Frozen shoulder: arthroscopy and manipulation under general anesthesia and early passive motion

During a 15-month period, 24 patients with arthroscopically verified frozen shoulders were treated with manipulation while under general anesthesia and early passive motion. The minimum follow-up was 12 months, and the average duration from onset of the disease until treatment was 8 months. All patients had moderate to severe pain, and the average range of motion was less than 40% of the opposite shoulder. During the follow-up period, 75% of the patients obtained normal or almost full range of motion, and 79% had slight pain or no pain at all. Eighteen (75%) patients returned to work 9 weeks (mean) after treatment. There was no relationship between the end result and the initial pathologic condition. We believe that manipulation combined with arthroscopy is an effective way of shortening the course of an apparently self-limiting disease and should be considered when conservative treatment has failed.