Frozen Shoulder

Your arms rely on shoulder muscles and joints to lift things and move objects freely.  Occasionally, you may feel that your shoulder is swollen, painful or difficult to move.  To deal with the discomfort, an anti-inflammatory medicine or painkiller may be prescribed and the inflammation may eventually subside. If left untreated, a recurring shoulder and joint pain may eventually lead to a complete loss of movement or frozen shoulder.

Causes
Frozen shoulder does not happen overnight.  It usually starts as a minor shoulder pain or difficulty in shoulder movement.  Over time, when the tissues of your shoulder are inflamed repeatedly, the condition may become a chronic one.  Frozen shoulder may be caused by any of the following:

1. Physical stress on the shoulder
2. Calcification in the shoulder joint
3. Infection
4. Toxic irritation
5. Poor immune function
6. Nutritional deficiencies
7. Allergy
8. Mental and emotional stress

Signs and symptoms
Frozen shoulder develops gradually.  Initially, you may experience difficulty in performing daily activities like writing, sleeping, brushing your teeth and hair, opening doors and pouring drinks.  As frozen shoulder progresses, you may find that the pain may have subsided but your arm or shoulder has become completely stiff or immobilized.  In some cases, the pain may worsen at night and disrupt sleep.

Prevention and treatment
Modern medicine treats the inflammation first with anti-inflammatory medicines or with a cortisone injection to provide fast relief from swelling.  Painkillers and strong medicines only provide temporarily relief as these only treat a symptom of frozen shoulder without addressing its causes.  Moreover, anti-inflammatory drugs may not be used as a long-term solution because of their harmful side effects.

Traditional Chinese medicine treats the shoulder pain using natural therapies like acupuncture, osteopathy, and Bowen technique. A natural product like bovine cartilage extract reduces inflammation and promote healing of soft tissues while natural anti-inflammatory nutrients such as bromelain, quercetin, turmeric and ginger all help to relieve swelling.  Calcification in the joints may also be the reason for experiencing stiffness and may be alleviated by such herbs as horsetail and oatstraw.  If your frozen shoulder is triggered by exposure to toxins, then your naturopath may also put you under a detoxification program.

Diet
Many people find that eating more tripe, oats, sharks fin and veal joint soups, which contain chondroitin sulphate, helps in preventing a recurrence of frozen shoulder. A diet rich in calcium, Vitamins-D and C, as well as supplements containing activated Vitamin-B6, glucosamine, mucopolysaccharides, bromelain and some amino acids also reduce inflammation and repair damaged connective tissues in your shoulder.

Stress management
Stress may also trigger heaviness and tightness around your shoulders.  You can avoid frozen shoulder by practicing a stress reduction technique like stretching, breathing and meditating to provide relaxation even when you are beset with problems.