Duration of a Frozen Shoulder

Frozen shoulders are often initially accompanied by inflammation in the joint and joint capsule, which can be treated with NSAIDs – so-called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These drugs are substances that suppress the formation of inflammation mediators and thus contain the inflammation. This leads to pain relief. Examples of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are ibuprofen, acetylsalicylic acid or diclofenac.

Medicines for pain analgesics

To relieve pain, there is a multitude of different active ingredients and classes of active ingredients. A distinction is made between non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and steroidal drugs such as cortisone, opioids and non-opioid drugs. Further one differentiates in the potency, thus the effectiveness of the means.

NSAIDs (see above) and non-opioid analgesics such as paracetamol or novalgin are used to treat pain in frozen shoulder. Many analgesics can be used orally, i.e. in tablet form, or locally in ointment form to relieve the symptoms of Frozen Shoulder. Opioids are usually very potent painkillers that can lead to dependency and are only administered in consultation with a physician for individual indications.

Glucocorticoid injections under the acromion

Glucocorticoid injection is used for local treatment of severe inflammation and pain. In the early stages of frozen shoulder, an injection can be made under the acromion. The tissue is treated with cortisone.

Cortisone inhibits the development of inflammatory mediators and often reliably improves symptoms over a period of time. It should be noted, however, that this is not a causal therapy, i.e. one that combats the causes, but is solely a symptomatic measure. The disadvantage of glucocorticoid injections is the connective tissue damaging effect of cortisone, which should be considered urgently.

Op of a Frozen Shoulder

Surgery of the frozen shoulder is considered if the cause of the development of another disease is underlying. This could be, for example, calcium deposits in the shoulder joint or chronic inflammation. Even if the symptoms of the frozen shoulder do not improve within six months, surgery is considered.

As a rule, an arthroscopy of the shoulder is performed, whereby the operation is performed through two small incisions. Regular physiotherapy is also necessary after the operation in order to restore full mobility and resilience of the shoulder joint. You can find exercises for after a frozen shoulder operation here.