Frozen shoulder, otherwise known as Adhesive capsulitis, causes severe pain and stiffness in the shoulder joint. The symptoms may worsen gradually, and it will affect the day-to-day activities of the patients. Our shoulder joint is a ball and socket type of joint, formed between the head of the Humerus (upper arm bone) and the Glenoid cavity of the shoulder blade. The joint is covered by a fibrous sheath called joint capsule and surrounded by synovial fluid. It permits the shoulder joint, for its great and easy range of motion and to avoid friction between bones. In the case of frozen shoulders, the fibrous sheath becomes more tight and stiff that causes very severe pain & stiffness.
There are 3 phases in the frozen shoulder
it progresses gradually from the state of very painful phase to stiffness stage and then turns to recovery phase within 2-3 years.
- Phase 1- Freezing stage: otherwise called painful stage, pain affects the movement of shoulder; it lasts up to the first 9 months.
- Phase 2 – Frozen stage: In this phase, improvement to the pain symptoms might be there, however, the stiffness increases. It affects the daily activities of patients very badly and lasts up to 6-9 months.
- Phase 3- Thawing stage: In this phase, the range of motion of the affected shoulder joint improves gradually and will move to normal phase.
Long term immobilization of joints after surgical management in fractures of arm, injury etc. may cause a frozen shoulder. Patients suffering from Thyroid problem, Diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, women in peri-menopausal age, lung disease and heart disease are higher risk groups of developing frozen shoulders.
Ayurveda treatment for frozen shoulders focuses on relieving the symptoms and improving the quality of life of patients. Frozen shoulder is caused by the derangement of Vata and Kapha dosha as per Ayurveda. Imbalance of Vata dosha happens by exposure to cold wind, lack of night sleep, improper sleeping posture, suppression of natural urges, excessive intake of cold and dry foods, Marma injuries (injury to vital points) etc. Ayurvedic treatment for Frozen shoulder helps in relieving the stiffness, reducing pain and nourishes the fibrous sheath around the joint, by intake of various internal medicines in the form of herbal decoction, tablets, ghee-based medicine etc. and external therapies like Kizhi (herbal compress therapy), Dhanyamla Dhara, Pizhichil, Lepam and Panchakarma treatment like Nasya etc.
Back To Roots Ayurveda clinic in Abu Dhabi offers an effective Ayurveda treatment approach for Frozen Shoulder. In the first stage of frozen shoulder, doctors will advise more Kapha Vata balancing – dry heat therapies, in the second phase they concentrate on balancing Vata with oil-based therapies. Implementation of Ayurveda treatment in the correct stage is very important in Frozen shoulder management; our expert Ayurveda doctors in Abu Dhabi guide you the proper treatment in the correct phase and advise you on a proper lifestyle modification and dietary changes.