I am slowly getting through the book The Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, MD. It’s an interesting and controversial (with respect to some of his offerings) read covering an issue of great importance for 21st Century America – obesity, mental and physical health. A process of which there is no controversy discussed in the book is that of glycation where elevated blood sugars (due to the ingestion of lesser quality/excessive carbohydrates) act as a catalyst to impair the elasticity in numerous soft tissues about the body including blood vessels.
This is a common issue with diabetic populations leading to neurovascular and subsequent soft tissue complications. Although not mentioned in the book, this is a component of the pathologic process with diabetics afflicted with shoulder adhesive capsulitis which is more commonly known as “frozen shoulder”. The risk of adhesive capsulitis with diabetic populations is many multiples higher than non-diabetic populations and the process to resolve the condition is much more complicated due to the ongoing cascade of higher blood sugar levels, especially if not kept in check.
The treatment regimen for adhesive capsulitis is multifactorial, often times an ongoing battle for many months before conquered. With the style of medicine that is practiced in the United States, the inclusion of nutritional factors in the care of adhesive capsulitis is classically and after thought if any at all. Yet, the deleterious effects of elevated blood sugar levels and the consistently increased magnitudes of tissue pathology noted in diabetic populations (both of which are scientifically grounded) serve as a reminder that any potential positive intervention has its merits in fighting this stubborn condition.
Making an effort to ingest good quality foods daily as well as plenty of exercise (again to help stabilize blood sugar levels) will be beneficial on multiple levels of one’s general health, included in that is a stiff and painful shoulder.
Twin Cities Shoulder is a specialty shoulder care practice under the umbrella of OrthoRehab Specialists Inc. ORSI is an outpatient orthopedic and neurologic private practice that has provided physical therapy care for over 30 years in the Twin Cities metro. Terry Buisman PT is the co-owner of ORSI and heads TCS. His specialty is adult shoulder (non/post-surgical/adhesive capsulitis) as well as combined shoulder and spinal based pathology nearing 10,000 cases treated to date. For more information see: tcshoulder.com. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to play a role in your return to health.
