TY  - JOUR
T1  - Adhesive Capsulitis of the ShoulderA Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Intra-Articular Corticosteroid Injections
AU  - Griesser, Michael J.
AU  - Harris, Joshua D.
AU  - Campbell, Jonathan E.
AU  - Jones, Grant L.
Y1  - 2011/09/21
N1  - 10.2106/JBJS.J.01275
JO  - The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery
SP  - 1727
EP  - 1733
VL  - 93
IS  - 18
N2  - 
Primary adhesive capsulitis, or "frozen shoulder," is a common condition encountered in the outpatient orthopaedic clinic. It is characterized by the spontaneous onset of shoulder pain and global limitation of both active and passive shoulder motion. This condition was first described by Codman in 19341 and was most recently defined by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons as "a condition of varying severity characterized by the gradual development of global limitation of active and passive shoulder motion where radiographic findings other than osteopenia are absent."2 This condition has a prevalence of 2% to 5% in the outpatient setting, but in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, the prevalence increases to about 30%3. The pathogenesis of this condition remains unclear, although factors associated with it include female sex, trauma, an age of more than forty years, diabetes, prolonged immobilization, thyroid disease, stroke, myocardial infarction, and the presence of autoimmune disease4. Adhesive capsulitis is commonly described as passing through three stages3-5. Stage 1 is referred to as "freezing" and consists of increasing pain and stiffness lasting for period of as long as nine months. Stage 2 is termed "frozen" and involves a steady state for a period lasting between four and twenty months. Finally, Stage 3 is termed "thawing," which is a period of spontaneous recovery lasting anywhere from five to twenty-six months. This diagnosis is made clinically on the basis of pain and limitation of both passive and active range of shoulder motion. Although typically described as a self-limiting disease process6, the natural history of adhesive capsulitis is not completely known, and recent studies have shown that it can lead to longer-term disability over the course of several years7-10.

SN  - 0021-9355
M3  - doi: 10.2106/JBJS.J.01275
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.J.01275
ER  -