Phil Holland Shoulder Consultant
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What is it?
A frozen shoulder is a stiff painful shoulder caused by inflammation of the capsule.
What are the symptoms?
Pain is often all over the shoulder and down the arm. The pain is present all the time even with simple movements such as picking up a glass. There is often about half the range of movement of the other side.
Will I need any tests?
An xray will exclude other causes of shoulder pain and stiffness.
Can shoulder exercises and injections help?
Yes, absolutely! Injections can control the pain to enable you to do shoulder exercises. I often see people who have had several injections that haven't worked. I can do injections with X-ray guidance to make sure the injection is definitely in the shoulder and I use a large volume to stretch the stiff joint capsule.
What does surgery involve?
Keyhole surgery to release the shoulder joint is rarely needed. When it is needed we can reliably get the movement back while you are asleep and you need to start physiotherapy straight away to make sure your shoulder doesn't get stiff again.
When can I return to normal activities?
Without treatment frozen shoulders can improve for two or three years. With treatment we aim to speed up this process. Some people get better over a few weeks while others take longer.
Did you know?
Frozen shoulder can be linked to diabetes. If you are diabetic make sure this is well controlled and if you aren't diabetic it might be worth getting a test from your GP.
A frozen shoulder is a stiff painful shoulder caused by inflammation of the capsule.
What are the symptoms?
Pain is often all over the shoulder and down the arm. The pain is present all the time even with simple movements such as picking up a glass. There is often about half the range of movement of the other side.
Will I need any tests?
An xray will exclude other causes of shoulder pain and stiffness.
Can shoulder exercises and injections help?
Yes, absolutely! Injections can control the pain to enable you to do shoulder exercises. I often see people who have had several injections that haven't worked. I can do injections with X-ray guidance to make sure the injection is definitely in the shoulder and I use a large volume to stretch the stiff joint capsule.
What does surgery involve?
Keyhole surgery to release the shoulder joint is rarely needed. When it is needed we can reliably get the movement back while you are asleep and you need to start physiotherapy straight away to make sure your shoulder doesn't get stiff again.
When can I return to normal activities?
Without treatment frozen shoulders can improve for two or three years. With treatment we aim to speed up this process. Some people get better over a few weeks while others take longer.
Did you know?
Frozen shoulder can be linked to diabetes. If you are diabetic make sure this is well controlled and if you aren't diabetic it might be worth getting a test from your GP.