Shoulder
Frozen shoulder
A shoulder that stiffened until lifting, reaching and dressing hurt.
Photograph: kaboompics.com, Pexels
In one paragraph
Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) is a shoulder that slowly stiffens and hurts until reaching, dressing and sleeping on that side become difficult. It is common between 40 and 60 and after a period of not using the arm. Physiotherapy works on pain first, then on range, in stages that follow how the condition behaves.
What you may notice
- 01
You cannot reach behind your back or lift the arm overhead the way you used to.
- 02
The shoulder aches at night and wakes you when you roll onto it.
- 03
It went through a painful phase, then a stiff phase; both can last months.
- 04
Pain and stiffness together, with no injury you can point to.
The first visit
What is looked at
The first visit measures the shoulder in each direction with a goniometer, checks the neck and the other shoulder, and separates a true frozen shoulder from a rotator-cuff or neck problem that looks like one.
Treatment
What is done
Treatment matches the stage: in the painful stage, gentle joint mobilisation, positions that ease the night pain and advice on what to avoid; in the stiff stage, progressive mobilisation and a short home programme that stretches the capsule a little further each week.
See a doctor first if
See a doctor first if the shoulder followed a fall, if the arm is weak rather than stiff, or if you have fever, weight loss or a history of cancer.
The range in question
The textbook full range for a healthy joint, the figure the assessment measures you against.
A patient wrote
Dr Brijesh is excellent in his field. His calm and composed nature with his ability to catch the problem and then providing the right treatment resulted in my fastest healing of frozen shoulder. I can’t thank him enough. May god bless him
Questions
How long does a frozen shoulder take to recover?
Months rather than weeks; the textbook course runs one to three years untreated, and physiotherapy aims to shorten the stiff stage and keep the range you win.
Should I keep using the arm?
Yes, within pain. Complete rest makes the capsule tighter; the assessment gives you specific movements to keep, and ones to leave alone for now.
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