Treatment of eight patients with frozen shoulder: a case study series

Objective: To review the therapeutic outcome of using soft tissue mobilization (STM) treatment techniques in combination with a home exercise programme to treat eight patients with a differential diagnosis of frozen shoulder. Methods: Eight patients with frozen shoulder were seen in a National Health Service (NHS) outpatient physiotherapy clinic and treated using a combination of STM techniques and a therapeutic home exercise programme. Patients were seen for an average of 10 (SD = 2) visits over a mean of 14 (SD = 3) weeks. The primary outcome measures of improvement were active range of motion for shoulder flexion, abduction and external rotation. Results: All patients improved significantly in the outcome measures. Mean improvement in shoulder flexion was 37 degrees (SD = 12: 4; P = 0: 0001); shoulder abduction 47 degrees (SD = 30; P = 0: 0004); and for shoulder external rotation, 211 (SD = 9; P = 0: 006). Conclusions: Treatment of soft tissue restriction in combination with therapeutic exercise may be a useful approach to this recalcitrant problem. Further work in the form of controlled studies are needed to compare this approach with other methods of treatment and to elucidate the ideal frequency and duration of treatment. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.