What is a Frozen Shoulder?

What is a Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen Shoulder Adhesive Capsulitis or Frozen Shoulder is stiffness and pain in the shoulder.

How do I know if I have Frozen Shoulder?

It develops after a shoulder injury that causes pain and does not allow you to move your shoulder enough.  If you have limited movement of your shoulder for weeks, months or years because of the injury, the capsule surrounding the shoulder joint may become very stiff. Your shoulder may develop scar tissue, or adhesion, in the joint.

Who are at risk of Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen shoulder occurs much more commonly in individuals with diabetes, affecting 10 percent to 20 percent of these individuals. Other medical problems associated with increased risk of frozen shoulder include:  hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Parkinson's disease, and cardiac disease or surgery.  Frozen shoulder can develop after a shoulder is immobilized for a period of time. Attempts to prevent frozen shoulder include early motion of the shoulder after it has been injured.

What happen when you have Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen shoulder is the result of inflammation, scarring, thickening, and shrinkage of the capsule that surrounds the normal shoulder joint. Any injury to the shoulder can lead to frozen shoulder, including tendinitis, bursitis, and rotator cuff injury. Your shoulder will lose its normal ability to move in all directions. You may not be able to lift your arm above your head or be able to scratch your back.  Movement of the shoulder may be very painful. You may feel grinding when moving your shoulder

How Frozen Shoulder Diagnosed?

Your Doctor will examine your shoulder and may take x- rays. In some cases, he or she may want to do an arthrogram (an x-ray of your shoulder after dye is injected in to your shoulder joint) or an MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) scan.

What are the treatment options for Frozen Shoulder?

Pain control can be achieved with anti-inflammatory medications. These can include pills taken by mouth, such as ibuprofen, or by injection, such as corticosteroids. A patient can undergo Physical Therapy to restore normal movement. Therapy includes stretching or range-of-motion exercises for the shoulder. Sometimes, heat is used to help decrease pain.  When Physical Therapy fails other procedures can be done. Surgical intervention is aimed at stretching or releasing the contracted joint capsule of the shoulder. The most common methods include manipulation under anesthesia and shoulder arthroscopy.

Simple Exercises for Frozen Shoulder

Wand Exercises

Wand Exercises can be used to increase the range of your shoulder through self- stretching. Use a cane or umbrella to assist your affected arm with your good arm. Hold the final position for thirty seconds and do it for five repetitions.
Try to increase the range of your motion with every repetition.

What are the treatment options for Frozen Shoulder?

Pain control can be achieved with anti-inflammatory medications. These can include pills taken by mouth, such as ibuprofen, or by injection, such as corticosteroids.

Living in a polluted city is a greater risk for lung cancer than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
False.  Almost 40% of adults who responded thought car and bus exhaust posed a greater hazard to their lungs than smoking. While some studies have begun to document an up to 12% greater risk of dying from lung cancer in urban residents, the strongest data consistently show that smoking is the leading cause of the disease. Anywhere from 80% to 90% of lung-cancer deaths can be attributed to lighting up.

Some injuries can cause cancer later in life.
False. Another 37% believed this to be true, despite the fact that most cancers can be traced to a progression of genetic changes that are independent of physical injuries.

Electronic devices, like cell phones can cause cancer in the people who use them.
False. Nearly 30% believed this, although there is no scientific evidence to prove or disprove the relationship between cell-phone use and brain cancer. The National Cancer Institute continues to study any possible links, but they note that the rapidly changing technology of cell phones (newer phones emit less potential cancer-causing radiation than older models) and the difficulty  of documenting the duration of people's exposure could make a definitive answer difficult.

What someone does as a young adult has little effect on their chance of getting cancer later in life.
False.  In spite of the fact that many of the more common cancers,  including skin cancer and lung cancer,  are associated with behaviors such as sunbathing and smoking early in life,  25% of respondents believed that such behaviors do not increase long-term cancer risk.

References :
https://info.cancerresearchuk.org
2005 Philippine Cancer Facts and Estimates
https://www.advocatehealth.com  / DOH primer
www.doh.gov.ph
(Time webpage) https://www.time.com/
TMC Cancer Center

Note:   This information is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advise, diagnosis or treatment.   If you or someone you know have any of the symptoms mentioned above, it is advisable to seek professional help.

For more information, please call:

PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION

Tel. No. (632) 988-1000 / (632) 988-7000 local 6240/6241

CENTER FOR PATIENT PARTNERSHIP

Tel. No. (632) 988-1000 / (632) 988-7000 local 6444