Adhesive Capsulitis
Adhesive Capsulitis
Adhesive Capsulitis Treatment, Natural Cure Doctor, Costa Mesa, Orange County, California, Dr. Robert Janda, Chiropractor, Natural Healing, Traditional Naturopath, Naturopathic Healing.
We will discuss the shoulder joint here since this is were adhesive capsulitis is most commonly manifested, although it can occur in any joint including the fingers. All joints in the body are enclosed in a fibrous capsule that encloses a fluid that bathes the joint for lubrication. For various reasons this capsule can become inflamed. The symptoms are usually pain with movement of the shoulder, which can become so bad that the shoulder can ‘freeze up’ causing Frozen Shoulder. When less advanced the pain will usually manifest at a certain degree of joint motion and limit the range of motion.
Causes
What causes the inflammation? As the name suggests, adhesions can form on the capsule which tug on the joint. This repeated tugging causes a repeditive motion type of inflammation. However, since adhesions themselves are usually caused by inflammation, this explanation is not complete. Usually the primary inflammation is caused by some repeditive rubbing, for example, using the joint in an abnormal manner as one might do in a gym with pull down exercises behind the neck. Other options are trauma and infection. With trauma the tearing of tissues around the joint will tend to heal with scar tissue which is less flexible than the original tissues. This lack of stretch can pull on the adjacent tissues when the joint is used later, causing inflammation and further adhesions to form.
Infection, particularly subclinical infections are more common than you might think. Mycoplasms, in particular, are attracted to joints and may be the etiological agent in Rheumatoid Arthritis. The shoulder joint is not immune and the inflammation from the infection can cause adhesions also.
Treatment
What treatment is effective? If there is still an infection present, that needs to be addressed first and may need antibiotics. If not responsive to antibiotics, other options may help rid the joint of infection. Mycoplasmic infections only respond to Tetracycline and associated antibiotics, and may take prolonged treatment to be effective. Sometimes herbal treatment will work faster.
Once the infection is cleared, the inflammation needs to be addressed with cold application, iontoporesis and ultrasound. When the joint can be moved procedures are initiated to remove the adhesions. The most effective treatment is a combination of Applied Kenisiology to determine the exact location of the adhesions and some form of deep myofascial release. The best of these is Active Release Technique, a chiropractic technique developed by Dr. Michael Leihe. In some cases, remarkable progress can me made in 1 or 2 visits. Sometimes more treatment is necessary, but usually there is a sense of progress as the treatment progresses, such as decreasing pain and increasing range of motion. Our clinic is very successful with these types of problems.