Frozen Shoulder
A frozen shoulder, causing severe pain and stiffness in the shoulder joint, may come on following surgery or an injury to the shoulder, due to conditions such as diabetes, or sometimes for no known reason.
What is a frozen shoulder?
A frozen shoulder can be a very painful condition affecting of the shoulder, where the capsule which surrounds the shoulder joint becomes very inflamed and then thickens and tightens. A frozen shoulder is likely to follow a pattern of a mainly painful phase (known as ‘freezing’), a phase of being mainly stiff (‘frozen’) and finally a phase of recovery (‘thawing’), though this can vary from person to person. Recovery can take between 1 and 3 years, but in conditions such as diabetes it may take longer, and some persistent tightness in certain movements may remain.
Who does it affect?
It tends to affect people between the age of 35 and 60. The exact cause of a frozen shoulder is unknown, but it is more common in conditions such as diabetes and thyroid disease, and following an injury or surgery where the arm has not been moved. Once you have had a frozen shoulder, it is very unlikely that you will experience another one on the same side.