A frozen shoulder is also referred to as adhesive capsulitis. It is a condition which causes limitation in the movement of a shoulder joint. The cause of a frozen shoulder is not always clear. What happens basically is that the capsule around the shoulder joint contracts leading to the formation of scar tissue around the joint.
When one has a frozen shoulder, the joint becomes stiff for seemingly no apparent reason. The shoulder joint, being a ball and socket joint, allows more movement than other joints in the body. It has a capsule of tissue that covers the ball and socket. When this capsule contracts and engulfs the joint it creates a limitation on the number of movements the joint will allow. The contraction also causes a formation of scar tissue on the joint called adhesions. These adhesions make any movement of the joint quite painful.
In most cases the frozen shoulder occurs without any apparent reason like an injury or infection. However, there are some cases where a frozen shoulder is a result of a traumatic injury in the area surrounding the shoulder. There are also risk factors associated with this condition. Some of them include age and gender where most patients are usually aged between 40 and 60. The condition affects more women than men. The frozen shoulder condition is also prevalent among diabetic patients. This is due to problems in the endocrine system such as abnormalities in the thyroid. Another risk factor for a frozen shoulder is a shoulder injury or a surgery procedure performed on the shoulder. An injury or surgery may be followed by a long period of immobilization of the shoulder joint. This may lead to development of a frozen shoulder. Heart diseases as well as Parkinson