Frozen Shoulder and Laser
What is frozen shoulder?
The Humerus fits into a socket in the shoulder blade, creating a joint. This joint is surrounded by the shoulder capsule, which is made up of connective tissue.
Frozen shoulder occurs when the shoulder capsule thickens, making the joint tight. In addition, adhesions (stiff bands of tissue) develop and there is often less synovial fluid in the joint.
Cause
Unknown. However, frozen shoulder happens more in people with diabetes, hypo and hyperthyroidism, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease and immobilization due to surgery or injury.
Stages
1. Freezing - The patient develops increasing pain and loses shoulder range of motion for 1.5 to 9 months
2. Frozen – Stiffness remains, but pain may decrease
3. Thawing – Range of motion improves over 6 to 24 months
Treatment
More than 90 percent of patients improve with non-surgical treatments such as:
Specific exercise and stretches under the supervision of a chiropractor to increase range of motion.
Cold laser therapy for pain reduction.
Study
In a 2008 study, cold laser was shown to be effective in reducing pain in patients with frozen shoulder.
Other Effective Laser Treatments Include
Neck pain
Lower Back Pain
Sciatica
Disc Herniation
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Knee Pain
Ankle Pain
Foot Pain
