Shoulders and caring for patients are my passion! Over the years I’ve cared for patients who have had a frozen shoulder (also known as adhesive capsulitis). This is a particularly difficult condition for patients to deal with, as the recovery time can take so long. That’s why making sure the patient has effective coping strategies is so important. Over the years, I’ve asked my patients ‘What has helped you the most with this condition?’ I’ve distilled their answers into the following 6 recommendations.
1. Get expert medical and surgical help
Find a surgeon who sub-specialises in shoulders. They will ensure you receive the correct imaging, provide an accurate diagnosis and ensure there isn’t an additional shoulder condition present. They will also tailor your treatment to your specific situation and explain the advantages and disadvantages of available interventions, such as: targeted injections, manipulation (under anaesthesia), hydrodilatation (expanding the joint volume with saline under image guidance) or keyhole (arthroscopic) surgery to release the tightness in the joint lining (capsule). They will also help manage your symptoms in the context of your daily lifestyle demands and co-ordinate and refer you to other expert clinicians if needed.
Your GP will ensure you don’t have one of the associated medical conditions that can co-exist with a frozen shoulder such as diabetes.
2. Get help with pain relief
If off-the-shelf pain relievers aren’t helping you get good night’s sleep, seek help from your GP or a Pain Specialist.
3. Find a good physiotherapist
Your GP or your shoulder surgeon can recommend a good physiotherapist and ensure you get the best fit to match your personality; your aims and locality. A good physiotherapist will be able to help you with pain management; maintaining your shoulder’s range of movement and preserving muscle strength and function.
4. Seek out the supportive help of friends, family and colleagues
Having the support of family, friends & colleagues is key. You’ll need help with practical tasks at home, such as moving frequently used stuff down from top shelves and help with ergonomics of your kitchen and bed-side table. For work, review your workplace set-up and consider whether you can have some days where you work from home. Keep socialising, even if you don’t feel like it. Meeting with friends can take your take your mind off your pain. Having someone to listen to you; share your frustrations can also be enormously helpful and cathartic.
5. Consider counselling
Unexpected loss of movement, without any specific cause can be frustrating and can leave you feeling that your body isn’t what it used to be. A professional counsellor can help by providing you with strategies to work through and overcome these feelings.
6. Recovery takes time
Recovering from a frozen shoulder takes time. There are three classically described phases known as freezing (when the shoulder starts painfully stiffening), frozen (when the pain has improved but the shoulder remains stiff and thawing (when the shoulder begins to recover movement). Each phase has a variable time course (with or without interventions) but the whole recovery can take up to 2 years or so. That’s why seeking help with the above strategies is so important (i.e. to help you develop endurance and resilience for the recovery).
Miss Verona Beckles, Upper Limb & Trauma Surgeon, London Sports Orthopaedics.
For more information https://sportsortho.co.uk/specialist/miss-verona-beckles/