Frozen shoulder
General HealthFrozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) is a painful condition in which the shoulder becomes stiff and hard to move. It develops gradually, typically over months, and usually gets better on its own within 1-3 years — though recovery can be slow.
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Videos about Frozen shoulder (27)
11:54कंधों में जकड़न - कारण, इलाज़ | Dr Arpit Singh on Frozen shoulder in Hindi | Causes & Symptoms
Dr Arpit Singh
2.9K views
9:14হিমায়িত কাঁধ: লক্ষণ এবং চিকিৎসা | Treatment of Frozen Shoulder in Bangla | Dr Avik Kumar Khanra
Dr Avik Kumar Khanra
1.8K views
6:24فروزن شولڈر :علامات اور علاج | Frozen Shoulder: How to Treat? in Urdu | Dr Suhail Bhat
Dr Suhail Bhat
219 views
10:42Frozen Shoulder: Relief & Treatment | Dr Prasenjit Datta
Dr Prasenjit Datta
141 views
2:47فریزڈ شولڈر کا فزیوتھراپی علاج | Physiotherapy for Frozen Shoulder in Urdu | Imaan A H Mistry
Imaan A H Mistry
125 views
6:54منجمد شانہ اور اس کا علاج | Frozen Shoulder: How to Treat? in Urdu | Dr Mir Mushtaq
Dr Mir Mushtaq
11 views
6:06କାନ୍ଧ ଯନ୍ତ୍ରଣା ହେଉଥିଲେ କରନ୍ତୁ ଏହି ଏକ୍ସରସାଇଜ | Rashmita Pandab on Frozen Shoulder in Odia
52K views
9:51କାନ୍ଧ ଯନ୍ତ୍ରଣାରୁ କେମିତି ପାଇବେ ମୁକ୍ତି? | Dr Sandeep Lenka on Frozen Shoulder in Odia | Prevention
Dr Sandeep Lenka
36K views
8:50फ्रोजन शोल्डर बद्दल सर्वकाही | Frozen Shoulder in Marathi | Dr Sunil Vishnu Patil
Dr Sunil Vishnu Patil
28K views
12:01ಫ್ರೋಝನ್ ಶೋಲ್ಡರ್ : ಹೇಗೆ ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ ನೀಡಬಹುದು? | Frozen Shoulder, in Kannada | Dr Kaushik Aithal
Dr Kaushik Aithal
7.3K views
6:50फ्रोझन शोल्डरसाठी फिजिओथेरपी | Physiotherapy for Frozen Shoulder, in Marathi | Dr Ashwini Behere
Dr Ashwini Behere
5.7K views
6:20ଫ୍ରୋଜନ୍ ସୋଲଡର – କେମିତି ଭଲ ହେବ? | Frozen Shoulder in Odia | Dr Rajendra Sahoo
Dr Rajendra Sahoo
3.7K views
Showing 12 of 27 videos
About Frozen shoulder
About this summary: Written by Swasthya Plus for Indian readers, using NHS (UK) as a reference source. For personal guidance, please consult a qualified Health Expert.
Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) is a painful condition in which the shoulder becomes stiff and hard to move. It develops gradually, typically over months, and usually gets better on its own within 1-3 years — though recovery can be slow.
Who gets frozen shoulder?
Frozen shoulder is most common in adults aged 40-60, and more common in women. It is strongly associated with diabetes — people with diabetes are 2-4 times more likely to develop frozen shoulder, and India's very high diabetes prevalence means it is frequently seen in clinics. Other risk factors:
- Diabetes (especially long-standing)
- Thyroid disease (over- or under-active)
- Previous shoulder injury or surgery
- Long periods of shoulder immobility — for example after a fracture, stroke, or prolonged illness
- Parkinson's disease
What are the symptoms?
Frozen shoulder typically progresses through three overlapping phases, each lasting several months:
- Freezing (painful phase) — pain comes on gradually and worsens. Movement becomes more limited. Pain is often worse at night.
- Frozen (stiff phase) — pain may ease but stiffness increases, making everyday tasks like fastening a bra, reaching into a back pocket, or combing hair very difficult.
- Thawing (recovery phase) — movement gradually returns over months.
How is it diagnosed?
Usually a clinical diagnosis — a doctor examines the shoulder for the typical pattern of stiffness in all directions. X-rays or MRI are done mainly to rule out other causes (arthritis, rotator cuff tear). Blood tests may be ordered to check for diabetes if not already diagnosed.
Treatment
Treatment aims to reduce pain and keep the shoulder moving:
- Painkillers for pain and inflammation
- Physiotherapy — stretching and range-of-motion exercises, consistently done, are the core of treatment
- Steroid injections into the shoulder joint or capsule — can help reduce pain and improve movement, especially in the freezing phase
- Hydrodilatation — injection of saline to stretch the capsule; done by a radiologist or orthopaedic specialist
- Surgery (manipulation under anaesthesia or arthroscopic capsular release) — for cases that don't improve after 6-12 months of conservative treatment
If you have diabetes, keep blood glucose well-controlled — it supports recovery. Most people regain full or near-full shoulder function, though this can take 1-3 years.
Reference source: NHS (UK)