General measures
- The arm should be spared, i.e., pain-inducing abduction (moving body parts away from the body axis) and roatation movements should be avoided. However, sparing does not mean immobilizing! This could lead to stiffening of the shoulder (shoulder contracture).
- Local cold packs for pain relief
Conventional non-surgical therapy methods
- Anesthetic mobilization: forcible release of the joint capsule under anesthesia. Note: long-term results of anesthetic manipulation are not very good!
Medical aids
- Passive motion splint (CPM splint; continuous passive motion) for passive (motor-driven) movement of the shoulder; less pain compared with physiotherapy
Physical therapy (including physiotherapy)
Physiotherapy is required to restore the mobility of the shoulder. The following points must be taken into account:
- Physiotherapy should be performed with manual therapy and isometric strengthening exercises.
- Appropriate exercises are: Exercises under axial traction (traction in physiotherapy is the targeted, therapeutically motivated “pulling” on a body part): e.g. pendulum exercises of the hanging arm.
- Physiotherapy must be performed over a longer period of time
Accompanying physical therapies such as electrotherapy and ultrasound therapy can be used.
