I found this fascinating quote today:
Chris Giordano, a student at NYCTCM, gave an overview of Frozen Shoulder from a TCM perspective for his Clinical Acupuncture Practice II class "Treatment of Modern Diseases with Traditional Chinese Medicine". He describes the basic bioscience of frozen shoulder, then tells us the basic TCM knowledge about frozen shoulder, including major pattern differentiation and major treatment points and needle techniques. He gives techniques for prevention of frozen shoulder, then summarizes current research on the treatment of frozen shoulder with Traditional Chinese Medicine. "The cause of frozen shoulder is unknown, but it probably involves and underlying inflammatory process. The capsule surrounding the shoulder joint thickens and contracts. This leaves less space for the upper arm bone (humerus) to move around. Frozen shoulder can also develop after a prolonged immobilization because of trauma or surgery to the joint... The symptoms are primarily pain and a very reduced range of motion in the joint. The range of motion is the same whether you are trying to move the shoulder under your own power or if someone else is trying to raise the arm for you. There comes a point in each direction of movement where the motion simply stops as if there is something blocking the movement. The shoulder usually hurts when movement reach the limit of the range of motion, and can be quite painful at night. Major Treatments or Medications Treatment of the frozen shoulder can be frustrating and slow. Most cases will eventually improve, but it may be a process that takes months. Initial treatment and increasing the range of motion of the shoulder with a stretching program. Anti-inflammatory medications may be prescribed. It is critical that a Physical Therapy program be started and continued to regain the loss of motion. An injection of cortisone and long-acting anesthetic, similar to novocaine, may bring the inflammation under better control, and allow the stretching program to be more effective. In some cases, injecting a long-acting anesthetic along with the cortisone right before a stretching session with the Physical Therapist can allow the therapist to break up adhesions while the shoulder is numb from the anesthetic. If progress is slow, your doctor may recommend a manipulation of the shoulder while you are under anesthesia. This procedure allows your doctor to stretch the shoulder joint capsule, and break up the scar tissue while you are asleep. In most cases, a manipulation of the shoulder will increase the motion in the shoulder joint faster than allowing nature to take its course. It may be necessary to repeat this procedure several times. Related terms in TCM The first description of frozen shoulder was provided by the French physician E.S. Duplay in 1872. During the 20th century a corresponding Chinese term arose: "50-years shoulder" (wushi jian), referring to the typical age of onset of the disorder; the term frozen shoulder (jianning) is also used in China. While there are numerous references to traditional style Chinese medical treatments for problems of the shoulder area, investigations into the use of the therapies specifically aimed at frozen shoulder have only been described in the last few years. Pathogenesis Traditional Chinese Medicine differentiates frozen shoulder into three types:nyctcm.edu, Frozen shoulder, Feb 2010
You should read the whole article.
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