What Is Frozen Shoulder
Frozen shoulder, also called adhesive capsulitis, happens when the tissue surrounding the shoulder joint thickens and tightens, cutting off much of your normal range of motion. The shoulder becomes stiff, painful, and increasingly hard to move, whether you are reaching for a seatbelt, lifting a tool bag, or simply getting dressed.
Most people picture frozen shoulder as a slow, unexplained condition. In our patients, it is often something else entirely: the direct result of trauma the shoulder never got a chance to properly heal from.
Why Car Accidents and Work Injuries Cause It
After a car accident, whiplash and shoulder strain often make it painful to move the arm normally. After a workplace injury, repetitive lifting, a fall, or a sudden jolt can do the same thing. In both cases, the natural response is to guard the shoulder and stop moving it.
That protective stillness is exactly what allows frozen shoulder to take hold. The joint capsule tightens further with every day it goes unused, and what started as a soft tissue injury from your accident can turn into a much longer, stiffer recovery if it is not addressed early.
Our Multidisciplinary Treatment Approach
Dr. Aaron Jorgensen, DC, and the team at NorthWest Injury Clinics built this clinic around a simple idea: patients recovering from car accidents and work injuries should not have to coordinate care across five different offices. For frozen shoulder, that means chiropractic manipulation, Active Release Technique (ART), and the McKenzie Method to restore motion, paired with massage therapy to release surrounding muscle tension.
When pain and inflammation are severe, our medical and interventional pain team can add spine or shoulder injections and PRP therapy, all coordinated under one treatment plan instead of a referral chain.
What to Expect at NorthWest Injury Clinics
Comprehensive Evaluation
Hands-On Treatment
Ongoing Progress Tracking
Stages of Frozen Shoulder Recovery
Frozen shoulder typically moves through three stages: freezing, where pain increases and motion starts to disappear; frozen, where pain may ease slightly but stiffness is at its worst; and thawing, where motion gradually returns.
Left untreated after a car accident or work injury, this process can take a year or longer. Our goal is to shorten that timeline by getting your shoulder moving safely as soon as possible, so you spend less time frozen and more time recovering.
Frequently Asked Questions
No referral is required. You can schedule directly with our team, and our medical provider is on-site if a referral or additional documentation for your claim is needed.
Get Your Shoulder Moving Again
Book your evaluation today and start treating the injury behind your frozen shoulder, not just the symptom.
