WHAT IS FROZEN SHOULDER?

Frozen shoulder is characterized by soreness, stiffness and pain in the shoulder joint. It’s also known as adhesive capsulitis in medical terms, and is a painful joint condition that involves debilitating shoulder pain leading to mobility limitations and lifestyle changes. The symptoms of this musculoskeletal disorder usually build up slowly and worsen gradually.
Frozen shoulder is seen more commonly in people with chronic conditions such as diabetes or thyroid disease; it’s also common in those who have to keep their shoulder still or immobile for longer periods of time. The arising chronic pain can limit the range of movement of the arm, thus restricting a number of normal activities. While symptoms can get better within 1-3 years in some, others might need corticosteroid and other numbing medications injected directly into the joint capsule. Some cases might even require surgery to ease the chronic pain.

The painful frozen shoulder condition is age-related and usually arises in those aged above 40 years, and is more commonly seen in females. It can also occur in those with diabetes, autoimmune diseases, lung diseases, heart problems or those having undergone cardiac procedures. Genetics has also been implicated in frozen shoulder conditions as there appear to be some hereditary risk factors too.
Those who have a history of prior shoulder joint injury or trauma, excessive or heavy exercising, stress problems, frequent fasting, excessive dry and salty food consumption, alcohol binge drinking, etc., can also be the cause be the cause behind their frozen shoulder. Other reasons could be sedentary lifestyles, staying in a certain position for longer periods of time, immobility of the arms, can all eventually lead to frozen shoulder. Other painful conditions like bursitis, synovitis, tendinitis or rotator cuff injury can all also lead to frozen shoulder and severe pain.

Modern sedentary lifestyles involving long hours of immobility, hunched over a desk, are bad for the posture, and can result in a variety of point issues including frozen shoulder. Yoga can help both as a preventative as well as a curative treatment for frozen shoulder.
There are a number of yoga asanas (poses) and stretching exercises that can help in attaining flexibility in the shoulder region and releasing the tension from the stressed-out muscles. These will not only relieve the shoulder area, but also open up the tightness in the upper back and the upper chest that cause the muscles to become weak. In this way, yoga is the holistic wellness way forward that also prevents slumping of the spine, and strengthens it instead while improving the overall posture. Having a proper understanding of balanced diets and following an anti-inflammatory diet further help in avoiding disease conditions such as frozen shoulder.