Frozen Shoulder Syndrome

Frozen shoulder syndrome is a debilitating disease. It affects about two percent of the general population. The technical name for frozen shoulder is adhesive capsulitis. It is a pathological disease that affects the shoulder capsule within the shoulder joint. The most often complaint that occurs in the shoulder are extreme pain, stiffness and loss of range of motion.

In most cases, the condition is caused by a traumatic injury that initially begins with severe pain and over time the shoulder will stiffen up. The pattern of signs and symptoms is similar to rheumatic diseases where it starts with pain and eventually leads to limitation of movement of the joint. In other cases, the symptoms would spontaneous appear without any specific injury. This is called a idiopathic frozen shoulder.

This condition rarely affects people under forty years old and appears more commonly in women than in men. Specifically, approximately 70% of patients are woman aged between forty and sixty years old.

If you have secondary complications such as diabetes,heart disease, stroke, lung disease and rheumatoid arthritis, the probability of getting frozen shoulder or shoulder adhesive capsulitis is much higher. Approximately, 10 to 30% of people who have diabetes will get frozen shoulder. The recovery period also extends for a longer period of time. Typically, it would take them one a half to two years for the person to fully recover. The non-dominant shoulder is usually affected more than the the dominant one. In x-rays, there will be no obvious bone abnormalities, calcium deposits or rotator cuff injuries detected.

It takes approximately twelve months for the shoulder to fully recover. If you think you have frozen shoulder, you should see a health practitioner as soon as possible. The majority of patients will recover without having surgery. However, it is common for a person to undergo surgery to reduce stiffness and pain.