Frozen shoulder is the condition in which shoulders become stiff and painful. In this the shoulder’s movements are restricted and or have no movement. It is a situation in which doing daily activities like sleeping, reaching for a shelf and dressing in the affected area is challenging. However, the reason for the frozen shoulder is unclear and exploring the symptoms, causes and treatments help you manage the condition effectively.

What is a Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen shoulder is a condition in which stiffness and limited range of motion in the shoulder joint. It is a situation in which connective tissue becomes thick and tightens around the shoulder joint. The exact reason for the frozen shoulder is unclear, it mainly affects those people who are recovering from shoulder surgeries or injuries. It is commonly seen in people above 40 years or people  dealing with diabetes. If it is untreated then it takes a long time to recover, a month or even years fully resolved.

Stages of Frozen Shoulders

There are 3 distinct stages in frozen shoulders. Every stage has it own pros and cons: 

• Freezing Stage (Painful Phase)

• Duration: Typically lasts for 2 to 9 months.
• Symptoms: In this stage the pain is increasing in the shoulder. The pain becomes extreme at night or worse when lying on the affected side. The shoulder becomes stiff and affects the daily activities. The stiffness increases leads to limiting the movement of shoulder.

• Frozen Stage (Stiffness Stage)

• Duration: Generally last for 4 to 12 months
• Symptoms: Although in this stage, the pain becomes worse and limiting range of motion. Stiffness can cause muscle arms due to reduced use. Often pain is minimal as compared to the freezing stage.

• Thawing Stage (Recovery Stage)

• Duration: Can last 1 to 3 years
• Symptoms: During the final stage, pain and stiffness gradually diminish and shoulder movements slowly return to normal level. Recovery can vary  depending upon person to person some may experience quicker improvement while from others. It can take several years, if untreated it may take up to 2 to 3 years and can different significantly between individuals.

Symptoms of Frozen Shoulder

The symptoms of frozen shoulders can vary. But seeking the symptoms early helps you to prevent further complications.

• Stiffness on one side of the shoulder makes it difficult to move freely.
• Severe pain around the shoulder particularly affected at night, especially lying on the affected area.
• Difficulty in doing every activity like reaching overhead, tucking a shirt or wearing a bra become challenging due to restricted shoulder movement.
• The symptoms can be dependent upon the level dominant and non dominant shoulder affected.

Risk factors for frozen shoulders

1. The frozen shoulder is common in people aged between 40 to 70 and with higher chances in women than men.
2.  Those patients who are still recovering from any shoulder surgery or injuries  have a risk of frozen shoulder. That is why they are advised to begin physical therapy early.
3. Conditions like diabetes, hyperthyroidism or cardiovascular disease increase the risk of frozen shoulders. But mainly those with diabetes are prone to develop this condition.
4. Any history related to shoulder injuries like bursitis  have higher risk of  developing frozen shoulders later on.

How is Frozen Shoulder Diagnosed

The process of diagnosing frozen shoulders is fairly straightforward. It includes:  medical history, medical test, physical examination and imaging test. The doctor may review your reports and then confirm the condition.

Medical examination

• Active Range of Motion: In this test, the patient is asked to move around the arm  to check how much mobility you have.
• Passive Range of Motion: The doctor moves the patient arm to check how far it goes.

 Compilation of Frozen Shoulder

1. The chronic pain in the freezing stage can significantly give discomfort to do daily activities.
2. If untreated, the arm is permanently stiff and leads to limiting motion.
3. Muscles weaken, due to limited use of the shoulder.
4. Impact on daily tasks like dressing, driving, lifting objects can become extremely challenging.
5. Continuous pain may lead to frustration, anxiety and sometimes depression as it limits the ability to work and enjoy social activities.

Treatment of Frozen Shoulders

• Painkillers: Medication like paracetamol helps you to relieve pain and improve your sleep.
• Anti Inflammatory Painkiller: Drug like diclofenac helps to reduce inflammation in shoulder point  and relieve pain during the early stage.
• Therapies: Shoulders exercise, physiotherapies help you to recover from this condition.

Conclusion:

Frozen Shoulder influences daily life activities, with the help of diagnosis and with the right treatment, you can prevent this condition and possibly manage pain and stiffness. Understanding the symptoms, treatment and therapies can make a big difference in your recovery journey.

Why choose Hunjan Hospital?

Hunjan Hospital provides various treatments to prevent shoulder problems. We have a skilled team of shoulder replacement and arthroscopy doctors. Each doctor has years of experience and dedicatedly provides the patient  with shoulder surgery. The elite team of surgeons in Hunjan hospital are skilled and handled various extreme cases of knee and shoulder replacements with extreme care and end results have been the best. Don’t let shoulder pain-control your quality of life! Book your consultation with Hunjan Hospital, the best orthopaedic hospital.

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