Frozen shoulder is one of the most common painful but non-serious condition that affects females more than males, often around the age of 50.
Frozen shoulder is typically described as following
3 stages and it
lasts 2 years on average.
- 1st stage: Pain and freezing
- 2nd stage: Frozen
- 3rd stage: Thawing
A normal shoulder has elastic shoulder ligaments with adequate bone-to-bone joint space. This allows our shoulder to perform full range-of-motion activities like reaching behind to scratch the back, reach for seatbelt, pick things from the top shelf, etc.
When frozen shoulder sets in, there are gradual, long-lasting changes happening to the shoulder:
- Long-term inflammation response with changes in the collagen cells of the ligaments, causing a loss of elasticity, thickening of ligaments and pain
- Significant loss of intra-joint volume, resulting in reduced range-of-motion of the shoulder joint in all directions.