Frozen shoulder treatment in North York.

A rotator cuff problem usually limits what you can do because of pain or weakness, but someone else can often still move your arm through range. In a frozen shoulder the range itself is lost — the shoulder will not rotate even when someone else moves it for you, because the joint capsule itself has tightened. That distinction is the main thing the assessment is looking for, and it changes the treatment completely.

Longer than most people expect, and the honest answer is a range rather than a number. It classically moves through a painful stage, a stiff stage and a thawing stage, and people move through them at very different speeds. Anyone who gives you a confident date is guessing. What we can do is tell you which stage your assessment suggests you are in, and what is appropriate for that stage.

Not during the painful stage, no — that is the most common and most counterproductive mistake with this condition. Forcing range into an irritable capsule tends to increase pain and guarding. Once the pain settles and stiffness dominates, progressive range work becomes the priority. Matching the treatment to the stage is most of the skill here.

Often there is no clear cause, which people find frustrating. It is more common after a period of shoulder immobility — a sling, an injury, surgery — and it is more common in people with diabetes or thyroid conditions. If you have one of those and have not had it reviewed recently, it is worth mentioning to your physician.

Many people do not. Where pain is dominant and not settling, some physicians consider an injection to make rehabilitation tolerable — that is their call, not ours, and we will happily work alongside it. Surgical options exist for a minority of cases that stay stuck. We will tell you plainly if we think your progress warrants that conversation.

Under most extended health plans, yes. We direct bill the major insurers, and bill WSIB or your auto insurer where the shoulder problem follows a workplace injury or a collision. We confirm your coverage before treatment begins.