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What Is A Frozen Shoulder?

“Frozen Shoulder” is a common name given to a medical condition called “Adhesive Capsulitis”. The symptoms of this condition are  pain and stiffness in one or both shoulders, although it occurs more often in just one shoulder at a time. It can be extremely disabling for those affected depending on the amount of shoulder motion lost. A frozen shoulder can last from several weeks to sometimes a few years, however the person can have loss of motion and/or strength that lasts permantly. This is usually because the person did not seek treatment soon enough or simply tried to live with the pain and stiffness and did nothing proactive to get their range of motion back.

Adhesive Capsulitis is called an “idiopathic” disease which basically means that no one knows the real causitive factors behind this condition. Most research has shown that this condition does tend to occur more in females over age 40, and usually in the non-dominant arm. However these are simply statistics as it can occur in males and in the dominant arm as well. There are two basic types – Primary Adhesive Capsulitis and Secondary Adhesive Capsulitis. Primary Adhesive Capsulitis is a sudden onset of shoulder pain followed by stages of stiffness and dysfunction of the shoulder. In other words, there is no precipitating reason behind the symptoms. Seconday Adhesive Capsulitis follows after trauma to the shoulder, such as after a period of immobilization due to an arm fracture, after rotator cuff surgery, or even after a fall on the shoulder. In contrast to Primary Frozen Shoulder, there is some sort of precipitating factor preceding the condition. Even though one might can pinpoint an event before the onset of their frozen shoulder symptoms, the reason to process starts in some individuals and not in others remains a mystery (idiopathic).

Stages Of A Frozen Shoulder

Stage I: (Painful Stage)

This stage is characterized by progressive pain in one or both shoulders, usually with moving the shoulder, but the pain can be present at rest as well.

Stage II: (Freezing Stage)

This stage involves progressive and severe loss of motion in the shoulder. The pain is still present, but the stiffness is more limiting to the person’s ADLs (Activities of Daily Living). This stage can last up to several months.

Stage III: (Thawing Stage)

Pain is typically not an issue in this stage. Range of motion begins to slowly return and the person begins to regain their function again, such as being able to brush their hair, put on their belt, or fasten their bra.

Below is an example of a lady who had a frozen shoulder with severely limited range of motion

and received treatment over the course of several weeks:

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