Frozen Shoulder


Breakthrough Treatment for Frozen Shoulder: Shockwave TherapyFrozen shoulder, or Adhesive Capsulitis, is more than just a stiff joint. It occurs when the connective tissue surrounding the shoulder joint—the shoulder capsule—becomes thick, tight, and inflamed.
This creates a frustrating "feedback loop": the pain causes you to stop moving, and the lack of movement causes the capsule to tighten further. At Granville Physio, we use Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) to physically disrupt this cycle and restore your quality of life.
How Shockwave Therapy Melts the "Freeze"While traditional stretching is vital, it often can’t penetrate the dense, fibrotic tissue of a frozen capsule. Shockwave therapy provides several clinical advantages:
  • Breaking Down Adhesions: The high-energy acoustic waves create "micro-cavitations" that help mechanically loosen the dense scar tissue and adhesions within the shoulder capsule, making manual therapy and stretching significantly more effective.
  • Modulating Inflammation: Shockwave therapy triggers a "pro-inflammatory" response that actually restarts the healing process in chronic tissues, moving the shoulder out of the stagnant "frozen" phase and into the "thawing" phase.
  • Inhibiting Pain Signals: By overstimulating local nerve fibers and reducing Substance P, shockwave therapy provides a window of reduced pain. This allows you to perform the necessary rehabilitation exercises that were previously too painful to attempt.
  • Increasing Blood Flow: It stimulates neovascularization (new blood vessel growth) in the joint capsule, bringing oxygen and nutrients to the area to support long-term tissue health.
Proven Results: Shockwave vs. SteroidsResearch supports ESWT as a superior long-term solution. A landmark study in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (2014) compared shockwave therapy to oral steroids. The results were clear:
  • Better Mobility: Patients receiving shockwave therapy showed significantly higher range of motion scores after just 4 weeks.
  • Superior Function: After 6 weeks, the shockwave group reported better "Daily Living Scores," meaning they could return to reaching, dressing, and lifting sooner than those using traditional medication.

Stop the Cycle of Stiffness. Start Your Recovery.  At Granville Physio, we don't just treat the pain; we treat the cause. Our therapists combine advanced Shockwave technology with targeted "thawing" exercises tailored to your specific stage of recovery.