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I want to finish the thought I started over in the Dragon about Frodo's quest being spiritual. Specifically, I think his two worst wounds tie in with this. There's the Morgul-blade wound, given to him by a creature that's at least half in the spirit world, with an 'unholy' weapon - it's far more than a physical wounding. And Shelob... that creature is basically a living manifestation of evil. She is descended from a Maia-level spirit, which also puts her beyond the merely physical

Incidentally Frodo seems to recognize this and he fights with spiritual weapons: calling on Elbereth. I see this as a sign that he realizes that his struggle is beyond mere physical hardships.