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.
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:
- Physical stress on the shoulder
- Calcification in the shoulder joint
- Infection
- Toxic irritation
- Poor immune function
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Allergy
- 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.
