Orthopädie Zentrum München Ost - Schulter - Erkrankungen - Banner

Shoulder stiffness

Frozen shoulder as a marathon among shoulder therapies

With a gradual onset, frozen shoulder, also known as “frozen shoulder,” shows a deterioration of mobility in the shoulder joint. Often, the first symptoms are a pain on start-up in the morning, the problem of no longer being able to lie on the affected shoulder without pain, or restrictions when lifting and rotating the arms. Later stages of frozen shoulder can progress to complete stiffness of the shoulder and severe pain. This stress not only limits the quality of life and mobility, but can lead to further diseases and degenerative damage in the joints.

Frozen shoulder is not only considered a symptom, but a disease in its own right. To differentiate mobility disorders of the shoulder due to frozen shoulder from other injuries and diseases, a comprehensive examination by an experienced specialist is the best option.

Do you need a personal consultation?

The specialists at the Orthopädie Zentrum München Ost will be happy to provide you with a medical consultation. Take advantage of our wealth of experience in the field of orthopedics and feel free to make an appointment with us!

Contact

089 4141 434-64

Orthopädie Zentrum München Ost - Schulter - Erkrankungen

Table of Contents:

What is frozen shoulder or frozen shoulder?
Causes: How does frozen shoulder develop?
Symptoms of frozen shoulder

Diagnostics and therapy for “Frozen Shoulder
Treatment of frozen shoulder at the Orthopaedic Center Munich East (OZMO)

What is frozen shoulder or frozen shoulder?

Frozen shoulder, frozen shoulder, or periarthropathy is the term used to describe an independent condition in which injury and/or inflammation in the shoulder joint damages the tissue of the joint capsule. As a result, there is initially a thickening of the capsular tissue, followed by shrinkage of the joint capsule. Both permanently restrict joint movement, which is why the shoulder becomes stiff and immobile.

The shoulder is considered the joint with the most comprehensive range of motion in the human body. The shoulder capsule must therefore be flexibly movable in every direction in a healthy person. In frozen shoulder, there is thus a clear restriction of movement that impairs the mobility of the arms and a person’s ability to act with the arms, despite a wide range of possibilities for compensatory movements.

Causes: How does frozen shoulder develop?

A distinction is made between primary and secondary frozen shoulder. Both types of frozen shoulder are similar in their backgrounds and effects during the disease, but vary in their initial presentation as an initial disease (primary) or secondary disease (secondary).

Primary frozen shoulder begins with a nonspecific inflammation of the synovial membrane, the cause of which is unknown in most cases. If the inflammation attacks the joint capsule, there is capsular thickening and shrinkage of the shoulder capsule, which limits the mobility of the shoulder. The physician then also speaks of an idiopathic disease. Diabetics and people with thyroid disorders are affected more frequently than people without metabolic disorders. However, spontaneous frozen shoulder can also occur as a primary condition directly following major surgery.

Secondary frozen shoulder, which is much less common, is usually the result of improper postoperative treatment of the joint after surgery or injury. Increased scarring causes shrinkage of the joint capsule, which results in restricted movement. Example causes of secondary frozen shoulder may include inflammation in the shoulder joint, a rotator cuff defect, or impingement. The frozen shoulder only develops after the primary disease, which is why it is referred to as “secondary frozen shoulder”.

Symptoms of frozen shoulder

The symptoms of frozen shoulder are more varied than the name would lead you to believe. In addition to stiffness of the shoulder, there may be a restriction of movement throughout the upper body and arm area, which becomes complicated if frozen shoulder is left untreated. Since the shoulder joint has the largest range of motion of all joints in our body and there are a number of compensation possibilities via the shoulder blade, but also the shoulder-neck area, the movement restriction is often not noticeable in the early stages. Later, the disease is accompanied by slow-onset but increasing onset pain that parallels stiffening of the shoulder. Due to the compensatory movements, there is often an overload of the muscles in the area of the shoulder blade up to the thoracic spine, but also in the neck area.

As a result, cervical spine discomfort often develops as the shoulder is elevated above the neck area to avoid pain. Patients are therefore often mistakenly treated exclusively in the cervical and thoracic spine without the cause of the frozen shoulder being identified. Another complicating factor for diagnostics is that imaging (magnetic resonance imaging) can only detect the inflammation at a very advanced stage. In this more advanced stage, there is then increasing inflammation of the shoulder joint, with pulling pain into the front and side of the upper arm and complete immobility of the shoulder joint.

Diagnostics and therapy for “Frozen Shoulder

The doctor’s consultation with a thorough examination is supplemented with an ultrasound examination for the diagnosis of frozen shoulder. The primary purpose of sonography is to exclude other diseases of the shoulder. Magnetic resonance imaging may also be used as a more advanced imaging procedure. According to the results from the diagnostics, the appropriate treatment for frozen shoulder is advised, which usually consists of various elements of conservative therapy.

The therapy of frozen shoulder is divided into two phases. In the inflammatory, acute phase, the inflammation should first be treated with cortisone tablets, alternatively injections. If this is not possible due to intolerance, e.g. in diabetes, blood plasma therapy can be used as an alternative. In this procedure, the body’s own blood plasma with platelets is injected into the joint in minute quantities to stimulate the body’s own self-healing powers.

The goal is to treat the inflammation as quickly as possible to avoid scarring of the capsule with subsequent shrinkage if possible. Physiotherapy is recommended only after the inflammation has largely subsided. In the inflammatory phase, no movements that cause pain or physiotherapy should be performed, otherwise the inflammation will always break out.

With frozen shoulder as a condition, you need staying power, as it can last up to a year, sometimes longer. If mobility cannot be achieved with conservative measures, the shrunken joint capsule and corresponding scarring can be released with arthroscopy on an outpatient basis.

Treatment of frozen shoulder at the Orthopaedic Center Munich East (OZMO)

Do you have painful discomfort and movement disorders in the shoulder, the cause of which is unknown to you? Do not take frozen shoulder “lightly”, but inform yourself about our wide range of orthopedic services. Our accomplished orthopedic surgeons will be happy to welcome you to our well-equipped practice at the Orthopädie Zentrum München Ost (OZMO) for an examination with diagnostics. Many years of experience in orthopedics, comprehensive knowledge of modern treatment methods and, if required, a high level of expertise even in complex operations of the musculoskeletal system characterize our team of orthopedic specialists. Our competent practice team looks forward to your call and will be happy to reserve an appointment for shoulder examinations for frozen shoulder and other joint diseases at the Orthopedic Center Munich East.

Mo – Th:	08:00 – 18:00
Fr:	08:00 – 12:00