What is frozen shoulder and how is it treated?
Written by:
Orthopaedic surgeon
Published: 03/04/2017
Edited by: Jay Staniland
What is a frozen shoulder?
Frozen shoulder, or adhesive capsulitis, is a condition where the shoulder becomes painful and stiff, often without any obvious cause.
The shoulder becomes very hard to move as the capsule, which is the flexible tissue that surrounds the shoulder joint, becomes thick and tight.
The condition can develop and gradually get worse over a number of months, and even years, and pain is generally felt between two and nine months.
What are the causes of frozen shoulder?
The causes of frozen shoulder are not fully understood.
However, there are a few factors that may put you more at risk from developing frozen shoulder:
Frozen shoulder can also occur when people don’t move the shoulder for an extended period of time, perhaps after another injury such as a fracture or surgery.
How is frozen shoulder treated?
Most cases of frozen shoulder will heal over time, with little or no treatment, but some kinds of treatments can help speed up the process, and alleviate any pain or discomfort in the patient.
Frozen Shoulder can be treated by:
Is frozen shoulder a recurring injury?
Frozen shoulder can recur in some patients, even after surgery. However, recurrence is more common in patients with a pre-existing condition such as diabetes.
How common is frozen shoulder?
Frozen shoulder occurs in approximately 2% of the population, and occurs more commonly in women than men. The condition most commonly affects people aged between 40 and 60 years old.
What is the recovery time for frozen shoulder?
Frozen shoulder can take several years to fully recover from. It is very important to ensure that a frozen shoulder is correctly diagnosed and treated by a specialist consultant orthopaedic surgeon.