What is it?

You might require surgery if you have significant pain and restricted movements and other treatments like hydrodilatation (injection) haven’t helped.

Frozen shoulder, also called adhesive capsulitis, is a condition which causes pain and loss of motion in the shoulder joint. It is a result of inflammation of the ligaments connecting the shoulder bones to each other. The shoulder capsule becomes thick, tight and stiff bands of tissue called adhesions develop.

Diagnosis and treatment options

Your consultant will examine you and ask you to demonstrate certain movements to check how well your shoulder is working.

You might need some additional tests:

• X-ray
• Ultrasound scan
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan

The procedure is performed through keyhole surgery and involves removing the scar tissue and adhesions from inside your shoulder joint. This is usually extremely effective in helping resolve pain and regain range of motion.

As the equipment needed for this operation is much smaller than traditional surgical tools only minor cuts need to be made to the skin and therefore, the healing time is much faster.

The benefits of a keyhole surgery include:

• Less pain afterwards
• Less risk of infection
• You can potentially go home the same day
• You should be able to return to your normal level of physical activity more quickly