What is a frozen shoulder?
A frozen shoulder is stiffness and pain in the shoulder.
How does it occur?
A frozen shoulder usually develops after a shoulder injury that
causes pain and does not allow you to move your shoulder enough.
Sometimes, however, a frozen shoulder may occur for no known
reason. If you have limited movement of your shoulder for weeks,
months, or years because of an injury, the capsule surrounding the
shoulder joint may become very stiff. Your shoulder may develop
scar tissue, or adhesions, in the joint.
What are the symptoms?
Your shoulder will lose its normal ability to move in all
directions. You may not be able to lift your arm above your head
or be able to scratch your back. Movement of the shoulder may be
very painful. You may feel grinding when moving your shoulder.
How is it diagnosed?
Your healthcare provider will examine your shoulder and may take
X-rays. You may also have an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). In
some cases, you may have an arthrogram (an X-ray or an MRI of your
shoulder after dye is injected into your shoulder joint).
How is it treated?
Your healthcare provider will probably send you to physical
therapy for a supervised exercise program. You will also be given
exercises to do at home. Your provider may prescribe an
anti-inflammatory medicine and may give you a shot of a
corticosteroid medicine into your shoulder joint. Adults aged 65
years and older should not take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
medicine for more than 7 days without their healthcare provider's
approval. When your shoulder is painful, it is important to use
ice packs on your shoulder for 20 to 30 minutes 3 or 4 times a
day.
In cases that do not respond to therapy, your provider may talk to
you about doing a "manipulation under anesthesia." In this
procedure, you are put to sleep with a general anesthetic and your
provider moves your shoulder in various directions to break up the
adhesions (bands of scar tissue) in your shoulder capsule. You may
need arthroscopic surgery to see if there are other causes for
your frozen shoulder.
How long will the effects last?
The length of recovery depends on many factors such as your age
and health, and if you have had a previous shoulder injury. The
effects of a frozen shoulder can be long lasting and can gradually
worsen if you do not have appropriate treatment. Since a frozen
shoulder can be caused by several factors it is important that
these be corrected.
When can I return to my normal activities?
Everyone recovers from an injury at a different rate. Return to
your activities will be determined by how soon your shoulder
recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since your
injury has occurred. In general, the longer you have symptoms
before you start treatment, the longer it will take to get better.
The goal of rehabilitation is to return you to your normal
activities as soon as is safely possible. If you return too soon
you may worsen your injury.
You may safely return to your normal activities when:
- Your injured shoulder has full range of motion without pain.
- Your injured shoulder has regained normal strength compared to
the uninjured shoulder.
How can I prevent a frozen shoulder?
After you have had an injury to your shoulder it is important that
you do not limit your shoulder motion for a prolonged period of
time. It is important to do your shoulder rehabilitation exercises
as they have been prescribed. If you feel that you are losing
range of motion in your shoulder you should see your healthcare
provider.
This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new health information becomes available. The
information is intended to inform and educate and is not a
replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or
treatment by a healthcare professional.
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