CAN OSTEOPATHY HELP A FROZEN SHOULDER?
Frozen Shoulder Syndrome
Frozen shoulder syndrome is a common shoulder condition that causes pain, progressive stiffness, and loss of range of movement in one or both shoulders. The condition usually comes on gradually, is often not related to a particular injury, and becomes progressively painful over weeks and months. Painful inflammation in different structures within the shoulder leads to the joint capsule becoming fibrotic and contracted, which in turn causes loss of movement.
Pain is usually aggravated by activities such as lying on your side in bed, getting changed, and brushing your hair.
Whilst frozen shoulder does resolve spontaneously, this process can take between 1-3 years, leading to prolonged pain and in some cases time off of work.
It’s worth seeing an Osteopath if you think you might have Frozen shoulder syndrome as early treatment and management can help to significantly reduce how long it takes to get better. Your Osteopath will complete a thorough assessment of your posture and function, give lifestyle advice, and also address consequential problems such as elbow, mid back, or neck pain in addition to treating the shoulder itself.
Your Osteopath will be able to refer you for X-rays or Corticosteroid injections if needed.
Neil Asher Technique
Here at Health Point Practice we are one of the few local clinics to specialise in the Niel Asher Technique. This evidence based treatment protocol is a specifically designed treatment for Frozen Shoulder Syndrome and proves to be highly effective in speeding up recovery times.
This non-invasive technique involves pressing on specific trigger points and massaging around the shoulder, in a specific routine, in order to ‘retrain’ the nerves around the shoulder joint.
Working on these trigger points in a specific and repetitive manner sends messages to the brain which stimulates the muscles to be reactivated, allowing movement to be re-gained, which has a positive effect on reducing inflammation.
Patients usually see improvements following each session, with 85% of people’s symptoms resolving completely within 8-10 weeks.