FROZEN SHOULDER & HOMOEOPATHY

WHAT IS FROZEN SHOULDER?
EXERCISES TO IMPROVE MOBILITY
WHAT CAN HOMOEOPATHY DO
COMMON REMEDIES FOR FROZEN SHOULDER

The other day Anil Kumble became the highest wicket taker for India in one day internationals, the secret of his success being his perseverance against all odds. Whether it is a broken jaw or an injured shoulder he is at it all the time, so to say. The legendary Steve Waugh himself had said that Kumble is a bowler facing whom you can never relax for a moment. The long and arduous career had some periods where his shoulder needed some care but came back strongly to torment the batsmen.

WHAT IS FROZEN SHOULDER?

The shoulder is a ball and socket joint wherein the long bone in the arm, the humerus fits into the shallow socket of the joint like the golf ball in the tee. It is surrounded by a thick tissue called the shoulder capsule and a synovial fluid which helps in lubrication during movement of the shoulder. Sometimes the fluid decreases and the capsule contracts allowing limited movement of the joint leading to Frozen shoulder.

Frozen shoulder could occur during injury, period of complete rest without using the shoulder after injury. It is also more common in diabetics and patients of heart disease and hyperthyroidism.

The inflammation of the capsule of the shoulder also occurs in tennis players using the lob and forehand. (Remember Ramesh Krishnan’s innocent lobs from the baseline and Steffi Graf’s blistering forehand cross court shots?)

Patients complain of pain which usually increases at night. Gradually there is pain on slightest movement which keeps increasing in intensity as time progresses. They need to voluntarily limit their motion to restrain from aggravating the pain.

EXERCISES TO IMPROVE MOBILITY

• Lie on your back with your arms at your sides. Lift one arm straight up and over your head. Grab your elbow with your other arm and exert gentle pressure to stretch the arm as far as you can.
• Stand and lift one arm straight out to the side. Keeping the arm at the same height, bring it to the front and across your body. As it passes the front of your body, grab the elbow with your other arm and exert gentle pressure to stretch the shoulder
• Drape a towel over the opposite shoulder, and grab it with your hand behind your back. Gently pull the towel upward with your other hand. You should feel the stretch in your shoulder and upper arm.

WHAT CAN HOMOEOPATHY DO

Homoeopathy has good remedies to see that the pain and stiffness of the joint is reduced so that the mobility is increased. It has good remedies to see that the inflammation of the shoulder capsule is reduced so that the elasticity of the tissue is improved thereby relieving the frozen shoulder. It also has good remedies to correct the changes due to injury too restoring the strength into the shoulder joint.

COMMON REMEDIES FOR FROZEN SHOULDER

FERRUM MET will relieve the pain in the right shoulder in patients who experience worsening of pain at night.
KALMIA relieves the pain in the shoulder which seems to be associated with the weakness and numbness of the limb affected.
PHYTOLACCA will relieve the pain and stiffness of the shoulder which prevents the ability to raise the arm.
SANGUINARIA relieves the pain in the right shoulder apart from the pain in nape of neck radiating down into the upper limb like Cervical Spondylosis.
SPIGELIA relieves the pain usually when the left shoulder is affected.