Recently I have been seeing a handful of patients coming for Frozen Shoulder Syndrome relief. They suffer with severe pain and extreme limited motion of the shoulder. The majority have tried orthopedic, physical therapy and pain management treatment to no avail. Part of the problem is
that these forms of treatment don’t get to the cause of the problem. They rely on medical treatments that at best will cover up the symptoms of pain, but will not improve the range of motion. Frozen Shoulder Syndrome is difficult to diagnose as most tests including x-rays and MRI’s of the shoulder usually don’t show anything. It is important to look beyond the shoulder itself. Many shoulder conditions can be caused by dysfunction in the cervical spine. Chiropractors evaluate the entire spine knowing the relationship of the nervous system to all functions of the body.
Frozen Shoulder Syndrome is usually from the result of overuse injuries. Having the arms and shoulders in unusual positions for extended periods of time like in the case of a hairdresser would be an example. In the past year I had several hairdressers come in with this condition. I’ve also had many baseball players and golfers come in with frozen shoulder syndrome. Other groups where frozen shoulder syndrome seems to be more common are people with Parkinson’s Disease, Cardiovascular Disease, Stroke, Thyroid Disease and up to 40% of diabetics experience it.
After a full evaluation of the cervical and thoracic spine and the structures of the shoulder, an active treatment plan of chiropractic, therapeutic stretching and exercise were initiated. The patients are always surprised with the success of this active approach. Just last week an 80 year old patient that came in for a sciatica condition had mentioned the shoulder problems he had been experiencing for 5 years were even improving. These are consistent results patients see when they take a chiropractic approach.
There is a new case study from 2012 that investigates a novel chiropractic technique with significant Frozen Shoulder Syndrome relief:
In the study 20 males and 30 females between the age of 40 and 70 were reviewed to see how chiropractic helped. The average treatment lasted for 28 days. The majority of the patients had substantial frozen shoulder syndrome relief. There was a 78% improvement in pain levels (the median average pain score dropping from a 9 out of 10 to a 2 out of 10), 98% of patients had significantly improved range of motion, and 32% of patients had completely regained normal motion.
Researchers stated, “The results of this case series are encouraging in that many of these patients’ complaints seemed to improve or resolve within 1 month of presentation, whereas, in general, it is thought that FSS symptoms can persist for 2 years or more.”
Just like our experience at Hometown Family Wellness Center in Freehold, NJ, the findings of of this study suggests chiropractic is highly successful in providing frozen shoulder syndrome relief. Here is one of our patients telling his experience:
If you or somebody you know is suffering with Frozen Shoulder Syndrome it is time to try chiropractic! Share this article with anybody you know who might have this condition. For more information on Dr. Russell Brokstein, Freehold Chiropractor click here