Frozen shoulder is a condition where the patient encounters continuous shoulder stiffness and pain. It could last for several weeks. Inflammation around the shoulder increases the inability to move or stretch properly. This happens when somebody is recovering from an injury. Frozen shoulder can also occur when somebody is wearing a sling or a cast. It also occurs if someone is recovering from surgery or experiencing joint pain. It may also be experienced as a symptom of thyroid, joint disorders or diabetes.

Some of the causes and risk factors for creating a frozen shoulder are as follows:

    If you are 40 years or older, your chances of a frozen shoulder are higher than others
    Recovering from a damage or surgery
    Hormonal imbalance
    Ladies are more prone to a frozen shoulder
    Cervical disc infection that influences the nerves around the shoulder
    Not moving your arm because of other pain or wounds
    Having a previous medical condition like diabetes or other heart diseases
    Open-heart surgery or spinal surgeries
    Poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle

The most widely recognized symptoms of a frozen shoulder include:

    Stiffness around the shoulder usually happens in one shoulder at a time (not both) and will probably return in the same shoulder. Muscle, joint and bone agony in and around the shoulders or arms may be experienced.
    Restricted scope of movement
    Having difficulty moving and using the shoulders or arms ordinarily, (for example, experiencing difficulty in getting dressed, driving, holding objects before you, and gestures.)

Treatment:

    Stretch the Shoulder: Before beginning shoulder exercises for a frozen shoulder, try to warm up your shoulder by doing a few warm up exercises. This will improve the blood supply in the affected area and avoid future injuries by making your body more comfortable with the motion. The best approach is to extend and warm up the shoulder by applying heat for 10 to 15 minutes, scrubbing down or showering with Epsom salt.
    Non-intrusive treatment: While these activities mentioned above can be easily performed at home, if pain continues and makes it difficult to move around or work ordinarily, see a physiotherapist who can appoint particular activities and can enhance your scope of movement, flexibility and strength.
    Acupuncture: Acupuncture is considered one of the best treatment choices for any joint and nerve related problem. The treatment is based on focusing on the trigger points of the pain and putting pressure on them via needles. The treatment is not painful and is known to produce good results in the long run.
    Dietary Supplements: Various supplements can be taken with the recommendation of a doctor, in order to improve recovery. Alfalfa (horse feed) and turmeric are two of the most regularly recommended elements that relieve swelling and repair the tissue in the shoulder.

Best Remedies for a Frozen Shoulder

Gout is a disease of the joints. It is a kind of arthritis, which is caused by the deposition of uric acid in the joints. The deposited uric acid causes inflammation of the joints. The disease occurs when our body fails to eliminate the excess uric acid in blood by excretion or the production of the acid is increased.

The level of uric acid in our bodies goes up when the amount of purines in our meals is increased. Purines are responsible for the production of uric acid. They are found in meats, alcohol, sea food and other food items. When digestion of these foods takes place inside the body, purine is released into the blood stream. Uric acid level is also increased by a sedentary lifestyle. Sometimes other factors like intake of insufficient water, consumption of medicines and obesity can also affect the uric acid level in the blood.

Symptoms of Gout

One will notice a redness and swelling around the affected joint. Gout commonly affects the big toe, ankles, hands and wrists. The patient has to deal with intense shooting pain in the joint. The patient also feels some itching in the affected region. Some patients develop nodules called tophi in the joints.

Homeopathy Treatment for Gout

In most cases, patients seeking allopathic treatment for gout take frequent pain killers to get rid of the pain. The pain killers will provide temporary relief. But the main problem persists. However, homeopathy treats the root cause of the problem and aims at eradicating the disease completely. In this article, three commonly used homeopathic medicines used for treating gout have been listed. However, these medicines may not suit all individuals with gout. The effectiveness of the medicines largely depends on the patient s lifestyle. These medicines are listed below:

    Colchicum: It is the primary medicine given to patients suffering from gout. It is good for the treatment of the chronic cases. It is given to patients who suffer from pain in the big toe. The pain is unbearable, when the affected area is touched. The region turns hot, red and swollen. In these patients, the pain starts from the left side usually. The patient feels feverish. Their problem will intensify in warm weather. Their joints get stiffer.

    Ledum Pal: It is for patients who suffer from gout pain travelling upwards. The pain is likely to start from the patient s feet and travel towards the knees. The patient will not be able to bear external warmth. The patient feels better with cold application.

    Benzoic Acid: This medicine is for patients who suffer from gout along with offensive urine. The odour of the urine is intolerable. The colour of the urine is unusual brown in colour sometimes. There is a cracking sound in the joints.

