Unveils Breakthrough Insights on Adhesive Capsulitis: Navigating the Complexities for Shoulder Health and Recovery.

Shoulder joints have the hugest range of motion among all human joints. Such a joint is called a Ball-and-socket joint', which moves like the ball rolling in a cup. Capsules and muscles surrounding the shoulder maintain the joint's stability simultaneously. So, when there is a problem with structures surrounding the joint, people feel pain and disability in their shoulder.

?Sometimes, people feel sudden pain or limited motion in their shoulder without any specific history of shoulder injury. As it is prevalent for people in their fifties or sixties, old Korean people used to call this condition a 50-year-old shoulder. But it is not limited to the people in their fifties and sixties. People usually try to rest for some time but do not feel better. And then they visit the clinic. Doctors conduct physical examinations and guess the causes of the condition. Examinations include a few radiologic ones, ranging from an X-ray to an ultrasound or MRI, to confirm a doctor's guess. Your doctor will choose appropriate tests for your condition. When there is nothing abnormal from the radiologic examination or only a few abnormal, non-significant MR findings, doctors define this condition as adhesive capsulitis, the so-called frozen shoulder.?

?This condition can occur at any age. Moreover, if you have diabetes, thyroid disease (deficient thyroid function, hypothyroidism), dyslipidemia, stroke, or autoimmune disease, the risk of adhesive capsulitis can get higher.

?When patients are diagnosed with adhesive capsulitis, the main management is nonoperative. We call this condition 'a self-limited condition', which means this condition improves without any intervention. However, recovery takes time. Most patients feel frustrated if they do not understand this condition well. One of the most crucial treatments is patients’ understanding of this condition.

There are two targets of management. One is pain relief, and the other is shoulder motion recovery. To relieve the pain, there are many options of treatments. Medicine, including paracetamol or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or even oral steroids, can be used. Sometimes, doctors may recommend injection to the shoulder for the pain resistant to oral medication. When the pain is controlled, the patient can consider shoulder exercise. The exercise usually needs assistance from professionals. Physiotherapists will evaluate your condition and advise the proper level of exercise.

?Although extremely rare, surgical management might be necessary. It will be an endoscopic, keyhole surgery, and very unusual management for the condition. Your doctor will not advise the surgery unless you have done all the other nonsurgical treatments before the decision.

For more information and to book an appointment visit Dr. Hong Suk Kwak's clinic or call 8002211.