Frozen shoulder is a tightening of the shoulder joint. It results in a loss of movement and pain at the shoulder joint. In frozen shoulder: • Active range of motion is lost—You cannot move your shoulder well. • Passive range of motion is lost—Someone trying to move your arm at the shoulder joint will find it stiff and difficult to move. This condition may get worse over time. After a period of time, the shoulder may also improve spontaneously. This improvement is called thawing.

• Diabetes
• Thyroid problems
• Disc problems in your neck
• Injuries to the shoulder
• Illness or injury that forces you to keep the shoulder immobile for a period of time
• Heart and/or lung disease, during which time you do not move the shoulder normally
• Stress

• Painful shoulder
• Significantly reduced movement of the arm at the shoulder joint, when moved by either yourself or by someone else

• X-rays
• MRI scan
• Arthrogram

• Relieving pain
• Restoring function and range of motion to the shoulder

Nonsurgical Options

• Pain relievers (such as ibuprofen and aspirin)—to help reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
• Muscle relaxants—to help relax arm and shoulder muscles.
• Physical therapy—to stretch muscles and restore motion and function to the shoulder. This is the foundation of treatment. It requires home exercise.
• Heat and ice therapies—to help relieve pain and reduce swelling.
• Corticosteroid injections—as prescribed and given by your doctor (rarely done for this condition).

Surgery

Closed Manipulation

Arthroscopic Surgery

Capsular Distension

• Do regular strength training and range-of-motion exercises. This will help maintain a strong and flexible shoulder joint.
• Seek prompt treatment for a shoulder injury.
• Do activities that use your shoulder joint regularly.
• After injury to an upper extremity (such as, hand, wrist, elbow), always move the shoulder through a full range of motion several times a day. This is true even when lying in bed for an illness such as a lung infection.

• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

• American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine

• Canadian Orthopaedic Association

• Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation

• Adhesive capsulitis of shoulder. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us. Updated October 11, 2012. Accessed October 23, 2012.
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