Frozen Shoulder

When an individual's shoulder experiences a loss of movement, or when they feel pain or stiffness in their shoulder, this is considered Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis). Such pain and motion loss can affect many seemingly normal and mundane daily activities, making it unnecessarily difficult and even painful.

Causes

Sometimes, frozen shoulders have no obvious cause. Other times, an inflammation takes hold and affects parts of the shoulder capsule causing the joint to become thickened and scarred thus reducing the volume of the shoulder joint leading to limited mobility.

However, there are several risk factors that individuals should take note of, such as:

Age older than 40 years
Endocrine Disorders such as Diabetes, Cardiac Disease, Thyroid problems, Parkinson's Disease, or if you have undergone surgery
Gender - women are more at risk than men
Prolonged immobilisation of the shoulder after injury or pain that limits shoulder movement

Symptoms

The key sign of a Frozen Shoulder is pain and a limited range of motion in the shoulder it self. Frozen Shoulder can be categorized into three stages:

Stage 1 - Freezing — This is the painful stage and shoulder movement is limited; this stage normally lasts from 6 to 12 weeks
Stage 2 - Frozen — The pain eases in this stage, but the stiffness remains; this stage generally lasts from 4 to 6 months
Stage 3 - Thawing — In the final stage, the movement in the arm gradually improves; this stage can last more than 1 year

Treatment

We at Gleneagles Hospitals aim to make our treatment as comprehensive and simple yet as effective as possible in order to control the pain and restore movement and strength. Our treatments include:

Manipulation under anaesthesia to release the tightening and increase the range of movement
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce pain and swelling
Physiotherapy to help to restore movement
Steroid injections to reduce inflammation and facilitate movement
Surgery to release the tight joint capsule

Frozen Shoulder

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