William N. Levine, Christine P. Kashyap, Sean F. Bak, Christopher S. Ahmad, Theodore A. Blaine and Louis U. Bigliani
Adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder is a common disorder, yet literature on its natural history is limited. This study examined patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and response to treatment of the disease in a large series of patients with this condition. Charts of 234 patients treated at our institution for adhesive capsulitis were reviewed retrospectively. The end points for the study were defined as resolution of symptoms with nonoperative treatment or operative treatment. A total of 105 shoulders in 98 patients were identified with follow-up to end point. Of these, 89.5% resolved with nonoperative treatment, including 17 (89.5%) of 19 diabetic shoulders. The average age of patients who went on to surgery was 51 years, whereas the average age of patients treated nonoperatively was significantly higher at 56. No significant difference was found for success of nonoperative treatment versus operative treatment or patient gender. All patients received nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medications, 52.4% received physical therapy without cortisone injection, and 37.1% received therapy with at least 1 corticosteroid injection. With supervised treatment, most patients with adhesive capsulitis will experience resolution with nonoperative measures in a relatively short period. Only a small percentage of patients eventually require operative treatment.
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 2007, 16(5),