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Frozen shoulder

Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a shoulder condition which limits your range of motion. This occurs when the tissues in your shoulder joint become tighter and thicker; scar tissue develops, which results in your shoulder joint, not having enough space to rotate and move properly.

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Hormonal imbalance, weak immune system and diabetes, can make you prone to joint inflammation. A long period of inactivity after an injury, illness or surgery may make you prone to adhesions (bands of stiff tissue) and inflammation, which may limit your range of motion.  This usually takes 2 – 9 months to develop.

What are the symptoms of a frozen shoulder?

The main signs and symptoms of a frozen shoulder are pain and stiffness, which may result in difficulty or inability to move your shoulder. The pain may get worse at night, making it hard to sleep, particularly when you lie on the affected shoulder.

There are 3 different stages that you may go through when you have a frozen shoulder, namely:

  • Freezing stage: during this stage, you may develop pain which may be severe as it slowly gets worse over time. It may hurt more at night, causing sleepless nights. This stage may last 6-9 months.
  • Frozen stage: During this stage, you may experience difficulties in moving your shoulder and get through daily activities. The pain may get better, but your stiffness may get worse. This stage lasts 4-12 months.
  • Thawing stage: During this stage, your range of motion begins to go back to normal, and this stage may last take 6 months – 2 years.

How is a frozen shoulder treated?

Dr Bismilla may recommend conservative treatments such as pain medication or steroid injections on your shoulder to relieve pain and inflammation associated with frozen shoulder. He may also recommend physical therapy to teach you exercises to help recover as much mobility as possible. For persistent symptoms, the surgeon may recommend surgery as a last resort. During surgery, Dr Bismilla will make small incisions on your shoulder to help him remove scar tissue and adhesions inside your shoulder joint. He will then stitch close the incisions and dress the treated areas.

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