[Podcast name], episode [00]
Why a frozen shoulder takes so long to get better
A conversation about the stiff, painful shoulder: why it happens, the stages it moves through, and what helps at each one.
Published
[Date]
Length
[00:00]
Presenter
[Presenter name]
The muscles of the chest and shoulders. Detail from Andreas Vesalius, De humani corporis fabrica, 1543.
0:00
[00:00]
Also available on [Apple Podcasts], [Spotify] and [YouTube].
Audio player mock-up. Replace with the podcast host’s embedded player when the episode is published.
Summary
Frozen shoulder is one of the conditions I’m asked about most. It usually starts without an injury, becomes steadily more painful, and then stiffens.
In this episode I talk to [presenter name] about why it happens, how to tell which stage you are in, and why the right treatment depends on that stage. Many people are told to wait it out. Some can, but nobody needs to spend months in pain without a plan.
I also explain what a steroid injection can and can’t do, why gentle movement within comfort helps more than forcing stretches in the painful early months, and when surgery is worth discussing.
In this episode
[00:00]
What frozen shoulder is, and why the name is misleading
[00:00]
Who gets it, and the link with diabetes and thyroid disease
[00:00]
The three stages: freezing, frozen and thawing
[00:00]
Why an X-ray is usually normal, and when a scan helps
[00:00]
Steroid injections and hydrodilatation: who they help, and when
[00:00]
Exercises that help, and stretching that can make the painful stage worse
[00:00]
When to talk to a surgeon
"Most people with a frozen shoulder get better. The question is how long it takes, and how much of that time is spent in pain. That part we can usually change."
Dr Brinda Christopher, from the episode transcript at [00:00]
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A stiff, painful shoulder deserves a diagnosis and a plan.
Book an in-person examination at The Shard, or a telephone review by the next working day with a written plan.