Frozen shoulder condition occurs when the capsular portion of your shoulder joint becomes thick and tight, restricting the mobility. It causes significant pain and stiffness in the shoulder joints, which worsen over time, leading to the interrupted daily routine.
You can relieve from the frozen shoulder condition naturally because most people find relief from pain and stiffness within three years. If your pain persists long, then it is time to look for a best shoulder surgeon to fix it. Always go with surgical frozen shoulder treatment options, because the natural or traditional treatments will either prolong or aggravate it.
Before jumping to the treatments to fix pain and dysfunction of a frozen shoulder, let us discuss a few other aspects of frozen shoulder:
- What Is Frozen Shoulder?
- How Does Frozen Shoulder Occur?
- Causes of Frozen Shoulder
- Signs and Symptoms of Frozen Shoulder
- Who Gets Frozen Shoulder?
What Is Frozen Shoulder?
Frozen shoulder is a condition that occurs when your shoulder tissues get thicker and tighter and develop into scar tissues. It limits the movement of the shoulder and affects the overall functioning of the shoulder joint. You will have more pain and stiffness, which makes your shoulder even more challenging to move.
How Does Frozen Shoulder Happen?
The shoulder joint includes a lining called capsule. It is highly elastic and allows your shoulder to move. In frozen shoulder condition, the lining of the shoulder joint gets affected, and the range of motion is significantly reduced. The loss of elasticity and flexibility in the capsular portion of the shoulder is the reason for the happening of the frozen shoulder.
Causes Of Frozen Shoulder
The exact reason for frozen shoulder is not known. However, the following are the few risk factors linked with frozen shoulder condition.
- Age and sex
- Immobility or reduced mobility
- Systemic diseases such as Diabetes, Cardiovascular disease
- Capsule thickens and tightens
- Taking certain medications
Symptoms Of Frozen Shoulder
These are the common symptoms reported by the majority of the patients suffering from a frozen shoulder condition.
- Pain that gets worse with movement
- Restricted motion
- Stiffness
- Hard to move while dressing and washing
- Initial pain and tenderness
- Pain that worsens at night
Who Gets Frozen Shoulder?
Individuals who are aged between 40 to 60 years are more likely to have frozen shoulder. Persons with other medical conditions such as diabetes, tuberculosis, obesity, Parkinson’s disease, and cardiovascular diseases are at an increased risk of developing frozen shoulder.
Treatment To Fix Pain and Dysfunction Of A Frozen Shoulder
The pain and dysfunction resulting from a frozen shoulder can be fixed with both surgical as well as non-surgical treatment options. However, the non-surgical treatment methods provide temporary relief from pain and dysfunction but don’t treat the underlying cause. Go with surgical treatment options to relieve pain and dysfunction of a frozen shoulder permanently.
Non-Surgical Treatment Options
- Application of an ice or cold pack to the shoulder
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory oral medications
- Physical therapy exercises
- Corticosteroid injections (Infusion of steroids into shoulder joints)
- Joint distension (injection of sterilized water into shoulder joint)
- Hydrodilatation
Surgical Treatment Options
The surgical treatment options for frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis include:
Arthroscopic Capsular Release:
The surgical treatment option for frozen shoulder is arthroscopy or keyhole surgery, or minimally invasive surgery. During arthroscopy, the scar tissues are removed with the help of a specialized instrument called arthroscope. It is mostly preferred procedure for adhesive capsulitis that results from trauma, injury, or fractures.
During the procedure, 2 to 3 incisions will be made into the shoulder joint, and a radiofrequency probe is inserted to one of it. Your surgeon may also insert an arthroscopic camera which provides a clear picture of the surgery on the monitor. Now the tightened capsular portion will be cut and freed using RF probes. Once the swollen tissues are released, the incisions made will be closed using stitches, or sutures or surgical staples.
Manipulation Under Anaesthesia:
Manipulation Under Anaesthesia or MUA is performed under anaesthesia. In this procedure, the surrounding muscles are stretched to achieve a full range of shoulder motion. It mainly aims at reducing the pain and stiffness and is usually suggested when the physical therapy proves to be ineffective. It doesn’t involve any incisions. It is mostly performed after arthroscopic capsular release.
Conclusion:
In most cases, pain relievers and physical therapy can help you restore the shoulder motion, but the symptoms last for 18 months to 3 years. If they do last long, consult our doctor, Dr Chandra sekhar one of the Best shoulder specialists in Hyderabad who can suggest appropriate treatment approach to fix the pain and dysfunction of your frozen shoulder.
Get rid of your frozen shoulder today!
