Natural history of frozen shoulder: fact or fiction? A systematic review
PainSci summary of Wong 2017?This page is one of thousands in the PainScience.com bibliography. It is not a general article: it is focused on a single scientific paper, and it may provide only just enough context for the summary to make sense. Links to other papers and more general information are provided at the bottom of the page, as often as possible. ★★★★☆?4-star ratings are for bigger/better studies and reviews published in more prestigious journals, with only quibbles. Ratings are a highly subjective opinion, and subject to revision at any time. If you think this paper has been incorrectly rated, please let me know.
Evidence from seven studies shows that frozen shoulder does not resolve on its own without treatment, contrary to the entrenched conventional wisdom, which isn’t supported by any evidence. On the contrary, frozen shoulder may resolve early or not at all.
original abstract†Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
BACKGROUND: In 1940s, it was proposed that frozen shoulder progresses through a self-limiting natural history of painful, stiff and recovery phases, leading to full recovery without treatment. However, clinical evidence of persistent limitations lasting for years contradicts this assumption.
OBJECTIVES: To assess evidence for the natural history theory of frozen shoulder by examining: (1) progression through recovery phases, and (2) full resolution without treatment.
DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, PubMed, EBSCO CINAHL and PEDro database searches augmented by hand searching.
STUDY SELECTION: Cohort or randomised controlled trials with no-treatment comparison groups including adults with frozen shoulder who received no treatment and reporting range of motion, pain or function for ≥6 months.
DATA EXTRACTION: Reviewers assessed study eligibility and quality, and extracted data before reaching consensus. Limited early range-of-motion improvements and greater late improvements defined progression through recovery phases. Restoration of normal range of motion and previous function defined full resolution.
RESULTS: Of 508 citations, 13 articles were reviewed and seven were included in this review. Low-quality evidence suggested that no treatment yielded some, but not complete, improvement in range of motion after 1 to 4 years of follow-up. No evidence supported the theory of progression through recovery phases to full resolution without treatment. On the contrary, moderate-quality evidence from three randomised controlled trials with longitudinal data demonstrated that most improvement occurred early, not late.
LIMITATIONS: Low-quality evidence revealed the weakness of longstanding assumptions about frozen shoulder.
CONCLUSION: Contradictory evidence and a lack of supporting evidence shows that the theory of recovery phases leading to complete resolution without treatment for frozen shoulder is unfounded.
related content
Specifically regarding Wong 2017:
One article on PainScience.com cites Wong 2017 as a source:
- PS Frozen Shoulder Guide — A readable self-help manual for one the strangest of all common musculoskeletal problems, adhesive capsulitis
