In winter, my shoulders ache faintly, and in severe cases, I can't even lift my arms, right? This is likely due to frozen shoulder. Don't think that shoulder periarthritis is a geriatric disease. Office workers and physically weak individuals who have been sitting for a long time may experience shoulder inflammation due to cold weather. Come and learn from the doctor how to thaw your shoulders. Why does cold weather easily trigger shoulder periarthritis? Wang Guangtao, director of the National Medical Center of the Emergency General Hospital, introduced that as a common shoulder disease, shoulder periarthritis, also known as frozen shoulder, leaky shoulder wind, etc., is a manifestation of insufficient vital energy in the shoulder. There are many reasons that can trigger shoulder periarthritis, among which temperature is an important factor. In winter, with a sudden drop in temperature, in order to preserve body heat and reduce temperature loss, blood vessels around the body contract and blood circulation slows down relatively. As an important part of human activity, the shoulder is surrounded by soft tissues such as muscles, tendons, and bursae that become "stiff" under cold stimulation, resulting in poor blood circulation and weakened metabolic capacity, leading to inflammation. In addition, people's outdoor activities decrease in winter, and the lack of necessary shoulder exercise can easily lead to muscle stiffness. As age increases, the body's positive energy gradually weakens, and the structure of the shoulders also ages, weakening their resistance to cold stimuli and easily causing shoulder periarthritis. Shoulder periarthritis is not just a disease of the elderly. Winter is the peak season for shoulder periarthritis, and the following groups of people are more susceptible to it: middle-aged and elderly people have weakened resistance as they age, and the shoulder structure is also gradually aging, reducing their resistance to cold stimuli. This age group has become the high-risk age for shoulder periarthritis. Long term desk workers such as programmers, designers, etc., due to maintaining the same posture for a long time, have poor shoulder muscle circulation, are prone to strain, and increase the risk of shoulder periarthritis. People who have suffered injuries to their shoulders are more likely to develop shoulder impingement in cold weather due to blockages in their meridians and blood circulation. People with weak physical constitution have weaker resistance to cold stimuli and are at high risk of developing shoulder periarthritis. Identify the distress signal of the shoulder. Shoulder pain presents as paroxysmal pain, mostly chronic, gradually worsening, and even persistent pain. When climate change, nighttime, or fatigue occur, the pain may worsen and even be accompanied by intense activity pain. In addition, patients can feel obvious tender points around the shoulder joint, such as the groove of the long head tendon of the biceps brachii, the descending sac of the acromion, and the attachment point of the supraspinatus muscle. The active and passive movements of the shoulder joint in all directions are limited, especially in daily activities such as combing hair, touching the back, dressing, and washing face, which are difficult to complete. Cold shoulder pain is more pronounced in cold weather, and patients often feel chills on the affected side of the shoulder, which is different from the contralateral side. Muscle spasms or atrophy: As the condition progresses, the shoulder muscles gradually become cord like, and in the middle and later stages, muscle atrophy occurs. Here are 8 shoulder protection tips for hot compress therapy. Warm and comfortable, you can take an appropriate amount of unpeeled ginger, wash it, crush it, and squeeze out ginger juice for later use. Heat up the ginger residue in a pot, wrap it with gauze and tie the opening, then apply hot compress to the affected shoulder. After cooling the ginger residue, add some ginger juice to the pot and stir fry until hot before applying. Apply hot compress for 15 to 20 minutes each time, 1 to 2 times a day. In addition to the ginger residue hot compress method above, you can also try using vinegar hot compress. Take an appropriate amount of salt and stir fry it in an iron pot. Take an appropriate amount of vinegar and sprinkle salt while stir frying. After sprinkling vinegar, stir fry briefly and pour it into a prepared cloth bag. Apply it to the painful shoulder area while it is still hot. Apply hot compress for 15 to 20 minutes each time, 1 to 2 times a day. A more convenient and feasible method is the hot water bag hot compress method. Select a hot water bag of appropriate size, check for any leaks, fill the bag with hot water at 60 ℃ to 70 ℃ to two-thirds of its capacity, exhaust the gas, tighten the bag, dry the outside of the bag, and apply it to the affected shoulder. Apply hot compress for 15 to 20 minutes each time, 1 to 2 times a day. be careful! When applying hot compress, the temperature should be appropriate. If it is too low, the effect will be poor, and if it is too hot, it is easy to burn the skin. After hot compress, the skin should be immediately wiped dry and wiped clean, clothes should be worn, and attention should be paid to keeping warm to prevent local wind and cold invasion and catching a cold. Patients with local skin ulcers and bleeding should not use hot compress method, and pregnant women should not use it. Medication assisted, anti-inflammatory and pain relieving topical drugs such as musk pain relief cream, safflower oil, etc. can be applied externally to the affected area to relieve pain. But when using, follow the doctor's advice to avoid adverse reactions such as allergies. In addition, oral medications such as ibuprofen sustained-release capsules and celecoxib capsules can be taken according to medical advice to alleviate pain and inflammation. Massage and massage can promote blood circulation, relieve muscle stiffness and pain by massaging the shoulder muscles and acupoints. You can choose a professional masseur for massage, or you can do a simple massage at home by yourself. Traditional Chinese medicine can be used for internal and external nourishment. Taking traditional Chinese medicine orally can provide personalized adjustments based on individual constitution and condition, and alleviate symptoms of shoulder periarthritis through its effects of tonifying qi, warming meridians, dispelling cold, promoting blood circulation, and removing blood stasis. But this needs to be done under the guidance of professional traditional Chinese medicine doctors. External washing of traditional Chinese medicine is also an effective treatment method. Boiling traditional Chinese medicine in water and soaking or scrubbing the shoulders can promote blood circulation and relieve muscle tension. But avoid adverse reactions such as allergies when using. Wear warm clothing to resist the wind and cold. When going out in winter, warm clothing should be worn, especially for the shoulders, and special attention should be paid to keeping warm. You can choose scarves, shawls, etc. with insulation function. When indoors, avoid exposing your shoulders to cold environments for a long time. You can use heating, air conditioning, and other devices to adjust the indoor temperature. Moderate exercise can enhance physical fitness. Engaging in shoulder exercises such as shrugging and rotating the shoulders can promote blood circulation in the shoulders, relieve muscle stiffness and pain. However, excessive force should be avoided during exercise to avoid worsening symptoms. In addition, some movements in yoga can help relax shoulder muscles and improve shoulder joint flexibility. You can choose some simple yoga movements to practice. Physical therapy, aided by technology such as shortwave and microwave, can promote shoulder blood circulation, alleviate inflammation and pain through the action of electromagnetic waves. But the above operations need to be carried out under the guidance of professional doctors. Muscle training and joint exercises enhance the strength of the shoulder and surrounding muscles through targeted strength exercises, improve stability, and reduce inflammation. They have a good effect on patients with chronic or recovering shoulder periarthritis. Joint function exercises include passive traction, active flexion and extension, etc., aimed at maintaining or restoring shoulder joint flexibility and normal range of motion. This type of measure is suitable for patients with various stages of shoulder periarthritis to carry out in their daily lives. (Xinhua News Agency) Article/Mo Peng (Emergency General Hospital)