Does Frozen Shoulder get better naturally in a specific time frame?
Jul 11, 2018
For many years the clinical dogma in frozen shoulder has been no matter what you do, after 30 months your shoulder will be better. This has never sat comfortably with me. I understand that natural history is often the greatest healer, but surely there is something that can be done to reduce the time course of the condition and in my experience some poor people have symptoms that last much longer than 30 months!
This hunch has proven to be somewhat correct. This systematic review has suggested that a large percentage of people (up to 50%) continue to have pain and or dysfunction up to 7 years after diagnosis.
This review raises the question of whether a watchful neglect approach to managing frozen shoulder is the best course of action.
At the very least, comprehensive education on the condition and a structured progressive exercise program needs to be implemented to minimise psychological distress (which can influence and perpetuate pain) and optimise general physical function.
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