What is frozen shoulder
Frozen shoulder is a condition in which chronic aseptic inflammation of the soft tissues around the shoulder joint, including the muscles, legs, bursa and joint capsule, leads to adhesions inside and outside the joint, thereby affecting the movement of the shoulder joint. The lesions of frozen shoulder are characterized by widespread pain and pressure pain.
Other names for frozen shoulder
The full name of frozen shoulder is periarthritis, which is also known as “fifty shoulder” because it occurs in people around the age of 50. Of course, it’s not that only people in their 50s are susceptible to periarthritis, but it can occur at other ages as well, but less frequently than in their 50s. When you have frozen shoulder, the shoulder joint cannot move, as if it is frozen or frozen, so it is also called “frozen shoulder” or “frozen shoulder”. Patients with frozen shoulder often feel cold air entering the shoulder, and some patients feel cool air coming out from inside the shoulder joint, so it is also known as “frozen shoulder”.
Characteristics of frozen shoulder
First, there are more female patients than male; second, there are more left-sided patients than right-sided patients because the left side does not move as much as the right side; third, the onset of the disease is slow, and patients often cannot remember the exact date of onset, and often have a history of several months or a year or two.
What are the possible causes of frozen shoulder?
Some patients do not have a fixed shoulder, but the active motion of the shoulder joint is significantly reduced due to pain, resulting in adhesions within the shoulder joint. There are also cases of frozen shoulder due to shoulder and surrounding soft tissue diseases that cause adhesions in the shoulder joint. Frozen shoulder is also related to physical weakness, such as weakness after a serious or prolonged illness, which reduces the movement of the shoulder joint, resulting in shoulder joint adhesions and this disease. In addition, long-term strain on the muscles around the shoulder joint, constant tension, local congestion, overwork, cold, mental stimulation and trauma are all causes of this disease.
The main symptoms of frozen shoulder
Widespread pain around the shoulder joint, especially at night, and limited passive and active function of the shoulder joint. When the shoulder joint is actively or passively abducted, the scapula on the affected side also moves outward and the shoulder is elevated, resulting in the phenomenon of “shoulder carrying”. Due to shoulder joint adhesions, shoulder movement is reduced and there is often disuse atrophy of the shoulder muscles.
Treatment of frozen shoulder
There are many ways to treat frozen shoulder. Chinese medicine has great advantages in treating this disease, such as acupuncture, tuina, cupping, small needle knife, internal and external application of drugs, combined with some modern physical therapy methods, etc. The comprehensive treatment has good effect. Closed therapy and western medicine can also be used to treat this disease.
Self-massage for frozen shoulder
l.Preparation: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, breathe well and relax your whole body.
2.Knead the shoulder: Use the thumb on the healthy side and the other four fingers to knead the muscles around the affected shoulder from top to bottom and from inside to outside for 1~2 minutes.
3.Press the shoulder bone: Press the shoulder skeleton point of the affected limb with the end of the middle finger on the healthy side (when the shoulder is held flat, two depressions appear in the shoulder and the depression in front) for 0.5 to 1 minute.
4 .Knead the shoulder well: use the middle finger on the healthy side to knead the shoulder well point of the affected limb (at the midpoint of the line between the large vertebrae point and the shoulder peak) for 0.5 to 1 minute.
5, pinch and knead the Quchi point: use the end of the thumb on the healthy side to place it on the Quchi point of the affected limb (flexed elbow, at the end of the outer end of the transverse elbow), and the remaining four fingers on the back of the elbow, with the thumb pinching and kneading with appropriate force for 0.5 to 1 minute.
6, hook point pole spring: use the end of the middle finger of the healthy side to put it on the pole spring point under the axilla of the affected shoulder (in the middle of the axilla, where the axillary artery beats), hook point with appropriate force for 0.5 to 1 minute.
7.Fist patting the shoulder: Half clench your fist on the healthy side and pat the muscles around the affected shoulder from top to bottom and from inside to outside with the palm side for 0.5 to 1 minute.
Functional exercise for patients with frozen shoulder
In the treatment of frozen shoulder, it is said that three points of treatment and seven points of functional exercise are true. There are several functional exercise methods that can be used to heal frozen shoulder as long as you do it gradually, consistently and persistently.
Shoulder rotation method: Cross your arms and rotate your shoulders forward and backward. Do this about 20 times in each direction.
Shoulder induction method: Hold the affected elbow with the healthy hand, lift the affected limb, and gradually pull the affected limb inward toward the healthy side. 20 times.
Combing method of the affected limb: Lift the affected limb up to the head and comb the hair backward along the hairline about 20 times.
Wall climbing method: face the wall upright, toes against the wall base, hands alternately stretch upward, as a gecko climbing the wall, to be raised to the limit of the affected limb with its fingers in the wall to leave a trace, the next time to climb the wall beyond this trace. Do about 20 times.
The back of the affected limb pulling method: upright position, leg limb in front, the affected limb placed behind the body, a rope from the healthy side of the shoulder around, hands hold the ends of the rope, the healthy limb down to pull the rope to drive the affected limb to the back up movement. Do about 20 times.
Pulling wheel method: in the wall or tree on a pulley, and through a rope, rope ends are tied to a small wooden stick, two good hands hold the wooden stick, the affected limb behind the body, with tendon limbs try to pull the affected limb upward about 20 times.
The above exercise should be done once in the morning and once in the afternoon (or morning and evening).
Prognosis of frozen shoulder
After a period of treatment and proper functional exercise, the shoulder pain can be reduced and the functional activity can be improved. In most patients, shoulder pain can disappear completely and shoulder joint function can be fully or basically restored.
The natural regression period of frozen shoulder
Although this disease has the tendency to heal itself, through early treatment and active functional exercise, it can reduce the pain and shorten the course of the disease and heal as soon as possible.