Frozen Shoulder: Symptoms And Treatment

Frozen shoulder injuries affect about 2 percent of the population, most of them between 40 and 60 years of age.  The main symptoms of a frozen shoulder are stiffness, decrease in range of motion, and pain.  There are no specific causes for frozen shoulder and no indication of when it may strike.  People with diabetes, Parkinson's disease, hypothyroidism, or hyperthyroidism seem to be at a higher risk of developing problems.  There are several frozen shoulder treatment options available to restore the range of motion, including medication, physical therapy, and surgery.

While the exact cause is not known, the effects of a frozen shoulder are obvious.  The capsule around the shoulder becomes thicker and contracts, restricting the joint's motion.  Sometimes, this thickening is a result of underuse, such as after surgery or during a time of extended bedrest.  Most physical therapy treatment programs are designed to maintain the range of motion in the shoulder to prevent it from becoming frozen.

Once a frozen shoulder develops, the patient may feel a dull, achy pain in the upper arm and outside of the shoulder area.  The pain will usually get worse when attempting to move or stretch the arm.  Of course, the other obvious symptom is that the shoulder simply will not move through the proper range, even if someone else is helping the patient move their arm. 

In many cases, no frozen shoulder treatment is required as the problem will go away on its own, usually over a period of a few years.  During this time, treatment is focused solely on pain control and physical therapy to improve range of motion.  Pain control can be achieved with anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen or corticosteroids.  Heat may also be used to help reduce joint pain.

Surgery may be necessary when other frozen shoulder treatments are not effective.  If range of motion has not increased after the standard protocol of anti-inflammatory drugs and physical therapy, surgical intervention may be needed to stretch and release the frozen shoulder joint capsule.  This can be done by manipulation under anesthesia, which involves putting the patient to sleep and moving the shoulder by force.  The forced movement will stretch or tear the shoulder capsule, restoring movement.  Another surgical option is arthroscopy, where the surgeon makes several small incisions around the shoulder area.  A camera is then inserted into the incisions to help the surgeon cut through the restricted parts of the joint capsule.