When it's painful to shampoo your hair or put your arms around friends for a photo, the problem might be adhesive capsulitis. Known as frozen shoulder, this stiffness and soreness within your shoulder joint can last for as long as a year or even two years.
As the capsule of connective tissue that encloses your shoulder's tendons, bones and ligaments gets tighter - for reasons nobody understands yet - movement gradually becomes more painful. That's the first stage of frozen shoulder. Pain diminishes during the next stage, but stiffness continues and range of motion is reduced. In the final stage, called "thawing," your range of motion and shoulder strength slowly return.
How Massage Helps
While your frozen shoulder will eventually go back to normal, Massage Envy can make it easier to live with in the meantime. Various types of massage will relax muscles in the affected area. That means less chance of inflammation, which otherwise would cause tenderness and swelling.
In addition, regular massage therapy can help improve your range of motion. Tight joints restrict flexibility, but massage encourages blood flow to underlying tissues that need the nutrients delivered by fresh, oxygen-rich blood.
Types of Massage
Swedish Massage actually increases the level of oxygen in your blood, which leads to a decrease in muscle toxins and improved circulation.
Trigger Point Therapy, where you actively identify the location and intensity of sensation, provides natural management of chronic pain. Often, a single treatment results in a noticeable reduction of pain, and ongoing treatment provides even more effective relief.