Frozen Shoulder Diagnosis

How to Diagnosis Frozen Shoulder ?

The diagnosis of frozen shoulder is usually made on the basis of your medical history and physical examination. Most often, A doctor, or therapist ( occupational, massage or physical ), may suspect the patient has a frozen shoulder if a physical examination reveals limited shoulder movement. Frozen shoulder can also be diagnosed if limits to the active range of motion (range of motion from active use of muscles) are the same or almost the same as the limits to the passive range of motion (range of motion from a person manipulating the arm and shoulder).

frozen shoulder diagnosis test

The frozen shoulder can be diagnosed on examination, and no special tests are needed,  One key finding that helps differentiate a frozen shoulder from a rotator cuff tear is how the shoulder  moves. With frozen shoulder, the shoulder motion is the same whether the patient or the doctor tries to move the arm. With a rotator cuff tear, the patient cannot move the arm. But when someone else lifts the arm it can be moved in a nearly normal range of motion.

Simple X-rays are usually not helpful,  An x-ray is usually obtained to ensure the shoulder joint appears normal, and there is not evidence of traumatic injury or arthritic changes to the joint. An arthrogram may show that the shoulder capsule is scarred and tightened. The arthrogram involves injecting dye into the shoulder joint and taking several X-rays. In frozen shoulder, very little dye can be injected into the shoulder joint because the joint capsule is stuck together, making it smaller than normal. The X-rays taken after injecting the dye will show very little dye in the joint.

The MRI is sometimes performed if the diagnosis is in question, but this test is better at looking for other problems, rather than looking for adhesive capsulitis. If an MRI is done, it is best performed with an injection of contrast fluid into the shoulder joint prior to the MRI. This will help show if the capsule of the shoulder is scarred down, as would be expected in patients with a frozen shoulder. As your ability to move your shoulder increases, your doctor may suggest tests to rule out an underlying condition, such as impingement or a rotator cuff tear. Probably the most common test used is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).