Description

Frozen Shoulder Syndrome

It occurs with a stiff or painful feeling in the
shoulder. This problem is sometimes called adhesive capsulitis (adhesive
capsulitis). It is not a well-known problem. However, if treated, it
usually improves over time. Frozen shoulder is a common problem in
Orthopedics, especially in women. In this disease, which is very painful
and with loss of movement, patients may not be able to use their arms for a
long time. In advanced cases, shoulder movements are severely restricted. Patients,
brushing teeth, taking anything from the closet, skirt buttoning, pants
pulling, etc. They may have difficulty performing their daily functions
such as. Many patients have night pain. The first symptom felt is
shoulder pain. It feels like the shoulder hurt.

Other symptoms may include

Shoulder pain that increases with moving the arm. Severe
shoulder pain that does not let you sleep Pain in the shoulder that makes
it difficult to do daily work. Inability to lift or rotate the arm beyond
a certain point.

Frozen Shoulder Syndrome causes

The causes of a frozen shoulder are varied. In fact, in
the most common percentage, the reason is not known exactly. Women are
more susceptible to this condition than men. This problem is more common
in women aged 40 and over. Sometimes, years after a shoulder injury, dull
shoulder pain can occur (ideopathic). Freezing shoulder occurs after
reasons such as shoulder-joint-tendom tears, shoulder-joint calcification. In
the third row, cases with shoulder-joint motion limitation after trauma or
surgery are placed. In ideopathic frozen shoulder patients, especially
diabetes, thyroid problems, high cholesterol, heart problems, the presence of
breast diseases in women and neck problems should be investigated. It
should not be forgotten that most of the patients with frozen shoulder today
are under intense stress.

In patients with frozen shoulder, the first symptoms usually
begin with pain. Later, there is a limitation in shoulder joint movements. The
shoulder is a joint made up of many separate parts. Thanks to these parts,
you can lift, rotate and swing your arm. However, if there is a frozen
shoulder, certain parts of the joint are retracted. That is, it shrinks by
squeezing. In this case, you will often feel pain and stiffness when you
want to move your arm. In untreated cases, limitation in shoulder joint
movements may be permanent.

Frozen Shoulder diagnosis

In order to diagnose this condition, your symptoms and health
history must be known. For this, the arm will be lifted up without forcing
and rotated around its axis and thus it will be seen how much it can move and
whether the movement gives pain. A shoulder x-ray can then be taken. In
some cases, other imaging tests may be required. After the examination
results are obtained, the diagnosis is made together with the examination
findings.

Conservative Treatment of Frozen Shoulder

The first treatment for frozen shoulder is conservative, that
is, surgical. Patients present with pain in the initial stages of a frozen
shoulder. Here, beyond the radiological examinations, clinical examination
and good rest of the patient are very important. The diagnosis of frozen
shoulder is made by clinical examination. It is never necessary to make
decisions only with radiology reports.

The first goal of conservative treatment is to relieve the
patient’s pain and to ease his / her movements. For this purpose, pain
relievers and edema-reducing drugs, shoulder joint injections and physical
therapy are applied. If the patients do not protect their shoulder joints
and do their daily movements due to pain, the situation may worsen. Patients
should try to use the shoulder joints during the freezing phase.

Cortisone injections

Cortisone is a steroid that helps reduce inflammation, namely
swelling and tenderness. In this treatment, cortisone is injected directly
into the joint. This method does not prevent the frozen shoulder
condition, but can generally reduce the pain to the extent that it allows
shoulder stretching movements.

Arthroscopic surgery

The aim of arthroscopic surgery is to prevent adhesions of
the frozen shoulder joint capsule. Arthroscopic procedure is performed
under general anesthesia. Before the shoulder joint is opened, the areas
where the capsule is narrowed are loosened arthroscopically. Shoulder-joint
movement is provided. The frozen shoulder can be treated quickly with
arthroscopic intervention. Patients get rid of long-lasting motion
limitation and pain complaints. After arthroscopy, shoulder-joint movements
are examined under general anesthesia, and attention is paid to prevent loss of
movement.

Is rehabilitation necessary after surgery?

Rehabilitation should be done after frozen shoulder surgery. Post-operative
pain occurs to vary from patient to patient. Patients may complain of
pain, especially on the first day. On the first postoperative day, the aim
is to use painkillers to relieve the patient’s pain. Physical therapy
usually starts the day after surgery. In physical therapy, it is very
important for the physician who performs the surgery to guide the findings and
physical therapy. In the initial phase, the surgeon explains the exercises
to the patient to do himself, and most patients easily understand the movements
they will do and begin to apply them. The aim is to achieve full range of
motion of the patient’s shoulder joint. In addition to the physical
therapy applied by the patient himself, professional support is also received
from physiotherapists when necessary.

Increasing the ability to move

In many cases, almost complete recovery of the ability to
move in the frozen shoulder is possible. However, this will take time. It
is necessary to be patient and not to disrupt the stretching exercise program. In
the long run, stretching will reduce pain and improve mobility. In cases
where sufficient results cannot be obtained from the exercises, the physician
may also suggest different treatment methods.