Homoeopathic medicines can be a big boon for all those who suffer from high uric acid. These medicines work by reducing the uric acids overproduction by the body and accelerating the removal of this waste product from through the kidneys.

Homoeopathy is known to control the uric acid diathesis and is also useful in acute attacks. Homeopathy helps in controlling the pain during the acute attack of gout as well as helps in preventing the recurrence of such episodes. It helps in reducing stiffness and improves the mobility of the joints.

One big advantage that homoeopathy offers in the treatment of high uric acid is that once treated the chances of relapse are very less, this is also subjected to the condition that diet and Alcohol and weight are well controlled.

With continued treatment from a specialised homeopath, the patient notices reduction in the frequency of attacks and intensity of pains with gradually leading to complete cure.

Suffering from Gout - Can Homeopathy Help in Treating it?

Acupuncture is a Chinese method of treatment which aims at maintaining the energy balance in the body. The procedure involves stimulating the energy channels of the body by using fine steel needles. It enhances the production of endorphins (pain controlling hormones) in the body, therefore less pain.


Signs you are suffering from arthritis
Arthritis is a disorder that is characterized by inflammation and swelling in the joints. The symptoms of arthritis are tenderness in the joints, fatigue, fever and stiffness in the joints that worsen in the morning. Initially, the smaller joints in the body are affected; it then progresses to joints in the elbows, wrists and the knees. 


Causes behind it
Arthritis is caused when the immune system starts attacking the membrane surrounding the joints. Inflammation occurs, resulting in destruction of the bone and cartilage. It causes the ligaments and the tendons holding the joint to weaken. The joints then starts to lose their original alignment and shape.


Dietary guidelines you must follow
You need to follow dietary guidelines such as avoiding refined and processed foods as they can contribute to the inflammation of the joints. You also need to steer clear of foods which may trigger a reaction from your immune system. Mild exercises to strengthen the joints may be performed to improve mobility.


Acupuncture and arthritis
The procedure begins with the practitioner applying alcohol to the affected spot and tapping the area with a needle. The disorder determines the number of needles required, the spots of insertion and the depth to which they have to be inserted. The duration for which the needles are kept in the body ranges from a few minutes to an hour. In order to enhance the effect of the needles, they may be heated or energized electrically. You may experience a tingling sensation in case electricity is used. 


Acupuncture is a holistic method of treatment that has no side effects. It does not involve chemicals; so it is safe to use. It will not cure the disorder, but can reduce the pain to a large extent. One of the added benefits of this procedure is that no matter, which part of the body is subjected to this process, it does help calm your mind down.

Arthritis - How Acupuncture is used to Treat it

Plantar fasciitis is a common condition that gives rise to heel pain. A thick band of tissue runs across the bottom part of the foot and connects the heel bone to the toes. This leads to inflammation. Those who suffer from plantar fasciitis experience stabbing pain especially when you take the first few steps after waking up in the morning.

As you are up and start moving in the morning, you will feel that the pain decreases. However, after long periods of inactivity or standing in one place the pain might return.

This condition is seen to occur more commonly in runners. Additionally, people who wear improper shoes, lacking adequate support and/or are overweight stand at a greater risk of getting plantar fasciitis.

Signs of Plantar Fasciitis-

Few symptoms of plantar fasciitis include-

  Stabbing pain felt at the bottom of the heels
  Pain arising immediately after exercising but not during it

Cause of Plantar Fasciitis-

Normally, the plantar fascia (ligament tissue) can play the role of a shock absorber, mainly a bowstring that supports the arch in the foot. When tension and stress build up on the bowstring, tiny tears can start to crop up within the fascia. Constant tearing and stretching can lead the fascia to become inflamed and irritated. Many times the cause of plantar fasciitis in certain patients is not entirely clear.

What Makes You Susceptible to Plantar Fascia?

Although the condition of Plantar Fascia can arise without any bulletproof reason, there are certain factors that make you more susceptible to it. These include-

  Age - Those who are aged above 40 but below 60 are more prone to getting this condition
  Obesity - Those who are overweight will inadvertently put greater pressure on the plantar fascia
  Exercises- Certain exercises tend to put more pressure on the heels than others. These exercise types include jumping activities, long-distance running, aerobic dance and ballet dance.
  Foot Type - Those who have an arched foot or are flat-footed, or tend to walk in an abnormal manner are at a greater risk of putting pressure on the plantar fascia
  Your Job Type - Teachers and factory workers who tend to be on their feet a lot or have to walk on hard surfaces may put stress on their plantar fascia

Plantar Fasciitis is a condition that needs immediate attention because when left untreated it could develop into chronic pain and thus become a source of constant pain. In order to prevent it from hampering your daily activities ensure to change the way you walk. This will minimize the hip, knee and back problems in the future.

