Frozen shoulder, also called adhesive capsulitis, is an often-painful condition in which stiffness develops in your shoulder, eventually making it very hard to move.
The debilitating condition affects individuals over the age of 40, is more likely to occur in women, and affects 2 to 5% of the population, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
You may be wondering what are the symptoms of a frozen shoulder? Frozen shoulder can often be difficult to diagnose and treat. But there are symptoms. Here are 7 signs that a frozen shoulder is affecting you — and your life.
1. Any movement of your shoulder causes pain. At this point, your shoulder’s range of motion will start to become limited.
2. You’ve lost strength in your shoulder. As your shoulder begins to freeze, you may notice a loss of strength in your shoulder, meaning it’s harder to lift items.
3. Your shoulder becomes stiff. This means you are entering the frozen stage. While the overall pain you are experiencing may lessen, it will also become difficult to move your shoulder and arm, making everyday tasks such as getting dressed, washing, and driving difficult. This decreased movement can come when you try to move your shoulder or when someone else, such as your doctor, tries to move your shoulder.
4. The pain gets worse at night. Often, individuals dealing with frozen shoulder experience worse pain at night, especially when they are trying to sleep.
5. You have a systemic disease. The frozen shoulder appears more often in those patients who have certain diseases such as diabetes, overactive thyroid, tuberculosis, and Parkinson’s disease.
6. You’ve been immobilized. A long period of immobilization can lead you to develop a frozen shoulder. At the same time, your chance of developing a frozen shoulder may increase if you’ve experienced a rotator cuff injury, broken arm, stroke, or spent a prolonged amount of time recovering from surgery.
7. The symptoms come in stages. Many patients dealing with frozen shoulder often experience them in stages. The freezing stage, as the pain worsens. The frozen stage, as your shoulder becomes stiff and you have no range of motion, and the thawing stage when the pain decreases and movement return to your shoulder. In some cases, your shoulder may return fully to normal.
Frozen shoulder can be a very painful disorder. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of a frozen shoulder, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss treatment options.
