Outcomes From Conservative Treatment of Shoulder Idiopathic Adhesive Capsulitis and Factors Associated With Developing Contralateral Disease.

backgroundIdiopathic adhesive capsulitis is a common condition resulting in painful multidirectional restriction of motion without other identifiable shoulder abnormality. First-line therapies for this condition are nonoperative, but limited data are available regarding which treatments are most effective. Factors associated with contralateral disease are not well established. HYPOTHESIS: Younger patients will have a better response to treatments, and older patients and patients with diabetes will be more likely to develop contralateral disease. STUDY

designCohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

methodsPatients diagnosed with idiopathic adhesive capsulitis were treated with a single intra-articular glenohumeral injection of local anesthetic and corticosteroid as well as 4 weeks of supervised physical therapy (PT). Patients were re-evaluated monthly and received additional conservative treatment based on failure to restore normal motion. Patient-reported outcome scores and range of motion were used to assess treatment efficacy.

resultsMinimum 2-year follow-up data (mean, 3.4 years) were available for 60 of 75 eligible patients (80%). Patients who did not attend supervised PT as prescribed were more likely to undergo repeat injection due to a lack of adequate range of motion at follow-up (

conclusionConservative treatment for idiopathic adhesive capsulitis resulted in good clinical outcomes with a low incidence of surgical intervention. Physical therapy reduced the use of a second injection as part of treatment in this treatment algorithm. Young patients and patients with diabetes may be more likely to develop contralateral disease.