Getting to the bottom of a Frozen Shoulder
by Donna Oliver
(Adapted from my article published in Pilates Journal. August 2023)
Firstly, Frozen Shoulder sucks!
It can creep on slowly and unfortunately, the triggers for developing this condition are largely unknown.
“I am unable to wash and brush my hair, and I am unable to sleep on my side”
Also known as Adhesive Capsulitis is a common condition that can cause pain and limit the ability to move the arm freely. It can affect anyone, particularly:
- Those who have diabetes
- Women more than men
- People who are overweight
- Those aged between 40-60.
It often impacts the non-dominant shoulder and those who have sedentary jobs. Some consider there may be a hormonal relationship, but without doubt, this condition can cause significant disruption to a person's life and can also have psychological and emotional effects.
Those pesky symptoms
There is usually a very gradual onset of symptoms including:
- · Stiffness
- · Pain
- · Inability to move the arm freely
- · Difficulty in overhead tasks such as washing hair or hanging out the laundry
- · Deep ache that prevents sleeping on the affected side
The bad news
Frozen Shoulder is considered a “self-limiting” condition meaning it will get better on its own. Often clients throw every known treatment at it with great cost both in time and money and to no avail. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes certain therapies do assist. There is however no current cure and frustratingly, this can be up to as long as 36 months.
As humans, the instinct to stop moving something when it is sore is common. This, however, feeds into a pain cycle that decreases the muscle strength, flexibility, and lubrication of the joint, and in turn, feeds back into pain and disuse.
This pain cycle extends the timeframe for the return of full arm and shoulder function as the condition resolves itself.
Even those who would consider themselves to be active participants in movement and exercise may take a pause and stop exercising because they feel they can't work out with a sore shoulder. This is far from the truth; you may just need to EXERCISE SMARTER!
The Good News
The current research suggests that while some manual therapies will help, the most cost-effective management is a combination of heat, supervised and home exercises, and education.
While Pilates can help, the current crop of Reformer fitness classes is probably not the right fit for sufferers during the “frozen” phase of this condition.
“Wollongong Pilates Studio has the ‘runs on the board’, working with these clients for nearly 30 years”.
What to expect from us
· A continuum of care under one roof:
- Discussion and assessment with our experienced Exercise Physiologist
- Education on self-management strategies and advice on expectations throughout the process
- Supervised exercise and movement strategies during the “freezing, frozen, and thawing” stages
- Home exercises to prevent atrophy or weakening of the shoulder while the shoulder is resolving
- · Advice on other treatments and returning to your usual activities and/or exercise programs whether it is Pilates classes, or back to your beloved yoga or gym classes
- “On tap” access to advice and information whenever you need it from experienced and well-trained teachers.
- ·A referral to other practitioners if needed, whenever we feel we are not achieving realistic goals that meet the client's needs.
More good news
- · Some conditions may be eligible for a Care Plan through their GP. This may allow for Medicare to subsidise services
- · Exercise Physiology services are often eligible for rebate through your Private Health Fund
Want to know more
· Give us a call at 4285-2518
· Flick us an email at wollongongpilatesstudio@gmail.com
· Send a message through our social media (Facebook and Instagram)
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