[Mobilization of the partially stiff shoulder under anesthesia (ankylosing humeroscapular periarthritis)]

"Humeroscapular periarthritis" (HPA) was first described by Duplay in 1872 and is to be understood as a syndrome whose typical symptoms are pain and partial or total stiffness of the shoulder ("ankylosing" HPA). This term includes all regressive and reactive affections occurring in the region of the shoulder joint proper (Refish and van Laack, 1985), and has meanwhile become a synonym for painful shoulder stiffness, a term which covers many different processes which are not covered in detail here. Today, however, thanks to refined clinical and radiological examination methods, it is often possible to detect objectively at least some of the changes and to gain insights into the pathophysiological processes. The goal of treatment of HPA is to restore the function of the shoulder joint and eliminate the pain. To this end, various forms of treatment are fundamentally available: 1) conservative treatment, with medication and physiotherapy; 2) surgical treatment; and 3) mobilization under anesthetic, with which, comparatively speaking, results have been best.