These are the symptoms of a stiff shoulder

These are typical symptoms

A frozen shoulder can manifest itself through the following symptoms: severe pain Gradually increasing movement restriction, which at some point changes into maximum movement restriction (“frozen shoulder”), movement restriction in all movement levels due to the severe pain and pain at night.

  • Severe pain
  • Gradually increasing movement restriction, which at some point changes to a maximum movement restriction (“Frozen shoulder”),
  • Restriction of movement in all planes of movement due to the strong pain and
  • Nightly pain.

Pain

The pain is the typical and first symptom that precedes a stiff shoulder. This pain can occur weeks to months before the actual shoulder stiffness. At the beginning, there is usually a slight pain that gets worse and worse over time.

Those affected usually describe the pain as being deep in the shoulder joint and dull. At the beginning, when the shoulder is still mobile, the pain can radiate into the arm. In the course of time, the intensity of the pain increases to such an extent that it gradually restricts movement more and more.

Pain in the night

Pain during the night occurs mainly in the first phase of shoulder stiffness. This pain is also known as resting pain and is mainly felt when the person concerned is lying on the painful shoulder. Since the first phase of shoulder stiffness can last for months, disturbed sleep is very stressful for those affected and can severely restrict their quality of life.

Stiffening of the mobility

The stiffening of mobility occurs gradually and can last for several months. Due to the pain at the beginning, the mobility in the shoulder is more and more restricted, because the affected persons spare the shoulder due to the unpleasant pain. Then, for example, only the extension of the arm forwards or backwards is limited at the beginning. As the pain becomes more and more severe, the protection of the shoulder also increases. After a while, the joint capsule shrinks due to the protection of the shoulder, which leads to the fact that the mobility of the shoulder is maximally limited in all planes of movement and the shoulder is literally frozen.