Will My Frozen Shoulder Ever Get Better?

Frozen shoulder, or Adhesive Capsulitis is a frustrating and painful condition that typically effect people in the 40's and 50's.  It almost sneaks up on you, feeling like a tweaked shoulder from doing something dumb like trying to catch the soda can as it rolls off the counter.  It can be a very painful process to go through, interrupting your sleep, your work and effecting pretty much every aspect of your life.  Along with the pain comes an inability to move your shoulder.

The frustrating part of this is that it doesn't matter how high a pain threshold you have or how hard you work to stretch, you can't make this go away any faster.  Beyond that, there is not much I, as your surgeon and physician can do about it either. It has a mind of it's own.   Aggressive physical therapy, forceful manipulation, surgery all fail to make this go away any sooner.  My role in getting you better is primarily supportive.  I can offer you cortisone injections to help make the pain bearable.  I can show you some stretches to help make you shoulder slightly more useful, but ultimatelly, frozen shoulder thaws on its own schedule.  Even worse... it can take up to 2 years to go away.  Ulitimately, it does resolve and you should expect full use of your arm in time.

For more information, you can read this handout from the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy or call our office for and appointment.