Frozen shoulder is a more common name for a complicated condition known as adhesive capsulitis. The word “frozen” is accustomed to it because this condition limits easy motion of the shoulder. The shoulder joints don’t have sufficient area to rotate correctly.
Common symptoms of a frozen shoulder include pain in the shoulder while moving your arm, stiffness and swelling. This mostly occurs in people who are above the age of 40. Symptoms of frozen shoulder can be frustrating and bothersome; here are a couple of tips and tricks that can help you ease your condition!
Warm up
Shoulder exercises are very important when it comes to treating frozen or stiff shoulders, however, one important step that a lot of people miss is that they need to warm their shoulder so blood flow towards that area can increase. Just like we need to warm up before any normal exercise, we need to warm up our shoulders as well.
You can either take a warm bath to ease your shoulder, apply a heat pack gently on the area or carefully move your shoulder in circular movements. This way, you can prepare your shoulders to bring in more movement easily.
Safe exercises
Once you have warmed up your shoulder and you are relaxed, it is time to do a few stretches to release the tension from your shoulders. One of the more common exercises for shoulder pain is to gently swing your arm at least 10 times in each direction. You can start slow and then increase your count once you’re comfortable with it. Another way is to lay on a flat surface and try lifting your arm as much as you and lay it back on the flat surface. Do this a couple of times till you feel any discomfort.
Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil has a lot of uses. It is a sweet and cool oil that is packed with benefits. Try applying peppermint oil on your affected shoulder. This can improve blood circulation around that area, decrease inflammation and pain.
Physical Therapy
Sometimes, doing physical exercises at home might not be enough to release the pain. If the pain increases or continues, you should see a physical therapist who can properly assign you exercises and help you do them in an appropriate manner so you can have more flexibility and strength.
Painkillers
If you face any instances where the pain is extremely hard to handle, use an OTC (over-the-counter) painkiller available in your local pharmacy to temporarily heal the pain and go about your day as usual.
Talk to a Doctor
These tips mentioned above can help you get relief temporarily from your exasperating pain. Eventually, you need to focus on resolving the root cause of your condition so you can prevent the pain from recurring.
It is important to talk to your doctor about potential recovery so he can devise an appropriate management plan for you. Your doctor will be able to provide you a plan depending on how severe your condition is and what you can follow to improve your condition in the long run, so you can continue with your daily activities smoothly!
Don’t know who to talk to? If you suspect you might have a physical or mental health issue, you can now book an appointment with a doctor without having to leave your home!
