Frozen shoulder: Information & frozen shoulder specialists

15.11.2023
Leading Medicine Guide Editors
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Leading Medicine Guide Editors
Frozen shoulder is a group of joint diseases that restrict the mobility of the shoulder joint. This is where the term frozen shoulder comes from.

You can find more information about frozen shoulder, symptoms and treatment options as well as selected frozen shoulder specialists here!
ICD codes for this diseases: M75.0

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Brief overview:

  • What is frozen shoulder? Several types of painful joint diseases of the shoulder are grouped together under the term frozen shoulder. The mobility of the shoulder is restricted.
  • Cause: Inflammation after an injury or wear and tear of the bones, tendons, ligaments, muscles or bursa can cause frozen shoulder.
  • Symptoms: Shoulder pain and limited mobility of the shoulder are main symptoms. The shoulder may also be swollen and warm.
  • Diagnosis: During a physical examination, the doctor recognises when pain arises and when movement triggers pain. CT, MRI and ultrasound can then confirm the diagnosis.
  • Treatment: Mild forms are treated with medication and physiotherapy. Severe forms require surgical intervention.
  • Prognosis: If treatment is started early, the prognosis is very good. However, if left untreated shoulder arthrosis may occur, causing joint structures to gradually degenerate.

Article overview

About 2 to 5 percent of the population suffer from shoulder pain. Frozen shoulder syndrome is most likely to occur in people over the age of 40. Women are affected slightly more often than men.

Causes and risk factors for a frozen shoulder

The shoulder consists of various structures that ensure the mobility of the shoulder, including

These structures work closely together. If individual structures are impaired, this can affect the mobility of the shoulder.

Frozen shoulder can be caused by, among other things

In these cases, it is known as a secondary frozen shoulder. In the case of shoulder pain, those affected usually adopt a protective posture and no longer move the shoulder sufficiently. This immobilisation favours the development of frozen shoulder.

Schulterschmerzen
Shoulder pain that is accompanied by an increasing inability to move is called frozen shoulder © yodiyim / Fotolia

In rare cases, a frozen shoulder develops on its own, i.e. without prior illness, injury or surgery. This is called a primary frozen shoulder. The causes are then mostly unknown.

Possible risk factors that can favour the development of primary joint stiffness are hormonal disorders or changes. Such changes result, for example, from thyroid diseases or during the menopause.

In addition,

are also suspected of causing frozen shoulder.

In some cases, calcium is deposited in the tendons of the shoulder, in which case one speaks of calcified shoulder.

Symptoms and progression of frozen shoulder

Typical symptoms of frozen shoulder are shoulder pain and restricted movement of the shoulder. In addition, the shoulder may be swollen and warm.

The symptoms usually only occur in one shoulder, but in one in three sufferers they can occur in both shoulders.

However, a primary frozen shoulder does not develop overnight. The development takes months or even years and its progression is characterised by three stages:

  • Stage I ("Freezing Phase"): Increasing, sometimes sudden onset of severe pain and also the first movement restrictions occur.
  • Stage II (plateau phase): The restriction of movement dominates. The frozen shoulder is now fully developed, the pain decreases.
  • Stage III ("thawing phase"): The movement restrictions improve. The pain has almost disappeared.

Diagnosis of frozen shoulder

To diagnose a frozen shoulder, the doctor first takes a detailed medical history. Within the framework of this, he asks, for example, about

  • Symptoms,
  • Other diseases and
  • Injuries or accidents.

A physical examination can trigger pain and identify movement restrictions.

If necessary, imaging examinations such as

  • ultrasound (sonography),
  • CT (computed tomography),
  • MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

This allows the doctor to detect or rule out damage to the structures involved in the joint. These examinations also serve as preparation for an operation.

Treatment of frozen shoulder

The treatment of frozen shoulder depends on the

  • stage of the disease,
  • cause,
  • duration and severity of the complaints.

Especially in the early stages, treatment is conservative. This includes anti-inflammatory and analgesic medication and physiotherapy exercises. However, the damaged joint must not be overloaded.

Conservative treatment does not always lead to an improvement in the symptoms. In this case, the only option is an operation as part of shoulder surgery to eliminate the cause of the disease. Surgery is also used for anatomical causes of frozen shoulder.

The surgical procedure can usually be performed in a minimally invasive way (shoulder arthroscopy). The video shows the procedure of the shoulder arthroscopy:

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Prognosis of frozen shoulder

If shoulder joint inflammation is treated early, it usually responds very well to treatment.

However, if treatment is started late, complications such as shoulder arthrosis can occur. This makes the treatment lengthy.

Sometimes, however, relapses (recurrences) can occur.

Prevention of frozen shoulder

A frozen shoulder can generally not be prevented. However, to avoid aggravation of the disease, you should consult a doctor at the first symptoms.

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