The most common shoulder symptoms are pain on movement and restricted range of motion due to certain types of soft tissue inflammation or joint degeneration. Muscles connect the shoulder girdle to the spine; the arm largely hangs off the scapula and the soft tissues around the shoulder joints take the strain of the whole area.

Flexibility of the shoulder joint is ensured by the strength of the muscles of the arms and the stability of the ligaments and tendons around the whole area. The soft tissues of the shoulder have to cope with much more mechanical stress than other more stable structures such as the hips. As a result, the shoulder becomes prone to a wide range of traumatic and degenerative problems such as tendonitis; partial tear of the supraspinatus tendon; acute and chronic inflammation of the tendons; acute and chronic inflammation of the muscles; bursitis; sprains and dislocation; and arthritis. These conditions are mainly caused by over use; over strain - especially repeated strain; calcification; inflammation of the cartilage associated with recurrent infection; toxic irritation; poor nutritional status of the bones and muscles and surrounding structures; poor immune function; allergy; and chronic mental and emotional stress.

If the inflammation of the shoulder structure becomes chronic, the person may completely lose the ability to move their shoulder. This leads to all sorts of difficulties in coping with daily life: sleeping, writing, driving, brushing hair, opening doors, even pouring tea into a cup. The patient can lose almost total shoulder joint and muscle strength, which can be very debilitating. This condition is referred to as ‘frozen shoulder’ (adhesive capsulitis).
Modern medical treatment primarily involves the use of anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers to control, or temporarily relieve, the symptoms. In severe cases, a cortisone injection is given to rapidly reduce the inflammation. While this may give the patient some mobility, it does not promote healing of the joint; in fact, it may have a deleterious effect, promoting faster loss of calcium and creating long-term damage to the joints and cartilage.

Frozen shoulder can easily be prevented. If you have any type of shoulder pain, or experience gradual increase of loss of range of motion, don’t simply turn to painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs. Instead, seek holistic treatments. The combination of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, osteopathy, Bowen technique and nutritional therapy are extremely effective in both eliminating the cause of the shoulder disease and helping to promote healing of the joint.

Taking drugs to alleviate pain can potentially delay the need for the proper treatment and allow the condition to become chronic. Frozen shoulder always starts with minor shoulder pain or movement restriction: if you ignore that twinge and think that it will disappear by itself, you run the risk of having a minor problem progress to a chronic one. And chronic inflammation is much harder to treat and manage than acute inflammation.

The inflammation of the shoulder can be reduced by specific nutrients such as magnesium, calcium, vitamins D and C, activated vitamin B6, glucosamine, mucopolysaccharides, bromelain and certain amino acids including dl phenylalanine. These nutritional compounds not only reduce the inflammation, they also increase protein synthesis, facilitate the repair of the connective tissue, improve muscle performance and restore bone and cartilage growth. Additionally, they increase blood-vessel strength and integrity and improve immune system function.

Emotional status cannot be ignored, for emotional and mental stress is often the trigger for shoulder complaints. Some people carry so much emotional and mental burden in their lives that they suffer a constant feeling of heaviness and tension on their backs and shoulders. In such cases, emotional counselling needs to be incorporated in the treatment to prevent the disease recurring.
On a physical level, if the frozen shoulder is caused primarily by physical obstruction, acupuncture is extremely effective. I also use bovine cartilage extract to reduce inflammation and promote healing. In instances of acute inflammation and swelling, I prescribe natural anti-inflammatory nutrients such as bromelain, quercetin, turmeric and ginger. The herbs horsetail and oatstraw help deal with calcification, and if the problem is caused by a build up of toxins or allergy, I put patients through a detoxification regimen.