Tag: best treatment for frozen shoulder in san diego

Promising Treatments for Frozen Shoulder

Frozen shoulder is a common and painful condition where patients find themselves unable to move the shoulder joint freely anymore. Typically this is accompanied by terrible pain, compounding the immobility with true suffering.

The treatments for frozen shoulder are myriad, and may include various combinations of physical therapy, steroid injections, or shoulder surgery. But a lesser known treatment is gaining some traction nowadays, thanks in part to a recent study which showed that the treatment, known as extracorporeal shockwave therapy, or shockwave therapy, is more effective than many suspected. In a basic experiment, it offered marked improvements:

Functional improvements were significant compared with baseline at 2 months, with further amelioration at 4 and 6 months. These included an overall 3.14-fold decrease in the Visual Analog Scale, a 2.97-fold reduction in the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Score questionnaire, and a 39.7% increase in the Constant Shoulder Score.

It should be noted that this study was conducted of diabetics, and that there was no control group or randomized assignment of treatments. Still, it was an impressive result, and one which should beget further study in the coming years.

If you want the latest treatments for frozen shoulder in San Diego, contact Dr. Holland here today.

The Stages of Frozen Shoulder

Frozen shoulder is among the more sinister maladies of orthopedic medicine: a slow-moving intruder that can catch many patients off-guard as its symptoms gradually grow more severe.

But it’s important to know that frozen shoulder isn’t a life sentence; most cases tend to “thaw” over time on their own, following a well-known, if agonizingly slow, timetable.

Harvard Health recently outlined the entire cycle for curious patients, describing what happens around a year after the initial onset as the shoulder begins to regain some mobility:

Stiffness goes away as the shoulder begins to heal. This is when you begin stretching exercises and formal therapy to help restore flexibility and range of motion. Typically, a therapist teaches you the exercises, which you then do at home for several weeks or months.

The keys are rest and gentle therapy, as well as a good consultation with an expert orthopedic surgeon to see if you can uncover any distal causes of the disorder. The other key: pain management, through a combination of medicine and exercise, as suits your needs.

For the best treatment of frozen shoulder in San Diego, call or email AOSM here today.

Treating Frozen Shoulder in San Diego

Frozen shoulder syndrome, also called adhesive capsulitis, is a profoundly painful condition in which the shoulder becomes progressively more immobilized over a period of weeks or months. The resulting near-paralysis is utterly incapacitating, rendering active people unable to lift, throw, or sometimes even hold a pen.

The typical treatments for frozen shoulder include steroids and physical therapy. Most orthopedists such as myself will start with therapy and graduate to steroids if necessary; in extreme cases orthopedic shoulder surgery may be indicated to help remove some of the scar tissue that has built up around the glenoid fossa.

The best way to resolve frozen shoulder is to speak with an expert sooner rather than later. Frozen shoulder can arise from different causes, and the only way to identify the culprit for sure is with imaging and a sound medical history. Once your treatment plan has been established, most cases of frozen shoulder have a good prognosis.

To get the best treatment for frozen shoulder in San Diego, contact orthopedic surgeon Dr. William Holland today.