Of all the things you don’t want to ruin your day with, a dysfunctional arm is the worst. Pain in the arm keeps you from cooking, eating, brushing your hair, doing the dishes, and getting everyday work done—basically, everything! There’s a lot that can affect the functionality and mobility of your arm, and one of these problems is a frozen shoulder.
This condition is characterized by stiffness in the shoulder joint, the effects of which travel all the way to the wrist. Although a frozen shoulder reduces the functionality of the entire arm, it’s shoulder which hurts the most.
Here are some of the common signs of a frozen shoulder:
Limited shoulder movement
One of the earliest ways for men to figure out if they have a frozen shoulder is when they pull their hand to take out their wallet from their back pocket. Similarly, a woman with a frozen shoulder may find it hard to unbutton her blouse from the back.
Moving the shoulder becomes more and more difficult as the pain worsens. To be sure, you can always stand in front of the mirror or get a friend to examine how your painful shoulder moves in comparison to the normal shoulder and see if there’s any obvious difference. In case of a frozen shoulder, your shoulder won’t move past being parallel to the floor.
The pain
The pain that arises as a result of a frozen shoulder depends on the stage of the condition. In the initial stage, the pain worsens at night. The pain particularly gets triggered if you suddenly move the shoulder. In the frozen stage, which may last as long as a year, the pain aggravates. The pain normally starts as a dull ache and can eventually engulf all the muscles surrounding the pain. As you take up physical therapy and exercise aimed at thawing the shoulder, the pain subsides.
Other causes
While the exact cause of frozen shoulder remains largely unknown, it may happen as a result of prolonged immobility. If your shoulder underwent some sort of injury and you haven’t been able to move it around for the longest time, there’s a chance that you may get a frozen shoulder. Similarly, some studies have also shown that you may get a frozen shoulder if you suffer from other medical conditions like diabetes or Parkinson’s.
If you’re looking for a reliable physical therapy clinic in Houston, contact HealthRite. We make sure to prioritize the patient’s individual needs above anything else. Get in touch for details about our physical therapy and occupational therapy sessions.
