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Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis): Stages, Symptoms, and Treatment Near You in New Jersey
Are you dealing with shoulder stiffness and pain? It could be due to frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis), which causes progressive symptoms but can be treated. At Interventional Spine & Surgery Group, we provide fast, patient-centered orthopedic care for a wide range of conditions, including frozen shoulder treatment, from an experienced multidisciplinary team. Learn more about frozen shoulder, its causes and symptoms, and how we treat it near you in central and northern New Jersey.
Key Takeaways
- The shoulder capsule is a fluid-filled coating around the ball-and-socket joint. When it gets inflamed and thickened, it tightens and leads to pain and stiffness called frozen shoulder.
- Risk factors for frozen shoulder include being over age 40, being female, and having certain medical conditions like diabetes, thyroid disease, or Parkinson’s disease.
- Frozen shoulder is divided into three distinct stages: the freezing stage, the frozen stage, and the thawing stage.
- Frozen shoulder is often effectively treated with non-surgical treatments like physical therapy, corticosteroid injections, and hydrodilatation. However, surgical procedures like capsular release may be used when conservative methods don’t work.
- Interventional Spine & Surgery Group provides non-surgical and surgical frozen shoulder treatment near you in central and northern New Jersey.
Understanding Frozen Shoulder
The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint that consists of bones, muscles, cartilage, and connective tissue that work together to provide a wide range of motion. The shoulder capsule is a tough, fluid-filled coating that encloses the ball-and-socket joint, providing stability and aiding in mobility. When this capsule becomes inflamed and thickened, often through swelling, cell overgrowth, and scarring, it tightens and leads to pain and stiffness. This is known as frozen shoulder, which causes progressive symptoms that eventually subside on their own.
What Are the Causes and Risk Factors of Frozen Shoulder?
Frozen shoulder occurs when the joint capsule gets inflamed, stiff, and swollen. It can be triggered by keeping the arm still for a long time, such as in a sling or cast. Other times, it happens for an unknown reason. However, there are certain risk factors that can increase a person’s risk of developing it, such as:
- Age and sex: Frozen shoulder occurs most often in adults aged 40 to 60, especially women.
- Diabetes: People with diabetes have higher chances of developing frozen shoulder because the high blood sugar levels alter the collagen, triggering tissue thickening in the joint.
- Medical conditions: Other medical conditions, such as thyroid disorders, Parkinson’s disease, and heart disease, can increase a person’s vulnerability to frozen shoulder, although the exact reasons for this are unknown.
- Recovery period: People who are healing from a stroke, arm fracture, or rotator cuff injury that restricts arm movement are more likely to get frozen shoulder.
Although not everyone with these risk factors will get the condition, they can increase their risk and are important to be aware of.
What Are the Symptoms of Frozen Shoulder?
Frozen shoulder causes a few characteristic symptoms that typically get progressively worse. They include:
- A dull ache in the upper arm or outer shoulder
- Nighttime pain that affects your sleeping ability
- Stiffness and range-of-motion limitations that prevent you from lifting your arm or reaching behind your back
These symptoms can make it difficult to complete everyday tasks like getting dressed or bathing, affecting a person’s overall quality of life.
What Are the Three Stages of Frozen Shoulder?
Frozen shoulder causes three distinct phases that progress from one to the next. The condition can heal on its own, but the recovery process is very slow, taking anywhere from one to three years. The stages include:
- Freezing stage: The first stage generally lasts anywhere from two to nine months. The shoulder pain gradually worsens with movement, and your range of motion starts to drop significantly.
- Frozen stage: The second stage spans from four to 12 months. The pain often improves, but the shoulder remains very stiff and hard to use. Daily tasks can become difficult.
- Thawing stage: This stage can occur anywhere from five to 24 months or longer. The range of motion gradually improves, and the pain goes away completely or occurs only with intense movements.
| Stage | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Freezing | Frozen | Thawing |
| Duration | 2 to 9 months | 4 to 12 months | 5 to 24 months |
| Key Symptoms |
|
| Improving range of motion and pain |
| Pain Level | Moderate to Severe | Low/Moderate | Low/nonexistent |
How Is Frozen Shoulder Diagnosed?
When a patient comes in with shoulder stiffness and pain, they will need to get some diagnostic tests done to confirm if frozen shoulder is the cause or if there are other potential reasons for their symptoms.
The main tool for diagnosing frozen shoulder is a physical exam. The doctor will ask about your medical history, symptoms, and any conditions, such as diabetes or thyroid disease, that can affect the risk of frozen shoulder. They will also examine the shoulder to assess your mobility and pain level. They may ask you to perform certain movements, such as external rotation or active motions like lifting or reaching. They will also use passive motions, where the doctor moves your arm to evaluate its stiffness.
