How Does Massage Help Frozen Shoulder?

… Continued …

Is massage safe for frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)?

As mentioned before, some health conditions are not recommended to treat with massage. Adhesive capsulitis is not one of them.

Massage is one of options to help ease frozen shoulder symptoms. It can be used along with other techniques in physiotherapy such as stretching exercises and thermotherapy.

Again, most people can take this therapy safely particularly when performed by a licensed, experienced professional.

But not all people with adhesive capsulitis are able to take it. Your doctor and therapist can assess whether or not you can take it!

How does massage help ease frozen shoulder pain and stiffness?

It seems that massage eases frozen shoulder symptoms in several different ways. But in general, it may help improve the circulation of blood flow to sore and stiff areas of the shoulder joint.

Furthermore, it may stimulate the body to release the natural painkillers such as opioids (according to a report released by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine). In the same report, it may encourage the flow of oxytocin, a hormone that promotes feelings of calmness and relaxes muscles.

It may help manipulate the brain sense pain, too. As a result, the pain that you feel is less painful or even you may temporarily forget it.

Sometime the use of acupuncture and TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) are recommended, though there is still no clinical evidence to confirm the effectiveness of these treatments for adhesive capsulitis.

Acupuncture

This eastern traditional techniques use small needles inserted to certain points of your body. Many studies show that it can help release stress and improve muscle tension.

There are some pros and cons of acupuncture. But it’s not known yet whether this therapy does work for adhesive capsulitis.

TENS

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is a new method for pain relief that uses a small battery equipped with some connectors to electrodes. It works by delivering small electrical impulses to the targeted area of the body.

It is thought that these electrical impulses can reduce or even block the pain signals delivering to the brain, which then will help ease pain. But it is not proved method yet. More research is required, and now some clinical trials are going to assess the effectiveness of TENS.