
Photo by Jesper Aggergaard on Unsplash
Establishing the correct diagnosis of your shoulder pain is critical for the optimal plan of care. Common shoulder disorders include rotator cuff pathology, sub-acromial impingement, adhesive capsulitis, and bicipital tendonitis. In this blog, we will be discussing the signs of a Frozen shoulder, also known as Adhesive capsulitis.
Risk factors
A “frozen shoulder” is a common shoulder injury, especially for those over the age of 50. Additional risk factors include diabetes, prior history of a frozen shoulder, and immobilization of your arm.
3 classic signs of a frozen shoulder
Whenever I see a client in my physical therapy clinic suffering from shoulder pain, I put them through a series of tests to determine the cause of their discomfort. With a frozen shoulder, I usually see 3 common symptoms:
- Both active and passive range of motion of the shoulder is equal
- Manual muscle testing is usually not painful and strong
- There is usually a >50% of External Rotation of the involved shoulder as compared to the non-injured one.
What to do next
Your 3-step plan for improving your health, loving your life again, and taking charge of your health!
- Schedule your next Physical Therapy visit with Bellingham’s premier Manual Therapy clinic, Integrative Physical Therapy today!
- Join our Facebook group for healthy aging tips, motivation, and a great online community
- Are you over 50 and ready to Love Your Life Again? Let’s do this | Live Well 50
Any questions? We have answers!
Cheers,
Ed Deboo, PT
Integrative Physical Therapy,
Bellingham, WA