what is frozen shoulder? Please explain in simple terms.
Frozen Shoulder is the inflammation of the connective tissues surrounding the shoulder joint.
It is also called as Adhesive Capsulitis.
It is usually caused by strain on muscles surrounding the shoulder joint like deltoid and rotator cuff muscles.
It literally freezes the shoulder movements as it greatly restricts the shoulder joint movement.
What is frozen shoulder?
The frozen shoulder is a condition of the shoulder that is known as adhesive capsulitis in medical terms. In this condition, the movement of the shoulders becomes limited such that moving the arms to any degree such as in performing daily tasks like brushing the hair, putting on clothing, lifting the hands to remove something from the refrigerator, regular shoulder pain that starts as a dull pain and then may become more intensive in the future.
The shoulder is made of a ball and a socket with associated muscles and cartilage. When a shoulder is in the frozen condition, the tissues that envelop the joints harden and this limits movement, causing pain.
What are the causes of frozen shoulders?
Frozen shoulders have been known to occur for no apparent reason at all. They have been shown to be prevalent in people between the ages of 40 to 60. They also show prevalence in people with endocrine disorders like thyroid problems, and also in people that have diabetes.
Another common cause of frozen
shoulders is in people that have had a trauma in their arms or shoulders and the arm has to be in a sling for some time. After the removal of the sling, the movement may become limited and the shoulders have become frozen from inactivity.
Exercises to reduce and prevent frozen shoulders
Frozen shoulders can often be prevented and treated by using shoulder stretching exercises that improve the mobility and range of motion of the shoulders, and also improve the condition of the muscles and surrounding tissues of the shoulder joints. In severe cases, intervention may be by injections into the shoulders, or by surgical intervention.
With regular shoulder exercise as a part of your fitness program, even if you have shoulder injuries that lead to a frozen shoulder, it is usually easier to bounce back to health.
Some of the common exercises that are used to prevent and treat frozen shoulders are;
Pendulum swings stretch exercise, the shoulder flexion and shoulder abduction exercise among others.
The pendulum swings exercise is typically good for use is of low intensity and can be used by people of all age groups. It is can be performed without use of weights and is very good for stimulating the muscles of the shoulders, increasing blood flow to the shoulder tissues and muscles, and stretching the muscles slowly until you are able to get a good swing and increased motion in the shoulders.