Frozen Shoulder

Frozen shoulder is the common name given to the condition adhesive capsulitis. Frozen shoulder is mainly found in the 40+ age group and affects slightly more women than men. It affects the range of motion at the shoulder and causes movements to be stiff and painful. It is usually only found in one shoulder, although can spread to both.

It is not known what causes a frozen shoulder, although symptoms are thought to be due to inflammation of the joint capsule. This in turn causes the development of scar tissue which thickens the capsule and restricts movement. Usually, symptoms will gradually develop with no previous injury. However periods of immobilisation following another injury, such as a fracture, have been known to contribute to the problem. Offer possible causes include changes in hormone levels, poor posture and diabetes (diabetics are 5 times more likely to develop frozen shoulder).

Symptoms

Frozen shoulder has three phases:

Painful phase - The shoulder starts to ache, which gradually increases to pain, often worse at night.

Frozen phase - The shoulder stiffens up and full range of motion is lost. Pain usually remains the same.

Thawing phase - The shoulder begins to loosen and pain gradually decreases.

The length of time that it takes for the frozen shoulder to pass through these stages varies considerably from 10 months to between 2 and 3 years.

Treatment

If you suspect you have this condition you should seek medical advice as soon as possible as early treatment may limit the extent of the symptoms. A Doctor or injury specialist will usually:

• Prescribe anti-inflammatory medication such as Ibuprofen to ease pain and inflammation.
• Give you exercises to do to keep the shoulder moving.
• Give you a Corticosteroid injection to reduce inflammation.

Surgery is rarely used and generally the condition is allowed to run its course with medication and exercise used to alleviate the symptoms. In persistent, severe cases, an arthroscopic (keyhole) capsular release can be performed.

Further Information

• Frozen shoulder - for further information on treatment including rehabilitation, taping, sports massage, stretching and more visit sportsinjuryclinic.net
  

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