated by activities, affecting sleep. 2. Stiffness period (lasts 4-12 months) Stiffness of the joint is the main manifestation, even with the help of pain or another hand, the joint is unable to reach the full range of motion. 3.Recovery period (lasts 5-26 months) Both pain and stiffness gradually return. From onset to recovery, the entire disease process takes about 12-42 months. Self-healing of frozen shoulder Frozen shoulder is a self-healing disease. Most people can recover from it through daily activities when the symptoms are mild. However, this natural recovery cannot be predicted and usually takes several months to about 2 years to heal. There is also a small percentage of people who do not exercise for fear of pain, which results in localized adhesions that limit shoulder joint movement. Therefore, we can take the method of self-massage, coupled with unremitting self-functional exercise, by stretching muscles, moving joints, eliminating local muscle tension and spasm, promoting blood circulation, thus enhancing the elasticity of the muscles and ligaments around the shoulder, preventing adhesion, and achieving the purpose of pain relief and maintaining the function of the shoulder joint. Misconceptions of frozen shoulder Misconceptions 1 Over-reliance on painkillers Some statistics found that, among the interviewees who had experienced acute shoulder pain, most of them chose to post their own ointment, use Chinese wine, or take painkillers at will. Do not know, painkillers or creams only play a local role in temporarily relieving or controlling pain, the root cause of pain still can not be properly dealt with, treating the symptoms rather than the root cause, but will cause chronic pain. Myth 2 Worry about the side effects of painkillers and refused to use some people in the manipulation of release or arthroscopic treatment, because of the fear of the side effects of painkillers and refused to use painkillers. After taking painkillers, the pain after treatment is reduced, which is conducive to functional exercise and promote recovery. In addition, studies in recent years have found that non-anti-inflammatory painkillers have the effect of preventing the reoccurrence of adhesions. Therefore, after manipulative release or arthroscopic treatment, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers should be applied appropriately. Myth 3 Frozen shoulder does not need treatment, it will get well by itself In fact, frozen shoulder can cause shoulder pain and dysfunction, and the self-healing of frozen shoulder is mainly manifested in the alleviation of shoulder pain, and most of them leave behind dysfunction. Due to the compensation of scapular movement, patients mostly do not feel the functional limitation. The purpose of frozen shoulder treatment is to shorten the course of the disease, maximize the recovery of shoulder joint function and improve the quality of life of patients. Myth 4 All frozen shoulder can be recovered through exercise The main symptoms of frozen shoulder are shoulder pain and dysfunction, and exercise is an important means to restore function. However, not all frozen shoulder can be restored through functional exercise. For example, for severe frozen shoulder with severe adhesion and pain, it must be combined with manual release to restore function. Functional exercise is only an important way to maintain function after release. Myth 5: Manipulation will strain the normal tissues In fact, the weakest tissues around the shoulder joint are loosened by manipulation. According to the principle of mechanics, under the same tension, the weakest part will be broken. Adhesive tissues are much weaker in every way compared to normal tissues. It is the adherent tissue that is loosened as long as the maneuver is performed within the physiological range of motion. With the anesthesia method, after the patient’s shoulder muscles are relaxed, the adhesions can be loosened without great force, and the safety and efficacy of the treatment are greatly improved. There is no need to worry about the normal physiological range of motion of the shoulder joint, as the shoulder joint can be moved within that range. Rehabilitation training methods If the duration of severe pain is >30 minutes per day, rehabilitation training is not recommended, and you should go to the hospital in time. Lifting the arm forward is the first movement to be improved, and training begins with this movement. Touching the back of the hand backward is the last movement to improve, and if it can be done, it means that it is basically recovered.