Is my shoulder pain a frozen shoulder?

Struggling with shoulder pain? It could be frozen shoulder…

Firstly, what even is this cold sounding condition?

The real name for frozen shoulder is Adhesive Capsulitis. It's when the joint capsule around the shoulder temporarily becomes sticky.

This condition often lasts for somewhere between 12-18 months, but can take even longer in some cases. It's characterized by the following symptoms:

• Pain in the front, middle, and/or back of the shoulder joint.

• Stiffness and loss of range of motion (putting the arm above head and behind the back is commonly hard).

• Pain when laying on the affected side at night.

• Sharp pain when taking the shoulder to the end of range.

Identifying if you have frozen shoulder is something any good musculoskeletal practitioner should be able to do. We will always assess whether the range of motion of the affected joint is reduced when our patient moves their arm themselves, as well as when they relax and let us move it. This is a tell-tale sign.

A management plan will often aim to:

• Restore any available mobility in the joint.

• Reduce the built up tension in the surrounding muscles.

• Prescribe exercises to reinforce the treatment impact.

From my experience, Osteopathy is most useful at reducing the pain levels in frozen shoulder patients, as apposed to improving the lost range of motion/mobility. Pain at night, in particular, often reduces after one or two treatments. Despite the condition sometimes lasting for a year or more, it is possible that patients do not need to be struggling with pain for the entire time. Once pain is reduced, patients can often lead a normal life, and wait for their full mobility to return.

I hope this helps!