Frozen shoulder

As this is a hotly debated topic within scientific literature, with many names in common use, we will be referring to this condition as Frozen Shoulder.

Frozen Shoulder, often referred to as Adhesive capsulitis (AC), is characterized by initially painful and later progressively restricted active and passive glenohumeral (GH) joint range of motion with spontaneous complete or nearly complete recovery over a varied period of time.

Common names for Frozen Shoulder include:

• Adhesive Capsulitis
• Painful stiff shoulder
• Periarthritis
• or an Idiopathic restriction of shoulder movement
  This inflammatory condition causes fibrosis of the GH joint capsule, is accompanied by gradually progressive stiffness and significant restriction of range of motion (typically external rotation).

In clinical practice it can be very challenging to differentiate early stages of Frozen Shoulder from other shoulder pathologies.