Adhesive Capsulitis is more commonly known as frozen shoulder. It occurs when a person injures their shoulder or upper back, thus discontinuing normal use of upper limb. The neurovascular bundle that extends from your neck into your shoulder and upper extremity becomes constricted and thus very painful for normal shoulder motion to occur. It is common to see this in people after a stroke, post-surgical or after injury.
Symptoms often include:
1) Shoulder stiffness
2) Decreased range of motion of shoulder
3) Pain and stiffness in lower neck
4) Pain and stiffness in scapulae (shoulder blade) or upper back
5) Pain, numbness or tingling down the affected arm
6) extreme pain during movement of shoulder
Chiropractic Neurological care is a very effective form of treatment for these disorders, as we are able to diagnose and treat the joint, muscle and neurological contributors associated with this condition. This allows the patient to respond extremely well, often with noticeable changes seen within a few short weeks. It is very important to undestand that the shoulder joint has the greatest range of motion in any joint of the body, and therefore relies on the musculature to retain its normal health and movement. Therefore, muscular retraining is a very important part of our treatment. However, joint therapy is also very important, as muscles follow structure of joints. If joints are limited in motion, the muscles will tighten in response. If joints are functioning normal, muscles will relax and function normally. What this means to us is that in order to fully recover from an injury such as this, we must treat the nerves, joints and muscles, as they are all relating to the function of that region. Hilton's Law states that the "Nerve innervates the joint, and the muscles around that joint."
Treatments offered at Portland Chiropractic Neurology:
1) Myofascial release and proprioceptive neurological facilitative stretching to retrain muscle groups and decrease tension in surrounding musculature
2) Mirror therapy to retrain parietal lobe's understanding of joint and muscle position
3) Muscle stim and ultrasound to reduce inflammation
4) Cold laser therapy to reduce inflammation and accelerate healing of tissue
5) Adjustments to restore normal joint and structural mechanics that may be affected.
6) Strengthening and stretching to restore posture, joint position and muscular health
