02/05/2026
You’ve been told it’s “adhesive capsulitis”—inflammation and adhesions in the shoulder capsule causing progressive stiffness and pain.
The treatment plan? Physical therapy, maybe a cortisone shot, and “just wait 1-2 years for it to resolve.”
But here is the question that no one can answer: Why did your shoulder freeze in the first place?
Your shoulder doesn’t just decide to lock up randomly. It’s a protective response to something deeper—and that something is your nervous system.
And it might just be from your neck...
Your shoulder is controlled by nerves exiting your cervical spine at C4-C7. When there are subluxations (misalignments) in your neck, those nerves experience interference. Your shoulder muscles start guarding, spasming, and compensating. Inflammation sets in and movement becomes restricted. Your shoulder “freezes” to protect the compromised nerve supply.
Your vagus nerve is a cranial nerve that regulates your body’s inflammatory response. When upper cervical subluxations (C1/C2) disrupt vagus nerve function, inflammation goes unchecked. The tissue around your shoulder becomes chronically inflamed, adhesions form, and the capsule literally freezes.
It’s not just mechanical—it’s neurological inflammation.
When your neck is imbalanced, your entire body compensates: shoulder blade position shifts, rib cage rotates, thoracic spine adjusts, pelvis tilts. The frozen shoulder is the END RESULT of a full-body compensation pattern that started in your spine—possibly years ago.
Physical therapy on the shoulder alone won’t fix a cervical spine problem. Cortisone shots won’t restore vagus nerve function. Waiting 1-2 years just allows the compensation patterns to become more ingrained.
Chiropractic care addresses the ROOT:
✅ We correct cervical subluxations affecting nerve supply to the shoulder
✅ We restore upper cervical alignment for proper vagus nerve function
✅ We address thoracic and rib misalignments creating compensation
✅ We correct full-body postural patterns perpetuating the problem
When nervous system function restores, inflammation decreases, range of motion returns, and pain resolves—in weeks to months, not years.