Plantar Fasciitis - Signs, Causes & Triggers Of It! 

The neck and shoulder have a huge range of movement and thus they are more prone to injury. The ball and socket joint at the upper arm is the shoulder and both the neck and the shoulder are made up of soft tissues, muscles and ligaments. 

Reasons behind pain Injured rotator cuffs: 

Rotator cuffs are the tendons supporting the shoulder. If they are injured it might lead to a chronic loss of the range of movement. This is more commonly known as a frozen shoulder. 

Dislocation: Dislocated disc of the neck or shoulder due to an accident would cause severe pain in the affected area. 
Fractures: Fractured collarbone or the upper arm bone may result in chronic pain. 
Tendonitis: This occurs due to the over usage of the arms or neck or strains due to over exertion like in sports. 
An unstable shoulder joint: If there is instability in the ball and socket joint of the upper arm, chances of having a chronic pain is high. Others: Degenerative arthritis, herniated disc, and even heart attacks can be the other possible causes of chronic neck and shoulder pain. 
When to go to the doctor? 

When the patient experiences a pain due to a severe blow or injury, the neck pain radiates down the legs and arms, a feeling of numbness and tingling sensation, or has a stiff neck with fever or vomiting, it is essential to seek the advice of a Doctor. 

Diagnosis for shoulder and neck pain X-ray: 

The main form of diagnosing a pain is an x-ray. It helps to reveal diseases from arthritis, tumour, slipped disc, narrowing spinal cord, fractures and spinal cord instability. 

MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging or simply the MRI reveals the detail of nerve-related issues along with the problems in the ligaments and tendons. 
CT scan: There may be instances when the injuries are difficult to be diagnosed. And, in the case of a fracture, a CT Scan is advised for more details. It is also an alternative to MRI. 
ECG: An Electrocardiogram is a way of diagnosis if shoulder and neck pain continues along with chest pain or shortness of breath. If there is a risk of an individual having a heart attack, then an ECG is recommended. 
Electro Diagnosis: Electromyography referred to as EMG and Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV) are used to diagnose pain in the arm, neck, shoulder followed by a numb feeling on the affected areas. 
Treatment for chronic shoulder and neck pain 
A simple sprain on the neck and shoulder would demand a rest for a few days along with pain medication. If the pain is due to muscle spasms application of dry or moist heat may provide relief. In the case of a swelling due to injuries, a cold ice pack 4 to 8 times a day will provide immense relief. Patients might be advised a cast or sling for the shoulder pain. The soft tissues in the neck and shoulder can be treated with pain relievers taken for a few days. Muscle relaxants are also prescribed depending on the severity of the pain. Local corticosteroid injections are helpful for shoulder arthritis. Platelet rich plasma injection is another modern treatment for arthritis or tendinopathy. In some situation, radio frequency procedures are very helpful. Exercises are very effective for both neck and shoulder pain movement. Surgery might be an option if nerve roots are affected.

Chronic Shoulder & Neck Pain - Ways It Can Be Diagnosed!

What does neck and shoulder pain indicate?

The stabbing pain that you experience around the neck and shoulder region should never be ignored as they may indicate health problems that require medical attention. There are certain points that you need to keep in mind the if you experience prolonged pain in these areas of the body.

1. Neck injury? your neck and shoulder pain should be seen as a warning sign that you need to take a look at the neck injury you may have sustained during a rear-end automobile accident. More specifically, whiplash injuries that happen when the head experiences a sudden backward and forward jerk, straining the tissues of the neck. 

2. Pain in these areas of the body could indicate abnormalities in the vertebrae of your neck such as herniated disc, causing added pressure on the nerves of the spinal cord.

3. Your neck and shoulder pain complaint may also point towards muscle strains. Lifestyle factors like working long hours in front of laptops or desktops leave you with no time and zero energy to exercise, resulting in serious neck and shoulder pains.

4. Your neck and shoulder pain may also indicate the problem of cervical spondylosis. This is a degenerative disc disease, which is characterised by severe pain that originates from the neck and radiates till the shoulders.

5. Even heart problems, such as a heart attack can cause pain in the shoulder and the neck. When this happens, the condition is known as referred pain.

6. Adopting an improper body posture during lifting of heavy materials can induce pain in your body parts, with neck and shoulders being the most vulnerable areas.

7. You may be suffering from a condition known as rotator cuff injury in which the group of ligaments and muscles that support the shoulder get injured during lifting or playing any sport.

To avoid aggravating the pain from becoming more severe, you shouldn't ignore any ache that arises from these areas.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'.

Related Tip: 6 Effective Ways to Keep Away Body Pains, esp. When Temperatures Dip

What Does Neck and Shoulder Pain Indicate?

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