In cold weather, the muscles and tissues of the body start shrinking. Due to low temperature, blood circulation slows down, which increases stiffness in the shoulder muscles and joints.
Especially those people who already have injury, arthritis, frozen shoulder or deficiency of calcium and vitamin D, they feel more pain in cold. Sitting in the same position for a long time, like using a mobile phone, watching TV or working bent over a laptop, causes the shoulder muscles to become tighter. In cold, people move their body less to keep warm, due to which the joints become more stiff. On suddenly rotating the shoulder, a sharp stretch or pain is felt. Sometimes this slight movement even causes screams.
In winter, cold wind directly hitting the shoulders or neck also causes muscle spasm, which causes severe pain. If there is lack of nutrition, stress or mild swelling in the body, then cold further increases its effect. If you are also troubled by frozen shoulder in winter, then you can do some exercises which can help you in getting relief from this problem.
However, this problem gets cured on its own in a year and a half with physiotherapy and pain relieving medicines. To treat pain, physiotherapy and pain relieving medicines are also necessary. For quick treatment, you can do some stretching exercises suggested by Harvard Medical School. These exercises will relieve pain quickly and control stiffness.
Do pendulum stretching exercise (Pendulum Stretch)
The pendulum stretch is considered to be one of the earliest and safest stretches for frozen shoulder as it loosens the shoulder without putting stress on the joint. For this, stand and bend forward a little so that your affected hand hangs loosely downwards. Now keeping the hand in a completely relaxed position, make light, small circular movements. Initially rotate 10 times in a clockwise direction and 10 times in an anti-clockwise direction within a radius of about one foot. Through this process, the stiffness around the shoulder gradually loosens and the strain is reduced. As you get more comfortable, you can increase the circle circle a little. These stretches signal movement to the shoulder capsule and provide flexibility without increasing pain even when there is swelling and stiffness. It is beneficial to do this once daily.
Cross Body Stretch
The purpose of this stretch is to open up the back of the shoulder and reduce stiffness. For this, while sitting or standing, hold the affected arm near the elbow with your right hand and slowly pull it towards your chest. This stretch targets the upper back of the shoulder, where the most stiffness is felt in frozen shoulder. The stretch should be light and comfortable, not painful. Hold this position for 15-20 seconds and then release your hands. This is repeated 10-20 times a day. This exercise loosens the frozen tissues around the shoulder, which improves the movement of raising the arm, taking it back and taking it across the body. With regular exercise, the range-of-motion of the shoulder gradually increases and pain reduces.
Towel Stretch
Towel stretch is very effective for improving external rotation and flexibility of the shoulder. For this, take a towel about three feet long and hold it behind you with both hands. One hand will be on top and the other will be on the bottom. With the help of your good hand, pull the towel up so that the affected arm moves backwards slightly and a stretch is felt. This stretch opens the capsule that hardens and restricts movement in the frozen shoulder. Another method is to put the towel over the good shoulder and pull it down with the affected arm from behind. Do this 10-20 times. This stretch releases the locked position of the shoulders and improves movement of the arms behind the back. By doing it daily, rotation movement comes back and pain also reduces.
Finger Walk/Wall Crawl
The finger walk teaches you to lift the shoulder with very light pressure, so it is safe and effective for frozen shoulder. Stand facing a wall, about three-quarters of an arm’s length away. Place the fingers of the affected hand on the wall at waist height and begin to slowly move the fingers up as if they were climbing the wall. Keep in mind that the fingers should work and the muscles of the shoulder or arm should not be strained. When you reach comfortable shoulder range, stop there and then slowly lower your arms. Repeat this 10-15 times daily. This exercise helps in moving the shoulder up without jerking and increases the mobility of the joint. With continuous practice, it becomes easier to raise the hand and the stiffness gradually reduces.