Frozen Shoulder

Frozen Shoulder

Frozen shoulder is a condition that affects your shoulder joint. It usually involves pain and stiffness that develops gradually, gets worse and then finally goes away. This can take anywhere from 1 year to to 3 years

shoulder is made up of three bones that form a ball-and-socket joint. They are your upper arm (humerus), shoulder blade (scapula), and collarbone (clavicle). There’s also tissue surrounding your shoulder joint that holds everything together. This is called the shoulder capsule.

With frozen shoulder, the capsule becomes so thick and tight that it’s hard to move. Bands of scar tissue form and there’s less of a liquid called synovial fluid to keep the joint lubricated. These things limit motion even more.

Symptoms

  • Pain and stiffness that make it difficult or impossible to move the shoulder.
  • Dull or achy pain specifically in one shoulder.
  • Pain in the shoulder muscles that wrap around the top of your arm.
  • You may also feel the same sensation of pain in your upper arm.
  • The pain can worsen at night, making it hard to sleep.

Causes

Frozen shoulder happens more often in women than men, and you’re more likely to get it if you’re between the ages of 40 and 60. Your risk might also go up if you’re in the process of recovering from a medical condition like a stroke, or surgery like a mastectomy that keeps you from moving your arm.

Certain medical conditions can increase your risk too. You may also be more likely to get frozen shoulder if you have diabetes. About 10% to 20% of people with diabetes get frozen shoulder

3 stages of frozen shoulder

  1. Freezing stage:

    • Symptoms:
      • Development of pain (sometimes severe) in the shoulder upon movement.
      • Gradual worsening of pain over time, often more pronounced at night.
    • Duration:
      • Lasts anywhere from 6 to 9 months.
    • Limitations:
      • Reduced range of motion in the shoulder.

  2. Frozen stage:

    • Symptoms:
      • Improvement in pain, but increased stiffness.
      • Difficulty in moving the shoulder, impacting daily activities.
    • Duration:
      • Lasts from 4 to 12 months.

  3. Thawing stage:

    • Symptoms:
      • Gradual return of normal range of motion in the shoulder.
    • Duration:
      • Can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years.

Treatments

Spine and joint care can assure you 90 to 100 percentage of recovery from frozen shoulder