Frozen shoulder is a condition where the shoulder becomes rigid, reducing its mobility. It happens when the capsule covering the shoulder joint, thickens making it difficult to move.
It is quite common among individuals with diabetes, arthritis and chronic inflammation. Aging and certain neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer are other contributing risk factors. Females are more likely to develop frozen shoulder than compared to men. Frozen shoulder may lead to complications like fracture of the forearm bone and muscle rupture.
Frozen shoulder advances in three distinct phases:
- Freezing stage
- Frozen stage
- Thawing stage
Freezing stage is most painful and reduces the shoulder movement along with episodes of extreme pain mostly at night. Pain is reduced in frozen stage which otherwise is characterized by having stiffed shoulder joint and more restricted movement of the arms. The last stage or the thawing stage is recovery stage which restores the movement of the joint and making it painless.
Symptoms
- Pain and stiffness in shoulder joint
- Loss of movement.
- Inability to perform daily routine.
Diagnosis And Treatment
A complete physical examination will help the doctor diagnose frozen shoulder. But sometimes doctors may also suggest doing certain imaging tests like X-rays, ultrasound or MRI to rule out other major problems.
Treatment aims at reducing the inflammation and pain of shoulder joint and restoring its lost range of movement. An anti-inflammatory drug, pain killers along with physiotherapy helps in reducing the pain and achieves the best possible motion of shoulder joint.
