Frozen Shoulder is the lay mans term for what is medically termed "Adhesive Capulitis." Most Dr's will say that they do not know what causes it, and that there is no known "cure".
My experience with this "disorder" started when I woke up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain, unable to move my shoulder, arm, or even the slightest movements in my hand. I had not had an "injury" so to speak with my arm, and had even been playing volleyball every week for the last several months. So a week later when I finally went to the Dr. and received this diagnosis, I was not comforted to hear that a typical Frozen Shoulder lasts usually a minimum of 2 months and as long as 5 years. I have known people personally that have had surgery for correcting this problem as well. Whether or not that is a reliable fix, I am skeptical.
As I mentioned before, they don't know what causes it. Honestly I think it is somewhat of a "copout" diagnoses that is given when everything else is ruled out. No torn rotator cuff, no broken bones, etc.
I am not one who generally goes to a Dr. for advice, unless there is something beyond my ability to handle, and in this case it was the pain. Once I got that under control, I was able to focus on fixing the arm myself. When I DO go to a Dr., I use a Naturopathic Physician.
Through a weekly regimen of massage, stretching, and using Essential Oils, I was able to see a huge improvement within 2 weeks from starting the treatments. Now 5 weeks later, I would say I am at about 98% of normal function in the arm. There are still signs of weakness from literally not using it for several weeks, but the ability and range of motion are totally back.
Just a note, not all massage therapists are equal. It is necessary to have a MT that is well trained, and knows how to perform deep tissue massage WITHOUT bruising your entire body. Bruising, though sometimes a side effect, is not the best way to accomplish healing. You will definitely feel it later, but it should not overshadow the original problem you went in for. And a good MT will tell you to drink lots of water to flush toxins out of your body, as well as ice the areas that deep tissue massage was performed. It is also important to listen to your body, and let your MT know if something is hurting more than is good, and if you think you need to stop.
Although my knowledge is really quite small about exactly how Essential Oils work and the science behind using them, I did look up some instructions on how to create blends for yourself, and I created a recipe that worked for me in helping with the inflammation and healing of my Frozen Shoulder.
It is important to ad the oils in the order they are listed:
Added in the following order:
1 oz. Fractionated Coconut oil (or fill a 10ml bottle 3/4 full with Fractionated Coconut oil)
Winter green - 3 drops
Peppermint - 2 drops
Basil -15 drops
Birch -10 drops
Frankincense -8 drops
Lemongrass - 15 drops
White Fir - 12 drops
Lavender - 4 drops
Lemon - 4 drops
Now just to cover my @$& I need to say that these statements have not be evaluated by the FDA and that this information is not intended to be used as medical advice as the author is not a physician. This recipe has not been proven to treat, diagnose or cure any of the above mentioned ailments. Blah blah blah, yadda yadda... :-)
