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I
often have to remind people that osteopaths don't just
treat backs, we also treat all the bits that attach
to backs. One of the many 'attachments' that presents
with problems is the shoulder.
The vast majority of shoulder problems have been labelled
as 'a frozen shoulder' by the time they reach me. Often
it is self diagnosed but it may also be professionally
diagnosed, and very often I feel that the diagnosis
is wrong.
The flashy name for a frozen shoulder is adhesive capsulitis.
The ball and socket joint is completely surrounded by
a ligamentous capsule and this becomes inflamed, hence
the capsulitis. This inflammation makes every movement
of the joint incredibly painful but, at this stage,
there is a good range of movement. The pain increases
and can often start disturbing sleep. Eventually the
pain begins to ease but the joint gets progressively
stiffer, until you are left with a shoulder that won't
move very far but doesn't really hurt too much.
The reason for this change in symptoms is that as the
inflammation dies down the capsule effectively shrinks
because of the scar tissue that has formed. The more
it shrinks, the tighter it wraps around the joint, and
the more the joint stiffens up.
It's a tricky condition to treat and it can take a lot
of treatments to get the movement back, but not every
stiff shoulder is a frozen shoulder. The majority of
shoulder problems I see are not frozen, they are just
a bit on the sticky side and usually respond quickly
to treatment.
I've got a challenge for you all. Your mission, should
you choose to accept it, is to stare at you colleagues,
work mates, friends and even complete strangers. Try
not to be too obvious about it of course. The aim is
not to get yourself locked up or punched on the nose,
the idea is to observe your fellow man (or woman).
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