Frozen Shoulder After a Stroke

I have this frozen shoulder BEFORE the stroke (skateboarding, swimming, baseball, etc), and the stroke made it worse.

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Several studies suggest thatĀ Frozen ShoulderĀ may be one of the most significant causes ofĀ shoulderĀ painĀ after stroke. It can occur in up to 25% of individuals suffering aĀ strokeĀ within 6 months.

Here is what helps a lot:


Frozen shoulder after stroke can be a painful condition that hinders your quality of life.

If you want to treat frozen shoulder and relieve the pain, youā€™re in the right place! Youā€™re about to learn:

  • WhatĀ causesĀ frozen shoulder in stroke patients
  • How toĀ cope with painĀ from frozen shoulder
  • How toĀ treatĀ frozen shoulder with 5 effective remedies

We wonā€™t use any crazy clinical terms, and we wonā€™t bore you to death either.Ā Weā€™ll keep everything plain and simple.Ā Letā€™s get started.

What Causes Frozen Shoulder After Stroke?

When the arm is affected by stroke, it can become stiffened byĀ spasticity.Ā When spasticity prevents your arm muscles from supporting your arm, problems may develop.

First, the shoulder may become partially dislocated in a condition known asĀ shoulder subluxation after stroke. With the upper arm partially out of itā€™s socket, gravity continues to pull and stress the join.

Frozen shoulder develops when the ligaments in your shoulder socket become stressed and inflamed from this ā€œpulling.ā€

I get this even so often, and I know that itĀ is to backoff. Normally, what I do “push harder”, buuut that when was teens – 20s years old. Now, I back off immediately. I made the mistake once during the stroke. It’s took me 3 months to get to back to normal (well, stroke-normal.).

This condition is often painful, but can be treated with the methods presented in this article.

Treatment for Frozen Shoulder After Stroke

If you want to heal frozen shoulder after stroke, talk to your therapist about trying these treatments:

1. Physical Therapy

I need to do this. 2 – 3 times a week.

Here is my physical therapy… but I gotta do it. RoowR!! And you physical fit guy and gals, just do it anyways. Ha!

I am working with these two:

CHA Hospital Medical Center
*Mr.Ā Na Sung-Hyun,Ā Rehabilitation Dept / Staff
*Me
*Mr. Hong Jeong-Min, Rehabilitation Dept / Staff

Na-Richard-Hong

therapist helping patient treat frozen shoulder after stroke

Rehab exercise is the best treatment for frozen shoulder after stroke.

Because in order to get rid of spasticity in your arm, you need to reconnect your mind to muscle with repetitive practice.

This simply means thatĀ usingĀ your arm will help youĀ improveĀ your arm. This happens throughĀ neuroplasticity, where your brain rewires itself based on what you do over and over.

The more you practice arm andĀ shoulder rehab exercises, the better your brain will get at controlling your arm.

And as your brain regains control of your arm, your spasticity will slowly go away.

And as your spasticity goes away, your frozen shoulder will improve.

2. Electrical Stimulation (E-Stim)

Or Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) (źø°ėŠ„ģ„± ģ „źø° ģžź·¹)

I definitely do this!! I do this 5 – 7 times daily.Ā electrical stimulation device for frozen shoulder after stroke

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If you want to give yourself a boost, try combining rehab exercise with e-stim.

Electrical StimulationĀ is a great way to reduce spasticity by reconnecting mind to muscle.

Your brain controls movement by sending electrical impulses to your muscles. When movement is affected by stroke, itā€™s because the brain cannot send those signals.

By sending electrical stimulation to your muscles, you help retrain your brain how to communicate with your muscles.

According to the research, thereā€™s moderate evidence for combining e-stim with physical therapy to treat frozen shoulder.

3. Botox

(This botox is something I do NOT do, but here it is for the general knowhow.)

nurse administering botox for stroke patient with frozen shoulder

Botox is a great way to reduce spasticity in the short-term. Itā€™s an effective compensation technique.

So why are we mentioning it down here with the long-term treatments?

BecauseĀ thereā€™sĀ strong evidenceĀ for treating frozen shoulder by combining Botox with physical therapy.

So if you want to really jumpstart your results, try using Botox to temporarily reduce the spasticity in your arm.

Then, use the temporary boost in mobility to get lots of gentle, repetitive exercise in with your arm and shoulder.

This joint approach is the best way to treat frozen shoulder after stroke.

4. Shoulder Taping (Good for Pain)

therapist using shoulder tape for stroke patient with frozen shoulder

If your shoulder is in pain from frozen shoulder, then shoulder taping could help. While this doesnā€™t treat the root cause, it can help alleviate pain while you work on rehabilitation.

During shoulder taping, a special tape is used to hold your arm in place.

A therapistā€™s guidance is essential for learning how to properly tape your shoulder (or train your caregiver how to do it).

5. Slings

If your arm is completely flaccid (i.e. there is no movement at all), then a shoulder sling could help reduce pain and prevent shoulder subluxation.

Warning:Ā When you donā€™t use your arm, youā€™ll lose your arm. So if you use a sling, remember to be diligent about gentlyĀ exercising your armĀ regularly.

Otherwise it will become very difficult to regain use of your arm later.

Which Frozen Shoulder Treatment Is Right for You?

If you suffer from frozen shoulder after stroke, itā€™s important to talk with your therapist about treatment.

treating frozen shoulder after stroke

Therapists can show you how to tape your arm properly, apply e-stim correctly, and exercise your shoulder safely.

We also have lots of free resources for you to help supplement your therapistā€™s advice.

Try starting withĀ these shoulder rehab exercisesĀ and reading up onĀ this guide to treating spasticity for good.

Your recovery is in your hands, so empower yourself with as much information as you can.


>> FlintRehab Frozen Shoulder after a stroke

And I also likeĀ Saebo for their blog. I’ll be reading, of course.

Figgghhttiinnggg!!!!

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Richard Min

Innovation, tech startups and fashion startups acceleration, plant-based food (new!) and a whole bunch of life stuff.

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