Often feel pain and stiffness in the shoulder joint area? Chances are you have frozen shoulder . In frozen shoulder disease, the sufferer will feel pain and stiffness in the shoulder joint. Of course, this pain and stiffness will be very disturbing if you have busy activities and need fast movements. If not handled properly, the disability caused by this disease can become more severe. Fortunately, this disease is still self-limiting, although it requires a very long time and persistence in practice.
Get to Know the Shoulder Joint
The shoulder joint is a complex joint structure which also consists of a set of bony structures, a capsule and a series of muscles and tendons covering it. All of these structures support each other to allow a person's shoulder joint to stay in place and perform a wide variety of shoulder movements. The shoulder joint has the widest range of motion compared to any other joint in the human body.
Causes of Frozen Shoulders
The underlying abnormality of frozen shoulder is an inflammatory process (inflammation) in the structure of the shoulder joint capsule. The exact cause is unknown, but is often closely related to cases of injury or trauma, overuse/work, or prolonged immobilization due to injury, surgery, or stroke, or due to other diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, thyroid disorders, and Parkinson's. This inflammation then causes pain and limits the range of motion of the shoulder joint. The age group that is often affected is generally between 40-60 years, and it occurs more often in women than men.
Freezing Stages
This disease consists of several phases, and each phase has its own timeline. The freezing phase is the initial phase where you start to feel shoulder pain. This pain can get worse over time, especially at night. Your shoulder range of motion begins to be limited mainly due to pain. This phase can last anywhere from 6 weeks to 9 months. The second phase is the frozen phase. In this phase, shoulder pain begins to decrease, but joint stiffness increases. The length of this phase varies between 4-12 months. If the range of motion of the shoulder joint has begun to recover, it is a sign that the thawing phase is starting. However, this phase can last anywhere from 6 months to 2 years.
Consult a Doctor
During the consultation, the doctor will evaluate the range of motion of your shoulder joint. The doctor will ask you to move the shoulder joint independently/actively, then the doctor will check the passive range of motion by moving your shoulder joint. After an in-depth physical examination, the doctor may examine supporting examinations such as x-rays, ultrasound, or MRI to determine the exact cause of your shoulder joint pain and limitation of motion.
Against Frozen Shoulder
The main goals of therapy for frozen shoulder are to relieve pain, inflammation, and increase the range of motion of the shoulder joint. You may be prescribed medication to relieve pain and inflammation, or even an injection into the shoulder joint. Ice packs on the shoulder for 10-15 minutes several times a day can also help relieve pain. However, the main key to this therapy is physical therapy. The initial phase is aimed at stretching the joint capsule, followed by a subsequent phase to strengthen the muscles around the shoulder joint. Physical therapy exercises are not only done during sessions with a physiotherapist, but also need to be done every day at home.
During the therapy period, avoid lifting your arms up, rotating your arms, or even carrying heavy objects. Surgery can be performed by releasing adhesions to the capsule structure, cleaning the inflamed structure, or reconstructing a specific structure. This operation is usually performed with minimally invasive arthroscopy, aka surgery with minimal incisions ( keyhole surgery ). About 90% of frozen shoulder cases recover conservatively without surgery. However, it takes a variety of times, between several months to 2-3 years. Make sure you consult and control periodically with your doctor so that the progress of your disease and practice is evaluated, and determine the right therapy for you.