Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCauses and Risk FactorsSymptomsDiagnosing Frozen ShoulderTreatmentOther Causes
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes and Risk Factors
Symptoms
Diagnosing Frozen Shoulder
Treatment
Other Causes
Though it’s unclear why,adhesive capsulitis(commonly known asfrozen shoulder) is more common in people withendocrine problems, includingthyroid disease. Frozen shoulder often starts with difficulty moving your shoulder or dull, aching pain in your shoulder area. It gets worse over time and can eventually limit your shoulder mobility.
This article explains the correlation between frozen shoulder and thyroid disease. It also covers frozen shoulder symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
Causes and Risk Factors for Frozen Shoulder
The bones, ligaments, and tendons of the shoulder joint are wrapped in connective tissue. Frozen shoulder occurs when this capsule thickens and inflames, causing it to contract and formscar tissue.
Potential causes of frozen shoulder include:
In addition, having a thyroid condition increases your risk for frozen shoulder. Though the link between thyroid disease and frozen shoulder remains uncertain, research has revealed some possible connections withhyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.
What Are Hyperthyroidism and Hypothyroidism?Hyperthyroidism is a condition that results from your thyroid producing too much thyroid hormone.Hypothyroidism is a condition that results from your thyroid producing too little thyroid hormone.
What Are Hyperthyroidism and Hypothyroidism?
Hyperthyroidism is a condition that results from your thyroid producing too much thyroid hormone.Hypothyroidism is a condition that results from your thyroid producing too little thyroid hormone.
Hyperthyroidism is a condition that results from your thyroid producing too much thyroid hormone.
Hypothyroidism is a condition that results from your thyroid producing too little thyroid hormone.
Hyperthyroidism and Frozen Shoulder
A 2014 study analyzed records of 1 million people in a health insurance database to determine the prevalence of frozen shoulder in people with hyperthyroidism.The study followed 4,472 people with hyperthyroidism over seven years. Within that period, 162 of them developed frozen shoulder.
The research concluded that compared to a control cohort, those with hyperthyroidism were 1.22 times more likely to develop frozen shoulder than the general population in the 7-year follow-up period.
What Is Cytokine Storm Syndrome?
Hypothyroidism and Frozen Shoulder
A 2017 study evaluated 93 participants with frozen shoulder and 151 without the condition.The researchers found that hypothyroidism was significantly higher in those with frozen shoulder.
Finally,myopathy(muscle pain) is common in hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. Whether this is related to frozen shoulder specifically, however, is not clear.
Causes of Shoulder Pain and When Is It Serious?
Symptoms of Frozen Shoulder
Frozen shoulder symptoms usually develop slowly over time and worsen gradually. Often, the condition begins with mild shoulder pain over several months. It typically goes through three stages, with different symptoms evident at each stage.
Jiaqi Zhou / Verywell
Freezing Stage
Shoulder pain is the greatest in the freezing stage with the pain being most severe in your outer shoulder area. This stage typically lasts between six weeks and nine months.
In some cases, you may also have pain radiating down into your upper arm. Moving your shoulder can be painful, so daily activities that require you to lift your arm—such as brushing your hair or reaching for something on a high shelf—can become difficult.
You may have shoulder pain while sleeping as well. Your range of motion in the shoulder is also typically reduced.
Frozen Stage
During this stage, the range of motion of your shoulder is even more limited, and your shoulder becomes stiffer.As a result, it can become increasingly difficult to lift your arms or move your arms backward.
Over time, the shoulder can become so stiff that it is almost impossible to move. However, you may notice that your pain lessens as your shoulder becomes less mobile. This stage lasts for four to six months.
Thawing Stage
During the thawing stage, you typically have less shoulder pain. The range of motion improves over time. Complete recovery can take up to two years.
The 4 Stages of Frozen Shoulder
Diagnosing a frozen shoulder can be tricky because the main symptoms—pain and stiffness—are characteristic of numerous other conditions, includingrotator cuff injuries. As a result, healthcare providers often misdiagnose a frozen shoulder as a tear in the rotator cuff.
Diagnostic tests may include:
What Is a Frozen Shoulder?
Frozen shoulder usually resolves on its own over time. However, this can mean several years of shoulder pain and restricted mobility until it returns to normal. In some cases, the full range of motion in the shoulder never returns.
When frozen shoulder is identified and diagnosed early, treatment may help shorten recovery.
Cortisone Injections
NSAIDs
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) can reduce shoulder pain and inflammation in some cases.NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), aspirin, andnaproxen(Aleve) are convenient because they are available over the counter (OTC). You can also get them in prescription strength.
This approach, especially when combined with physical therapy, may help restore the range of motion and relieve shoulder pain. However, it can take as long as a year to get total relief.
Physical Therapy
As opposed to more aggressivephysical therapy, gentle stretching can complement medication treatment. For example, you might learn specific exercises designed to stretch and increase your shoulder’s range of motion under the guidance of aphysical therapist(PT). Alternately, a healthcare provider may provide instructions to do them on your own, at home.
Finally,diathermyis a treatment method that uses low-power laser therapy and deep heating to improve circulation and decrease shoulder pain. When this therapy is combined with stretching, it may also provide pain relief.
Surgery
Surgery for frozen shoulderis the last resort, but a healthcare provider may recommend it if other options are not effective. Surgery—often performedarthroscopically—focuses on removing scar tissue and adhesions in the shoulder.
Unlike open surgery, which uses a scalpel to create a large incision to open the skin and tissue, arthroscopic surgery is less invasive. In arthroscopy, a special scope (camera) and tools access a joint through tiny incisions. Instead of looking directly at the surgical area, a camera transmits the image on a monitor, which a surgeon views as they work.
Other Causes of Shoulder Pain in Thyroid Disease
For some people, hypothyroidism that hasn’t been treated may lead to joint and muscle pain.And some people who have hypothyroidism also have other autoimmune diseases, such asrheumatoid arthritis, which attacks the joints and causes pain.
A 2020 study also showed that people with benignthyroid nodules(non-cancerous abnormal growths or lumps in the thyroid that don’t usually cause symptoms) had an increased risk of developing frozen shoulder.
Hypothyroidism and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Managing Your Thyroid Condition
Since there is a connection between thyroid disease and shoulder pain, it is vital that you manage your thyroid condition.Treatment for thyroid conditionsvaries but may include:
If joint pain, stiffness, and swelling don’t improve after hypothyroid treatment, talk with your healthcare provider about other possible causes of shoulder pain that need to be explored.
Summary
Diagnosing frozen shoulder involves range of motion tests and may include imaging tests. Treatment consists of pain and anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy, surgery, and managing your thyroid condition.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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