Hyderabad: A frozen shoulder is when the joints of your shoulders become stiff causing pain, limiting or completely stopping movement in people. Therefore, one feels like their shoulders have completely frozen. People commonly mistake a frozen shoulder for the condition of arthritis.
Dr Sanjay Rathi, an orthopaedic consultant from Jaipur, explains that a frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a problem with stiff shoulder joints. He explains that our shoulder consists of a joint of three bones, the humerus or upper arm, the scapula or shoulder blade, and the collar bone, which is called the "ball-and-socket" joint. The tissues surrounding the shoulder joint are called the shoulder capsule. During a frozen shoulder, the shoulder capsule gradually thickens and hardens due to inflammation, which restricts or reduces the movement of the shoulder, which can be very painful at times.
When the problem is at its peak during a frozen shoulder, it becomes difficult for the patient to do any work involving their shoulder, such as brushing their teeth, taking a bath, getting dressed, driving, etc. The patient experiences pain even while raising their hand, and their movement is restricted for almost months, which makes them dependent on others temporarily.
He explains that usually, the problem of a frozen shoulder occurs in one shoulder at a time, but it can also occur in both shoulders simultaneously. Also, after the onset of this problem, it may take a long time to reach its peak and then recover. Doctors mark three stages from the beginning of this problem till its recovery:
- Freezing Stage: The initial stage of this problem is when the shoulder capsules gradually begin to harden. In this condition, any movement in the shoulder is painful, which gradually leads to problems in moving the shoulder. The pain increases in the night, which makes it difficult for the patients to sleep.
- Frozen Stage: During this stage, pain starts to subside a little, but the shoulders become more stiff, restricting movement in them. Doing any work involving the shoulder gets more difficult.
- Phase of recovery: This stage of recovery provides gradual relief from pain, along with the occurrence of slow movements in the shoulder. Generally, this stage of recovery can last for 5 to 24 months depending on the patient's problem and its cause.
Dr. Sanjay Rathi explains that many reasons can be responsible for a frozen shoulder such as an injury, some kind of disease like diabetes, hormonal imbalance, stroke, heart disease, hypothyroidism and Parkinson's disease etc. Sometimes this problem can also occur due to a weak immune system. He explains that apart from this if a person is not living an active life due to an accident or any other reason i.e. they are not doing any work involving their hands and shoulders for a long time, then this problem can occur.
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Usually, this problem is seen more in people above the age of 40. On the other hand, more cases of frozen shoulders are seen in women than in men. Many people think that it is a kind of arthritis which is incorrect. The problem of arthritis occurs in all the joints of the body, but the problem of a frozen shoulder occurs only in the shoulders and this problem can be cured.
Physical tests such as MRI, X-ray and bone related tests etc. are done for the examination of a frozen shoulder, after which it is treated with the help of medicines and physiotherapy. But in some special cases, according to the condition of the victim, arthroscopic surgery may also have to be done. In its treatment, physiotherapy and taking care of the shoulder at home with the methods prescribed by the doctor, such as training exercises, etc. play a very important role.
Dr Sanjay says that recently people have started witnessing a lot of problems related to bones, muscles and joints. Apart from accidents, the increasing number of cases of comorbidities and other diseases that trigger problems can also be attributed to decreased immunity in the body and increasing cases of weakness in bones and muscles. Not just to prevent problems related to bones and muscles, but also to maintain overall health, attention should be paid to a healthy diet and physical activity. Because if the body is healthy then most of the problems will either not happen or will be cured soon with less effect.
Along with this, be aware of sudden changes, pain and problems noticed in the body and consult a doctor instead of treating yourself if needed. Apart from this, people who have comorbidities like diabetes or heart disease or other such diseases which can trigger other problems should be more careful about their health. Especially in cases of frozen shoulder correct and necessary medical treatment is very important. This is why it is very important to consult a doctor as soon as the symptoms like stiffness in the shoulder, pain or problems in moving the arm and shoulder appear.
