What is Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is one of the worst shoulder injuries that we deal with.

It is extremely painful, can negatively affect your lifestyle and can last for years.

As I am writing this article, frozen shoulder is considered idiopathic. This means that we do not know what causes it. There is a lot of research being done to figure this out. The closest theory that we have at this point is time is that it could be caused by hormonal shifts.

Frozen shoulder is more common in females (80%) than in males and usually occurs around 40 - 60 years old.

The most common cause of frozen shoulder are immobilizing the shoulder for long periods of time (in a cast or sling). There are also a number of risk factors that can result in frozen shoulder being prolonged, such as

• Diabetes mellitus (with a prevalence up to 20%),

• Stroke,

• Thyroid disorder,

• Dupuytren disease,

• Parkinson disease,

• Cancer and

• Complex regional pain syndrome.

Frozen shoulder involves the shoulder joint beginning to thicken, develop adhesions and stiffen.

This causes the humerus (arm bone) to “freeze” to the scapula (shoulder blade).

This causes a decrease in movement and can lead to pain.

Frozen shoulder occurs in 3 stages:

1. Freezing

   The shoulder starts becoming painful to move and movement starts to decrease.

2. Frozen

   The shoulder is not as painful but movement is very limited

3. Thawing

   The shoulder begins to free up, but can be sore from prolonged stiffness. Slowly return to normal afterwards.

Physiotherapy is most effective during stage 3. However we can help with pain management during stages 1 and 2.

Here’s a quick video outlining what we can do to help with pain and stiffness, as well as my go-to exercise to improve range of motion.

If you have a frozen shoulder and want to feel better, click here to book or give us a buzz on 0402 832 329.