Symptoms of frozen shoulder, how to diagnose frozen shoulder?

The most common symptom of patients with periarthritis of the shoulder is shoulder pain, which is also accompanied by limited shoulder movement. Moreover, most people who suffer from periarthritis of the shoulder are more afraid of cold and are more likely to suffer from muscle spasms and muscle atrophy.

1. Shoulder pain

At first, the shoulder pain is paroxysmal, most of which are chronic. Later, the pain gradually intensifies or becomes dull, or knife-like, and is continuous. Climate change or fatigue often aggravates the pain. The pain can spread to the neck and upper limbs (especially the elbows). When the shoulder is accidentally collided or pulled, it often causes tearing pain. Shoulder pain is lighter during the day and heavier at night, which is a major feature of this disease. If the pain is caused by cold, the patient will be particularly sensitive to climate change.

2. Limited shoulder joint movement

The movement of the shoulder joint in all directions may be restricted, and it is more obvious in abduction, elevation, internal rotation and external rotation. As the disease progresses, long-term disuse causes adhesion of the joint capsule and soft tissues around the shoulder, and the muscle strength gradually decreases. In addition, the coracohumeral ligament is fixed in a shortened internal rotation position, which restricts the active and passive movement of the shoulder joint in all directions. Actions such as combing the hair, dressing, washing the face, and putting hands on the waist are difficult to complete. In severe cases, the function of the elbow joint may also be affected. When the elbow is flexed, the hand cannot touch the shoulder on the same side, especially when the arm is extended backward, the elbow flexion cannot be completed.

3. Fear of cold

Patients are afraid of cold shoulders, and many of them wrap their shoulders with cotton pads all year round. Even in summer, they dare not let the wind blow on their shoulders.

4. Tenderness

Most patients can feel obvious tenderness points around the shoulder joint, which are mostly located in the tendon groove of the long head of the biceps brachii, the subacromial bursa, the coracoid process, the attachment point of the supraspinatus muscle, etc.

5. Muscle spasms and atrophy

In the early stage, the deltoid muscle, supraspinatus muscle and other muscles around the shoulder may experience spasm, and in the late stage, disuse muscle atrophy may occur, with typical symptoms such as acromion protrusion, difficulty in lifting, and inability to extend backward. At this time, the pain symptoms are actually alleviated.