How to be on the lookout for shoulder stiffness after an injury

The shoulder joint is the joint with the largest range of motion in the human body, and its functional status has a great impact on a person’s quality of life. Clinically, it is commonly seen after trauma and surgery, because of the lack of proper exercise leading to shoulder joint pain, gradual stiffness and limited mobility. Pathological changes: fibrosis of the shoulder capsule (partial or total), adhesions between the deltoid muscle and the rotator cuff and between the deltoid muscle and the proximal humerus, accompanied by extensive soft tissue contractures (joint capsule, ligaments, tendons). Manifestations: shoulder pain, often related to shoulder movement; limited movement, both active and passive, often abduction and external rotation is the first and the most serious limitation, the patient can not complete the combing of the hair to put on a corset and other movements. General X-ray examination is generally not abnormal. If rotator cuff injury is suspected, MRI should be done. Treatment: Unlike frozen shoulder, which is self-healing, secondary shoulder stiffness is not self-healing and requires treatment. A combination of medication and functional exercises can be very effective. You can choose some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Fitalin, Cilopram, Intacin, Ibuprofen and so on. You can also choose some topical ointment for pain relief. You can also use some physical therapy means, such as hot compresses, medium-frequency electrotherapy, ultrasound and other treatments. In addition to physical therapy, self-exercise is the most important treatment method. However, incorrect exercise is likely to cause additional injuries, the most is the emergence of shoulder impingement, the patient after practicing shoulder joint inflammation will be aggravated, the pain is more severe, the mobility becomes worse. Therefore, it is best to apply hot packs before exercise and cold packs after exercise. Exercise movements should be standardized, and try to avoid similar shrugging movements when lifting the upper limbs. In fact, climbing the wall, throwing hands are not very suitable exercise movements. Design some movements for self stretching effect is better. For those who are not well treated with exercise, they can consider performing manipulative joint release under anesthesia, which can quickly improve mobility. However, this treatment needs to be chosen with caution. It has the potential for fracture dislocation and neurovascular tendon capsular injury. Contraindications to manipulative release include: significant osteoporosis, malunion of a fracture, non-union of a fracture, known extra-articular soft tissue contractures, and shoulder instability. Arthroscopic release or open surgery are also treatment options.