Sometimes, imaging scans like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and X-rays will be used to rule out other conditions like arthritis, fractures, rotator cuff tears, and more. With the information gathered during the diagnostic process, the doctor can confirm a diagnosis of frozen shoulder.
What Are the Treatment Options for Frozen Shoulder?
Although frozen shoulder will eventually subside on its own, many patients want relief before then.
Non-Surgical Treatments
There are several non-surgical treatment options that can provide symptom relief, including:
- Physical therapy: A physical therapist will work with you to show you gentle stretching exercises and therapeutic movements that help loosen the joint capsule and improve mobility. These exercises can also be continued at home for better outcomes.
- Corticosteroid injections: A doctor can inject cortisone, a steroid medication, into the shoulder joint to reduce pain quickly, especially in stage 1.
- Hydrodilatation: This process involves injecting a sterile fluid like saline into the joint capsule to help stretch it and expand the tight joint tissue.
These treatments are often combined for the best effect. For relief you can do yourself without a specialist or doctor, you can take over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to reduce pain and baseline swelling, apply heat and ice packs to loosen muscles, and do gentle stretching exercises.
Surgical Treatment Options
If conservative treatment methods don’t provide effective symptom relief, surgical treatment may be considered for frozen shoulder. Options include:
- Manipulation under anesthesia: This is a medical procedure where the patient is put under anesthesia, and the doctor gently moves the joint to stretch and break up the scar tissue. The doctor doesn’t make any cuts, but it is considered a surgical procedure because it is done in an operating room under sedation.
- Arthroscopic capsular release: This is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that is done arthroscopically, which uses tiny incisions, specialized tools, and a small camera. Using the tools and visualization from the camera, the surgeon will cut the tight shoulder capsule to loosen it and provide symptom relief.
Capsular release can also be done through traditional open surgery, but it is less common. After surgical treatment for frozen shoulder, patients will need to participate in structured physical therapy to regain mobility and rebuild strength.
At Interventional Spine & Surgery Group, orthopedic procedures like capsular release are done by our board-certified orthopedic surgery team that uses minimally invasive methods whenever possible.
Find Frozen Shoulder Treatment Near You in New Jersey
When you’re struggling with shoulder pain and stiffness from frozen shoulder, daily activities can become challenging. Fortunately, treatment is available at Interventional Spine & Surgery Group, where we have a multidisciplinary team of orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, physical therapists, chiropractors, and more. Each member collaborates to provide fast, high-quality care you can trust.
We provide convenient, end-to-end care, meaning our team will coordinate imaging, insurance authorizations, referrals, and surgery scheduling, taking the burden off our patients and building trust. At Interventional Spine & Surgery Group, we can see you now, we care, and we’ll help you get better.
Contact us today to learn more about frozen shoulder treatment or to book an appointment near you in central or northern New Jersey.
Frequently Asked Questions About Frozen Shoulder
What causes frozen shoulder?
Frozen shoulder can be caused by prolonged immobilization, such as wearing a sling for long periods after a broken arm or shoulder surgery. The reduced movement causes the joint capsule to get inflamed and stiff. However, it can also have no clear cause.
What are the three stages of frozen shoulder?
The three stages of frozen shoulder include:
- The freezing stage: where the pain is intense and the shoulder starts to lose mobility
- The frozen stage: where the pain decreases but stiffness increases substantially
- The thawing stage: where the pain and stiffness start to subside and then disappear
How long does frozen shoulder last?
Frozen shoulder generally lasts between one and three years in total, moving through three stages: the freezing stage, the frozen stage, and the thawing stage.
Can frozen shoulder go away on its own?
Yes, frozen shoulder can go away on its own, but it can take anywhere from one to three years.
What is the fastest way to heal frozen shoulder?
The fastest way to heal from a frozen shoulder is to combine corticosteroid injections, physical therapy, and daily home stretching. The combination helps to relieve pain while restoring mobility.
Is frozen shoulder related to diabetes?
Yes, frozen shoulder can be related to diabetes. People with diabetes have a higher risk of developing the condition because high blood sugar levels affect the collagen, which results in thickening in the shoulder joint.
When is surgery needed for frozen shoulder?
Surgery is typically only needed for frozen shoulder when conservative treatment methods like physical therapy, corticosteroid injections, and hydrodilatation have not worked.
How do I know if I have frozen shoulder or a rotator cuff tear?
Frozen shoulder and rotator cuff tears have key differences in symptoms. One of the easiest ways to differentiate between the two is by testing the joint’s passive movement. If you can’t move your arm, even if someone is lifting it, it’s likely a frozen shoulder. If someone else can easily lift your arm, even if you can’t yourself, it is likely a rotator cuff tear.
