Frozen shoulder is a common condition where the shoulder reduces its mobility. Sometimes it is also called as adhesive capsulitis. It is most common in people aged between 40 and 60 years and it is more common in women. It can affect one or both the shoulders.

Diagnosis

If there are symptoms of frozen shoulder, the doctor or the healthcare personal will examine you to find out which movements elicit symptoms. They will also try to gauge how limited your mobility is. They will ask you to move your own arm and shoulder, which is known as active range of motion. Then they will move your arm and shoulder to find out what you feel when someone else moves your arm and shoulder for you, which is called as passive range of motion. If you are suffering from frozen shoulder, you will find limitation in both active and passive range of motion. If you have the problem you will find it very difficult to rotate your arm or shoulder outward, away from your body. It will also be difficult to put the affected arm behind your back. If you have this problem, you will feel as though the arm is stuck and you cannot move with beyond a certain point. And there will be pain.

A good physical exam will help healthcare personal to find out if you have frozen shoulder problem. Sometimes, it may be difficult to convincingly establish whether the problem you are facing is because of frozen shoulder or other shoulder problems like painful or torn rotator cuff. If there is a situation where the healthcare personal is not sure about the diagnosis, he or she may refer you to an orthopedist.

Injection test

There is a test which can help your health care provider to find out whether you are suffering from a frozen shoulder problem or not. An injection test can help to decide whether it is exactly frozen shoulder problem or not. In this taste, the shoulder of the person is injected with an anesthetic. If you are suffering from a frozen shoulder problem, an injection test will not improve mobility but if you are suffering from other shoulder problems, the injection will increase your mobility.

Imaging

If the doctor or the healthcare professional suspects that you are suffering from a frozen shoulder, they may go for imaging taste like x-rays, magnetic resonance images (MRIs) and ultrasound. However, in most of the cases such imaging tests and not necessary. Your doctor may prescribe want to rule out other possible shoulder problems.

Frozen shoulder treatment

There are different types of treatments available for treating frozen shoulders. In some cases, it can get better on its own. However, even though pain may go away, you may not regain the full range of motion that you had previously.

The treatment options that you can go for include physical therapy, medications and indexing cases surgery. Physical therapy and medication is prescribed for managing the pain and inflammation you are suffering from.

If you're undergoing treatment for frozen shoulder, you need to remember that recovery can be a slow process. You will need to wait for some time so that the treatment can work for you. To reduce the pain, you can take some pain medications. Your doctor will prescribe the necessary painkillers if necessary. You need to find the best treatment option available for you so that we can get rid of the pain and limited range of motion as soon as possible.

References

1. Ultimate Frozen Shoulder Therapy Guide
2. Frozen shoulder
3. Frozen shoulder