“All shoulder pains are frozen shoulder”, the line has been very popular among patients with shoulder pain around a decade back. The advancement in the knowledge of medical field, the latest investigative facilities as well as open access of knowledge to the patients has change the scenario altogether. Presently doctors are reaching in depth to know the exact cause of the pain and deal with the problem accordingly. We will try to understand in short, what can be the most probable reason of your shoulder pain if your neighbor has diagnosed it as a frozen shoulder.
- FROZEN SHOULDER
This is by far considered as one of the most common cause of shoulder pain. This includes the true frozen shoulder as well as the misdiagnosed other cases. The shoulder joint is made up of two bones namely glenoid of scapula and head of humerus. These are attached with each other by capsule, which is present all around the joint. Contraction of this capsule for any reason obviously limits the range of shoulder mobility as well as causes pain. This is Frozen Shoulder. Shoulder surgeon tests your different movements and diagnosis is made, mostly, without any further testing. The treatment is very straight forward. Contracted capsule need stretching. Shoulder surgeon guides you regarding what specific part of your capsule is stretched and which set of stretching exercise do you require. Pain while stretching can be taken care of with few medications or an intra-articular shoulder injection. Most of the patients come out pretty well if follows Shoulder surgeons advice. - CALCIFIC TENDINITIS
This is a condition which is fairly common though less than Frozen Shoulder. This , as the name indicates, has calcium deposition in the shoulder. The problem patient with calcific tendinitis faces is specific. The pain of this condition is differentiated from the pain of frozen shoulder with the severity and onset of pain. Any middle aged person with sudden onset of severe pain can be a possible Calcific Tendinitis patient. A simple radiograph confirms the diagnosis. The treatment specific to this is then selected and Shoulder Surgeon can help you come out of this situation pretty soon. - ROTATOR CUFF TENDINOPATHY
The most important structure that makes shoulder joint functionally viable is Rotator Cuff muscle. This is a set of four muscles combined. It bears heavy load in stabilizing this most mobile joint in the body. The degeneration of this muscle is fairly common. The middle aged patient, affected by this, has constant discomfort, might be at shoulder or midway between shoulder and elbow. The diagnosis is confirmed with an MRI Scan after Shoulder Surgeon examines the patient at his clinic. Appropriate treatment is discussed with the patient. This condition, most of the time, does not require surgery and some specific exercises can control the pain. - BICEPS TENDINOPATHY
The same biceps muscle which is the centre of attraction of any gym, has two heads. The long head of biceps originates from shoulder joint. Any inflammation in the muscle can lead to pain in that region. Shoulder surgeon performs specific clinical test to diagnose this condition. MRI is usually the investigation of choice. The treatment of this condition varies according to the severity of the condition. Options of non operative as well as operative treatment are always available. - GLENOHUMERAL OSTEOARTHRITIS
The pain which is resistant to all kinds of non operative treatment modalities may be possibly due to arthritis of the shoulder joint. Here the pain cannot be specifically localized to a particular region. The causes can be variable ranging from elderly age to genetics to shoulder trauma. Confirmation of this condition is by a plain X-ray. The treatment of arthritis is entirely different than the frozen shoulder. Hence the differentiation of this condition from frozen shoulder is of utmost importance.
So before diagnosing any shoulder pain as frozen shoulder we need to consider these conditions along with others to get the treatment. Proper diagnosis definitely leads to proper treatment and superior results. Visiting a shoulder surgeon is worth for proper diagnosis and treatment.