Frozen Shoulder
Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)
Frozen shoulder is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain affecting approximately one in thirty people at some point. It is most prevalent in people aged between 40-65 years old and more common with women than men and in those who have diabetes. It causes the shoulder (often the non-dominant one) to become stiff and painful. Your shoulder movements are limited and sometimes they become completely frozen, hence the name. It can be very painful. Symptoms can last for 2-3 years but there are several treatments to ease symptoms and improve movement.
What are the causes of frozen shoulder?
Thickening of scar tissue in the protective capsule of your shoulder
What are the symptoms?
These are generally split into 3 phases:
Freezing phase - Shoulder pain that gradually gets worse and then leads to stiffness. Often the pain is worse at night and when you lie on the affected shoulder. This typically lasts 2-9 months
Frozen phase - The stiffness may eventually prevent you from carrying out everyday activities and in severe cases you may have completely restricted movement. Often the pain gets better but it is the stiffness that gets worse. The worst movement affected is outward rotation of your arm. This typically lasts 4-12 months
Thawing phase – pain gets better and movement gradually improves back to normal or near normal. This phase typically lasts between one to three years.
What are the treatments?
Painkillers can help with the pain (please consult your doctor or pharmacist first) as well as anti-inflammatories. A physiotherapist can use a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machine, which gives tiny electrical currents which can help with pain. They can also do joint mobilisation combined with stretching. This can help prevent a further decline in function and also help to increase the range of motion in the shoulder. A steroid injection into the joint, although not a permanent cure, can reduce the pain and inflammation temporarily.
If after a full course of treatment with a physiotherapist, your shoulder is not appearing to improve then you may be referred for surgery.
Although it can take a long time to cure, over 90% of frozen shoulder patients have been shown to return to normal levels of function within 2 years.
http://patient.info/health/frozen-shoulder-leaflet
http://patient.info/doctor/frozen-shoulder-pro
http://patient.info/blogs/sarah-says/2015/06/frozen-shoulder-key-facts-to-know
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Frozen-shoulder/Pages/Introduction.aspx