Do’s and Don’ts for Frozen Shoulder

If you’ve been feeling pain and stiffness in your shoulder joint for a while now, which has been getting worse over time, it’s best to get a consultation with a doctor for frozen shoulder.

While cases typically resolve on their own over time, it’s not advisable to keep living with this pain for as long as three years, especially not when there are remedies you can get immediately for it.

Frozen shoulders can seriously impede you from carrying out even basic everyday tasks, and eventually, could affect your overall quality of life. Treatments are varied, depending on the severity of the condition.

Usually, you will only need a prescribed set of exercises to improve, as well as prescribed medication. In worse cases, which are few and far between, surgery becomes the treatment of choice to correct the seized-up joint capsule.

It’s therefore recommended to seek professional medical help as soon as possible to avoid getting worse. In the meantime, here are some do’s and don’ts for frozen shoulder.

Do: Keep Using Your Affected Arm

The more you use your affected arm, the more you’re strengthening it and, thus, lessening the symptoms. One of the causes of aggravated frozen shoulders is immobility. The more that the affected arm is not used, the more the capsule surrounding the joint, causing the frozen shoulder symptoms to worsen. That’s also why exercises for better mobility are prescribed as a treatment.

Don’t: Miss Your Therapy Schedule

Consistency is important in rehabilitation treatments. If you want to treat your frozen shoulder at the soonest possible time, then you need to make sure to attend your treatments on schedule. There will also most likely be “homework” or sets that you can do on your own at home.

While this gives you more freedom in terms of schedule, you need to make sure that you will continue doing the exercises as prescribed, and on time. The more consistent you are, the better your condition will get sooner.

Do: Mind Your Sleep Position

This is a common mistake. People would be seriously committed to their rehabilitation treatments and do the recommended exercises, but then do sleep positions that impact their progress.

What you do in your sleep impacts the work you do for rehabilitation when you’re awake. You may think it’s impossible, but actually, there are ways for you to be more mindful of your sleep position without losing restful sleep. If you’re a side-sleeper, for example, make sure to sleep on the unaffected arm. You can also rest the affected arm on a pillow to make it more comfortable.

Remember, getting good sleep is an important element of healing because it helps reduce inflammation.

Don’t: Aggravate the Pain

Certain physical activities, such as working out, for example, worsen the pain of frozen shoulders. Your rehabilitation treatments wouldn’t matter if you would keep aggravating the condition with heavy physical activities. If you want to keep doing these activities, then focus on getting better first.