Treatment of adhesive capsulitis, or frozen shoulder syndrome, can be done with physical therapy, pain relievers and may take 8 to 12 months of treatment, but there may also be a complete reduction of the disease about 2 years after the onset of symptoms. , even without any treatment.
Your doctor may indicate the use of pain relievers, anti-inflammatory, corticosteroids or steroid infiltration to relieve pain, but physiotherapy is also indicated and in the absence of improvement of the disease surgery may be indicated.
- Adhesive capsulitis is an inflammation of the shoulder joint that causes severe pain and difficulty moving the arm.
- As if the shoulder were actually frozen.
- The diagnosis is made by the doctor after the analysis of imaging tests.
- Such as x-rays.
- Ultrasounds and arthrography.
- Essential to assess the mobility of the shoulder.
Treatment may be done with
Your doctor may prescribe analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids in the form of analgesic pills, in the most acute phase of the disease. The infiltration of corticosteroids directly into the joint is also an option for pain relief, and because it is performed, at medium discretion, or every 4-6 months, but none of these drugs excludes the need for physiotherapy, being complementary.
Physical therapy is always recommended because it helps fight pain and restore shoulder movement. In physical therapy, pain relief equipment and hot compresses may be used to facilitate the movement of this joint. Several manual techniques can be used in addition to stretching exercises (within the pain limit) and subsequent muscle building exercises should be performed.
Recovery time varies from person to person, but usually lasts from a few months to a year, with a gradual improvement in symptoms. Although there may not be a significant improvement in the range of motion with the affected arm, during the first sessions it is possible not to develop muscle contractions in the trapezium muscle that can cause even more pain and discomfort.
There are specific techniques that can help break adhesions and promote amplitude, but it is not recommended that the patient try to force the joint too much to move the arm, as this can cause minor trauma, which in addition to aggravating the pain, does not. bring any pain. Advantage. At home, only the exercises recommended by the physical therapist should be performed, which may include the use of small equipment, such as a ball, a stick (broomsater) and elastic bands (bands).
Hot water bags are useful for placing before stretches because they relax muscles and facilitate stretching, but plummeting ice bags are indicated for the end of each session as they reduce pain. Stretches that may help include:
These exercises should be performed 3 to 5 times a day, lasting 30 seconds to 1 minute each, but the physical therapist may indicate others depending on each person’s needs.
See some simple exercises that help relieve shoulder pain in: Propioception exercises for shoulder recovery.
Your doctor may block your suprascapular nerve, in the office or in the hospital, which greatly relieves pain, being an option when the drugs do not take effect and hinder physiotherapy. This nerve may be blocked because it is responsible for providing 70% of the sensations of the shoulder, and when it is blocked, there is a great improvement in pain.
Another alternative your doctor may indicate is shoulder distension with an air or liquid injection (saline – corticoid solution) under local anesthesia that helps lengthen the shoulder joint capsule, which promotes pain relief and facilitates shoulder movement.
Surgery is the last treatment option, when there are no signs of improvement with conservative treatment, which is performed with medication and physiotherapy. Your orthopedic doctor may perform a closed arthroscopy or manipulation that can make your shoulder move. After surgery, the person should return to physical therapy to speed healing and continue stretching exercises for a full recovery.