Frozen shoulder is a condition in which you are unable to move your shoulder because of stiffness and pain in your shoulder joints. The symptoms and pain get worse as time passes. 

The tissues in your shoulder joint start to become thicker and tighter, creating a scar in the tissue. Your shoulder joint will not be able to rotate as before as it will have restricted space. 

It will be hard to move your shoulder, making it feel "frozen". People between the ages of 40 and 60 are more likely to develop frozen shoulders. 

There is a capsule of connective tissue around your bones, tendons, and ligaments in your shoulder joint. In the case of a frozen shoulder, these tissues start to thicken and tighten. 

You are more at risk if you have diabetes, a weak immune system, or a hormonal imbalance. A long period of inactivity because of illness or injury is also a factor. Usually, a frozen shoulder takes around two to nine months to develop. 

Frozen shoulder risk factors 

Some factors increase your risk such as 

Age - It affects adults between the ages of 40 and 60. 

Gender - It is more common in women than in men. 

People with thyroid disorders are more prone to frozen shoulder. 

Recent shoulder injury - If you had a shoulder injury recently, you are more likely to develop this condition. 

Diabetes - Between 10-20% of the people who have diabetes develop a frozen shoulder. If you have diabetes, your risk of getting frozen shoulder is three times greater. 

Tuberculosis

Parkinson's disease

Frozen shoulder takes time to develop. It occurs in three stages. These are:

Freezing stage - Any slight movement of your shoulder will cause pain. 

Frozen stage - Pain may slightly decrease during this stage, but your shoulder will start to get stiffer.

Thawing stage - You can move your shoulder better now. 

 

Few signs that indicate a frozen shoulder include

Pain and stiffness in the shoulder joint 

Pain in your upper arm

Decreasing levels of mobility 

Difficulty sleeping on a side 

Difficulty carrying out your usual shoulder movements

Your doctor will run a physical test first. It will include you moving your shoulder in certain ways to check your range of motion. Then, you will have to relax your muscles while your doctor will move your arm to check your passive motion range. Frozen shoulder affects both your passive and active range of motion. 

After this, your doctor will run some imaging tests. These include:

X-rays - These will help inspect your bones better and cross out any other conditions such as arthritis. 

MRI and ultrasound - These will create detailed pictures of soft tissues. It will also help in crossing out any other conditions you may have, such as rotator cuff tear. 

Ayurveda, or 'the science of life', is a medical system from India. It has been there for more than 5000 years, and so is the oldest medical system today.

Ayurveda puts a lot of stress on treating the person rather than the disease. It looks at the root cause of the problems to resolve it and thus restore the overall balance.

Three basic types of energies are present in all of us, as per Ayurveda. Vata is the energy of movement and circulation within us. The function of Pitta energy is to govern the metabolism and digestion functions in our body. Kapha energy provides lubrication and structure to the body.

All of us have these three energies. However, there will be one primary dosha. When we have these doshas in balance, we are healthy. If they are not in balance, then we will have diseases.

Apabahuka is the name for diseases like Frozen shoulder in Ayurveda. It happens when the Vata dosha and Kapha dosha have imbalances. 

Ayurvedic treatment for frozen shoulder will give you excellent results. Many prefer this, as there are very few side effects. 

The treatment aims to

Relieve any inflammations around your shoulder

Reduce pain and muscle spasms

Strengthen the tissues in the shoulder joint

 

The main methods in Ayurvedic treatment for frozen shoulder include

Abhyangam - massage using warm medicated herbal oil. It will reduce your pain, improve your blood circulation, and provides lubrication to your shoulder joint.

Pizhichil - Uses a cloth bag with warm medicated oil to squeeze the oil onto your body. It provides lubrication and strength to your shoulder.

Nasyam - In this, there will be an administration of medicine through your nostrils. It helps to clean any blocks in the channels in the nasal area.

Greeva Vasti - Pouring of warm medicated oil into a herbal container kept near the shoulder area. 

Sneha Vasti - medicated enema to flush out the toxins in the body.

 

Your doctor will decide the treatment plan after seeing you in person. In most cases, you will have to be in the hospital for about 21 days for the treatment.

The main goal is to control the pain and restore motion in your shoulder joints. 

Non-steroidal and anti-inflammatory injections - Drugs like ibuprofen and aspirin will reduce the pain and swelling. 

Steroid injections - Cortisone is an anti-inflammatory injection in your shoulder joint. It will help relieve the pain in that region. 

Hydrodilation - This process involves inserting a large amount of sterile fluid into your shoulder joint. It will stretch and expand the shoulder joint capsule.

Icing the shoulder will also help numb the pain.

 

It is mandatory to consult your treating doctor and take advice before starting medications.

Surgery for a frozen shoulder is extremely rare and is only for severe cases. Your doctor will remove scar tissues and adhesions from your shoulder joints in the process.

Being inactive is a trigger to a frozen shoulder. You should always keep exercising and make sure that your shoulders are in use. Eat a healthy and balanced diet so that you don't develop other diseases like diabetes, which is another contributing factor to frozen shoulder