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Frozen Shoulder Physical Therapy

Dr Vidale in only 4 weeks helped me get to a place where I no longer had pain but was able to strengthen my shoulder. He also left me with a solid plan to keep the injury from recurring.

– Michael J.

I came to Therapydia for knee surgery recovery but told Jen about chronic hip paid from a pulled groin muscle that occurred more than 10 years earlier, plus chronic shoulder pain and she concluded that it was all related. The work she is doing across all three problem areas is definitely making a difference! I actually asked my orthopedist for another prescription when my first one ran out so I could keep going. If you’re looking for a PT that is NOT running an assembly line of patients lying on massage tables or getting some kind of heat therapy, but actually giving patients 1-1 time and attention, go to Therapydia.

– Bridget R.

Dr. Vidale helped me recover from a SLAP tear in my shoulder (rock climbing injury) and problems that I developed running two marathons (IT band syndrome, patellofemoral pain syndrome). Dr. Vidale was able to get me back to performing at my pre-injury level, and I couldn’t be happier with the treatment I received. He’s truly a top-notch practitioner.

– G.F.

Frozen Shoulder Relief

Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, causes stiffness and pain in your shoulder joint. The shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint that is lubricated by synovial fluid and is surrounded by strong connective tissue called shoulder capsule.

Frozen shoulder occurs when there is a lack of synovial fluid between the upper arm bone and shoulder blade causing scar tissue to build up in the shoulder capsule. The scar tissue takes up more room in the shoulder joint which leads to a decrease in the shoulder range of motion and stiffness. Frozen shoulder makes it difficult to do simple movements such as lifting one’s arm overhead and becomes more painful at night and can disrupt sleep.

3 Stages

    Frozen shoulder typically develops in three stages and each stage may last 3-4 months.

    Common symptoms are:

    • 1. Freezing stage: Any movement of your shoulder causes pain, and your shoulder’s range of motion starts to become limited.
    • 2. Frozen stage: Pain may begin to diminish during this stage. However, your shoulder becomes stiffer, and using it becomes more difficult.
    • 3. Thawing stage: The range of motion in your shoulder begins to improve.

    It is recommended to see a physical therapist before it develops into the frozen stage. Physical therapists will help improve your shoulder range of motion in all directions including extension, rotation, flexion, adduction and abduction.

Why Physical Therapy

    Physical therapy can help you recovery more quickly and for the long-term, regardless of what stage you’re in.

    • 1. Freezing stage treatment:Through manual therapy and a custom exercise program, our physical therapists will help maintain your range of motion and reduce any pain you may be feeling. Heat and ice can help relax the muscle prior to doing exercises.
    • 2. Frozen stage treatment: We will take a more aggressive approach and utilize manual therapy techniques to mobilize the shoulder joint to improve your range of motion. During each visit, we will work on increasing your range of motion across all directions and prescribe exercises that will gradually help you move without pain.
    • 3. Thawing stage treatment: We want to help you get back to the activities you love doing, pain-free. During this stage, we will continue to utilize manual therapy techniques and develop additional exercises to get your range of motion back to normal.

About Therapydia DC

Better Physical Therapy Experience

At Therapydia DC, our physical therapists offer one-on-one, hands-on frozen shoulder treatment. You’ll spend your entire with one of our expert therapists – we won’t hand you off to a PT assistant or aide. We’ll help you understand what’s causing your pain, what you can do to relieve your pain and ways to prevent reoccurring injuries. Best of all, you’re covered. Therapydia works with and provides billing for most PPO insurance groups and Medicare. We also accept cash-based payments.

  • Lifetime Wellness
  • Hands-On-Care
  • Quality Treatment
  • Tim Vidale, DPT
    Clinic Director
    and Physical Therapist
  • Jennifer Nelson, DPT
    Physical Therapist

Schedule Your Appointment

Start your physical therapy treatment with Therapydia
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or call us at (202) 833-1381