Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis)

by Ryan Kintzing, MSPT

Shoulder pain can be very debilitating and severely limit functional ability. Completing even the simplest of daily tasks can become difficult and painful. Adhesive Capsulitis, or Frozen Shoulder, is a condition involving loss of shoulder mobility due to inflammation of the joint capsule.

Causes of Frozen Shoulder

A majority of the time there is no cause for Frozen Shoulder. However there are a few common risk factors:

• Shoulder injury
• Shoulder surgery
• Neck pain or radiculopathy
• Older population
• Female more than male
• Greater risk patients: diabetes, post operative cardiac or abdominal surgery

Left un-treated, there are three stages of Frozen Shoulder:

Stage 1: Pain in the shoulder region which leads to limited mobility and stiffness, usually lasting between 2 and 9 months.
Stage 2: Called the "frozen" stage, there are fibrotic changes to the joint capsule. This stage can last anywhere from 3 to 12    months and is typically the most painful.
Stage 3: In this "thawing" stage, pain begins to decrease, as range of motion increases, typically lasting 1 to 3 years.
^{*The approximate time line is based on patient progression without medical treatment or physical therapy. Frozen shoulder is a condition that should get better without treatment in about 2 years.}

Typical treatment for Frozen Shoulder:

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications for pain
• Physical therapy to improve mobility and function
• Surgery is at times recommended only if nonsurgical treatment is ineffective

Having shoulder pain? Not sure why or what to do? See what STAR Physical Therapy can do to help! Our staff of skilled therapists can assist you in evaluating and treating your shoulder pain, getting you back to your everyday life pain free!