📌 A frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) occurs when the shoulder capsule becomes too thick and hard to move. The condition causes severe pain and discomfort and limits shoulder movement. Various medical conditions, including diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, stroke, and thyroid, can also cause frozen shoulders. Furthermore, prolonged stress can also lead to inflammation, another cause of frozen shoulders.
⚡️ There are three stages to the frozen shoulder:
- Freezing: Painful Stage: Pain increases with every movement of your shoulders and gets worse at night.
- Frozen: Transitional Stage: Although the pain reduces, the problem worsens and regular activities become very difficult. Even lifting small objects becomes challenging.
- Thawing stage: This is the healing stage. The pain starts to subside after all the struggle, and sometimes you even return to normal.
📍 A Case Study:
A 36-year-old woman develops frozen shoulder since January 2024. Her underlying condition is diabetes. Working as a professional photographer is also not good for her problem because it affects her right shoulder. In the beginning, the pain was constant and interfered with her sleep, but after three treatments with acupuncture and cupping, she is no longer in pain and can work and sleep without interruptions however her shoulder still limited range of movement. She has been advised to continue acupuncture and cupping treatments until her shoulder regains full range of motion.
⚡️ Diabetes can cause her recovery to be delayed. So, I recommend Herbal Medicine Juan Bi Tang which is commonly use formula since it promotes whole-body microcirculation, alleviate joint inflammation, pain/stiffness while enhancing mobility this can speed up her healing process.
📌 To increase her range of motion, patient must do gentle exercises like slowly walking fingers up a wall or doing Pendulums: this involves standing with the affected arm hanging down and then swinging the arm gently in a small circle without pain.
❤️ My approach to treating frozen shoulder includes multi-modality: acupuncture, cupping, herbal medicine, stretching, and range of motion exercises. An important part of the treatment process is teaching the patient the proper posture and ergonomics, as well as lifestyle advice to help them avoid further shoulder strain.
