Shoulder Surgeon - Best Option for a Frozen Shoulder

A shoulder surgeon is actually an orthopedic doctor who specializes in surgery to the bones and joints. Because the shoulder consists of a ball and socket joint, it is prone to dislocation, especially during sports related activities. It is also subject to arthritis and other stressors which can lead to you needing to see a physician to correct a defect.

There are a lot of different ailments in this area of the body that can lead to pain, and ultimately surgery, including frozen shoulder. As the name implies, it is characterized by a limited range of motion and mild to severe pain. This problem usually only affects 2% of the population and it's usually women over the age of 40. Doctors don't fully understand why some women suffer from this condition, but it's generally accepted that it involves a unique thickening of the joint capsule that doesn't occur anywhere else in the body.

A shoulder surgeon can diagnose this condition by a variety of symptoms that you would be experiencing, including pain that worsens with movement and does not get better on its own. Eventually you will find the motion of your shoulder is also limited, and this is considered the second stage of the condition. The final stage, which is known as the thawing stage, is when motion and pain both subside and your shoulder returns to normal. The entire process can take up to three years and in the meantime patients are generally given pain medication in conjunction with physical therapy.

For patients who don't recover on their own after a few years, a specialist would need to be consulted to decide if surgery was a final and last option. Surgery is only considered if physical therapy and pain management are no longer working and the patient is not recovering as expected.

If you do require surgery, your shoulder surgeon will generally have to put you under anesthesia in order to manipulate your arm without causing you extreme pain. The goal of doing this is to move your arm enough to cause the capsule to stretch and the soft tissue adhesions to break. Obviously, this would be extremely painful procedure to perform with you still awake and conscious. In addition to manipulation, your shoulder surgeon will also attempt arthroscopy.

As your surgeon will explain to you, it's vital for your recovery to begin physical therapy as soon as your surgery is over in order to take full advantage of the changes in your shoulder the doctor has manipulated.

Your family doctor is a good place to start looking for a recommendation to an orthopedic surgeon. These surgeons tend to specialize in certain areas of the body, so it's important that you select one that specializes in the shoulder for the best possible results.