Frozenshoulder.com

12:10pm Thursday 2nd November 2006

It is estimated that between 2-5% of the population will suffer from the painful and debilitating condition known as frozen shoulder at some point.

The majority of sufferers are women (60%) and the age group most likely to be affected is 40-65.

Frozen shoulder is the common name for Adhesive Capsulitis, a condition where the small layer which lubricates the shoulder joint starts to stick to itself. This adhesion is brought on through inflammation. The shoulder capsule rapidly shrink-wraps around the shoulder joint. Frozen shoulder symptoms include a lack of mobility in one or both shoulders, often making it difficult to move the arm more than 40 in any direction. This leads the surrounding muscles to weaken and leaves the arm lifeless and limp. Accurate frozen shoulder diagnosis should be made by your GP, although a couple of different treatments are available.

Traditional frozen shoulder tratment involves administering NSAID drugs, which temporarily reduce the inflammation of the shoulder joint, then working the shoulder through a range of motion designed to ease the pain and inflammation over a longer period of time. Alternative methods of treatment dispense with the drugs and focus solely on exercises.

Unfortunately, there is no acknowledged cure for frozen shoulder and symptoms last, on average, 30 months. There are three stages of frozen shoulder: Freezing (1-8 months), Frozen (9-16 months) and Thawing (12-40 months) and some people can suffer the condition for over four years.

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