Frozen shoulder procedure
What is frozen shoulder?
Frozen shoulder is the commonly used colloquial term for adhesive capsulitis, a painful condition of the shoulder that limits range of motion.
Frozen shoulder can occur for several reasons, including:
- trauma to the shoulder
- diabetes
- hypothyroidism
- hormonal changes related to pre-menopause or menopause
- other hormonal changes
- neurologic conditions that impact mobility (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's syndrome, spasticity)
The characteristic symptom of a frozen shoulder is a loss of range of motion. Specifically, people with a frozen shoulder often lose range of motion with external rotation (ie, holding hands up against a wall like an NFL referee signaling a touchdown).
When a patient starts to develop a frozen shoulder, it's important to address it quickly, because otherwise a vicious cycle can start - losing range of motion, causing a painful shoulder, then losing more range of motion, and so on. This cycle can take several years to resolve.
How do you treat this?
At Lake Washington Sports & Spine, we have developed a unique procedure that is the single best treatment for a frozen shoulder. It involves numbing the skin with lidocaine (a numbing agent), and then directing a needle under ultrasound-guidance to two targets:
1. The suprascapular nerve, which transmits pain information from the shoulder
2. Physically expanding open the shoulder joint, a glenohumeral joint dilation
We've received feedback from patients, physical therapists, chiropractors, and shoulder surgeons that the technique we use is uniquely impactful in restoring range of motion and reducing pain quickly.
Check out our video above for more details!
Frozen shoulder is the commonly used colloquial term for adhesive capsulitis, a painful condition of the shoulder that limits range of motion.
Frozen shoulder can occur for several reasons, including:
- trauma to the shoulder
- diabetes
- hypothyroidism
- hormonal changes related to pre-menopause or menopause
- other hormonal changes
- neurologic conditions that impact mobility (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's syndrome, spasticity)
The characteristic symptom of a frozen shoulder is a loss of range of motion. Specifically, people with a frozen shoulder often lose range of motion with external rotation (ie, holding hands up against a wall like an NFL referee signaling a touchdown).
When a patient starts to develop a frozen shoulder, it's important to address it quickly, because otherwise a vicious cycle can start - losing range of motion, causing a painful shoulder, then losing more range of motion, and so on. This cycle can take several years to resolve.
How do you treat this?
At Lake Washington Sports & Spine, we have developed a unique procedure that is the single best treatment for a frozen shoulder. It involves numbing the skin with lidocaine (a numbing agent), and then directing a needle under ultrasound-guidance to two targets:
1. The suprascapular nerve, which transmits pain information from the shoulder
2. Physically expanding open the shoulder joint, a glenohumeral joint dilation
We've received feedback from patients, physical therapists, chiropractors, and shoulder surgeons that the technique we use is uniquely impactful in restoring range of motion and reducing pain quickly.
Check out our video above for more details!