Sometimes shoulders just seize up, painfully and mysteriously: frozen shoulder. Frozen shoulder usually causes when a person is having diseases like diabetes, or it follows traumas or periods of immobilization — hold the shoulder in one position for long enough, and it actually may get stuck there. The shoulder is that the only joint that always “freezes” in most of the scenarios.

A tissue around shoulder joint that holds together called Shoulder Capsule. With frozen shoulder, the capsule becomes thick and tight which makes hard to move shoulder. Medically known as adhesive capsulitis, is a condition affecting connective tissue surrounding shoulder joint causing inflammation, stiffness, restricted movements and chronic pain. Even simple movements like raising the arm, wearing the dress, combing hair become nearly impossible to perform.

Frozen Shoulder pain will go through 4 phases and each phase has its own symptoms.

Prefreezing Phase

During this phase, it is difficult to notice the issue as Adhesive Capsulitis. You can have symptoms during 1 to 3 months, getting worse and however movement of the shoulder causes pain.

Freezing Phase

• Develops a pain in shoulder.
• Gets worse slowly over time and hurt more at night.
• Lasts for 6 to 9 months.

Frozen Phase

• Pain gets better and stiffness gets worse.
• Shoulder movement becomes difficult and harder for daily activities.
• This phase can lasts for 4 – 12 months.

Thawing Phase

• Improves shoulder motion slowly.
• Complete return to normal takes from 6 months to 2 years.

Risk factors 

Diabetic and Age above 40 to 60 years in age, more female gender is twice susceptible to this condition.

 Treatment for Frozen Shoulder pain

Main line of treatment is use of analgesics, corticosteroids, anti inflammatory drugs, which give temporary relief of symptoms, but does not cure the root cause. For some physiotherapy helps.

Ayurvedic treatment aims at treating stiffness, pain and preserving shoulder joint movements. Massages with pain relieving medicated oils and herbal fomentation of heat therapy  is helpful in reducing pain and stiffness. Followed by herbal  ayurveda medication.

Shathayu gives promising solutions to various pain management  treatments like kati basti, greeva basti, abhyanga, ela kizhi, pizhichil, pinda sweda done using various medicated oils along with oral medications to support the treatment. These treatments have left a big smile on many patients who came to use in grieving pain.

Article By

Dr Anitha Bhat

Senior Ayurveda Physician