Home remedies for frozen shoulder | TheHealthSite.com (2024)

Relieve pain in your shoulder with these herbal remedies.

Frozen shoulder is the condition in which the capsule around the shoulder joint tightens around the bone. Even small movements lead to an intense pain and naturally, you avoid moving the shoulder. Ironically, this lack of movement only causes the condition to aggravate until no movement is possible. Therefore, it is important to keep the shoulder moving a little under controlled conditions for a few minutes every day. Besides, there are a few home remedies you can try in the initial stages of a frozen shoulder to prevent the condition from worsening.

Heat, exercise and ice

Applying moist heat to the affected shoulder helps to loosen the muscles surrounding the joint. Use a heating pad or soak a washcloth in hot water and apply to the affected area for about 10 minutes. After this, do the following simple stretching exercises:

• Lie on your back, place a long pole on your thighs and grasp it with your hands. Gradually raise the pole until the point when it starts causing discomfort, hold for a few seconds and slowly lower the pole to the initial position. Repeat this stretch about 10 times.
• Stand with your arms hanging by your side and slowly swing the affected arm backward and forward a few times like a pendulum. Next, swing it from left to right and back; also, move clockwise and anti-clockwise to make small circles. Do these movements gently without any abrupt action.

Stand a little away from the door frame, raise the arm of the affected shoulder and place it on the doorframe. Lean towards the frame and feel the stretch extending from the arm to the shoulder. Hold for a few seconds; relax the arm, then again lean in. Repeat this entire sequence a few times.

After this set of exercises, apply an ice pack on the affected shoulder to reduce any inflammation that may arise during the exercise.

Castor oil massage

Castor oil has been used since ages on swellings due to rheumatism and gout. It contains an ingredient called ricinoleic acid that has been found to have an anti-inflammatory action and this helps reduce the swelling and pain of a frozen shoulder, too. However, it is important to use gentle movements when massaging the oil to avoid internal damage of the shoulder joint; therefore, such massage is best done by an Ayurveda expert trained in this art. Here are some more benefits of castor oil.

Eucalyptus oil

Eucalyptus oil is considered as having warming properties and therefore, a good home remedy to deal with conditions such as frozen shoulder. Apply a little eucalyptus oil gently onto the affected area for a few days to get relief from the pain. Did you know these other benefits of this oil?

Herbal remedies

Certain herbs are useful in providing nourishment to muscles and they also have adaptogenic properties which help to prevent the ill effects of stress. Considering that frozen shoulder is a condition that gets aggravated due to stress, the use of such herbs can help in the healing process. Examples of such herbs include Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) and Gandha Prasarini (Paederia foetida). These herbs act to reduce the stiffness, inflammation and pain associated with frozen shoulder. However, it is important to remember that these are powerful herbs with other actions, too; therefore, they must be used only under the supervision of a qualified Ayurvedic doctor.

The home remedies mentioned here generally help to reduce the severity of the pain and stiffness in frozen shoulder. However, if there is no improvement noticed even after using these remedies for more than a fortnight, it is essential to consult an expert to find out what other therapy is available. Ayurveda makes use of therapies such as purgation, oil massage and steam treatment to get rid of the toxins accumulated in the affected area and can provide effective relief when adopted in the prescribed manner.

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