Frozen Shoulder

Frozen shoulder is a descriptive term often applied when someone has limited ability to abduct the humerus laterally; sometimes, this gleno-humeral abduction can be as small as 45 degrees. any attempt to travel beyond this point can produce pain near the top of the humeral shaft (near the tubercle,) and/or further down the shaft, towards the lateral deltoid insertion.

Quite often, this restricted abduction situation can persist for several months; a discussion of one of the possible causes of this situation is contained on my web-site www.theinsideout.com.au , but today I want to speculate about the possible ongoing symptoms. What is likely to occur, if the condition is not dealt with promptly ?

When abduction of the gleno-humeral joint is unhindered, and you can freely point your fingers towards the ceiling, without pain, and without distortion of the torso, muscles such as the serratus, teres, and pectoralis are enjoying a stretch; limit this abduction movement, and these muscles will become fibrotic.

When abduction of the gleno-humeral joint is freely, and regularly performed, muscles such as the lateral deltoid, levator scapula, upper trapezius, and supraspinatus, experience contractions; limit this contractile experience, and eventually these muscles will develop flaccidity, and a degree of weakening.

So, as a manual therapist who has the opportunity to correct the original fault, i.e., the limited abduction, you may, on occasion, be called upon to deal with, one group of muscles in need of stretching, and another in need of strengthening .