Frozen Shoulder Statistics Australia: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Have you ever felt a persistent stiffness creeping into your shoulder each time you reach for a high shelf or put on a jacket? This is a common but often neglected, excruciating condition called a frozen shoulder.

Most Aussies don’t realise how it can affect a simple task; even a subtle arm stretch becomes painful or nearly impossible. Despite being physically active, 3-5% of Australians encounter frozen shoulders. That’s roughly three-quarters of a million individuals with joint mobility issues from shoulder pain, aching, or stiffness.

This article explores the frozen shoulder in depth, including its latest prevalence, causes, symptoms, and treatment options. Understanding these is critical to progressive relief and restoration, especially for those seeking surgery-free, chiropractic-based care.

MVMT Sports Chiro specialises in helping adults regain shoulder function without strong medications or invasive procedures. As a trusted Sydney-based clinic, we use holistic chiropractic options for frozen shoulder recovery backed by clinical expertise and genuine care.

What is Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis)?

Adhesive capsulitis, often known as the frozen shoulder, is a painful condition affecting the shoulder joints. The capsule surrounding the shoulders becomes rigid, reducing movement, tenderness and pain. 

Despite its prevalence, the frozen shoulder remains widely misunderstood. It is most common in women and typically affects individuals aged beyond 40. Often misdiagnosed, it manifests identical symptoms as other shoulder conditions like rotator cuff injuries. However, the underlying causes and development of these vary substantially.

Adhesive capsulitis progresses as the joint capsule thickens and tightens, curbing shoulder mobility. Rotator cuff injuries, on the other hand, typically involve tears or inflammation of the shoulder tendons caused by sudden outstretching and trauma. 

While rotator cuff injuries could result in difficulty lifting the arm, a frozen shoulder impairs mobility in all directions. Given the nearly identical symptoms of these conditions, clinical supervision is necessary to ensure correct diagnosis, treatment and care plan.

Frozen Shoulder Statistics in Australia

Does frozen shoulder sound a bit made up? In fact, this is common to those with a restrained arm when reaching above the head or behind the body. This achy inconvenience even creeps during sleep. Let’s glimpse this by the numbers to understand how it affects Aussies daily.

Prevalence in Australia

This condition is a significant contributor to chronic shoulder pain. Studies reveal that conditions like this peak in incidence among individuals aged 40-70. Extensive research is necessary to identify the definitive triggers for this among middle- to late-adults.

Demographic Distribution

While it predominantly affects people of middle age, it is observed mostly in female adults. Australia’s demographic aligns with global observations where this condition is more common in women than in male adults aged between 40 and 65.

Key Risk Factors

Several risk factors exacerbate and lead to the progression of a frozen shoulder, and they include:

• Diabetes: Diabetic patients are at higher risk, with studies showing a significant association.
• Thyroid Dysfunction: Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism have been linked to an increased incidence of this condition.
• Dyspilidemia: Abnormal lipid levels are a risk factor for developing a frozen shoulder.
• Post-surgical recovery: Stiffened, aching shoulders could develop from immobilisation following shoulder surgery.
• Trauma or Injury: Injury to the shoulder poses a risk in developing this condition, though this depends on the severity of the traumatic blow received.

Common Causes and Risk Factors

Frozen shoulder develops from common causes, yet many Aussies are unaware of it. Here are a few common causes and risk factors for why individuals manifest this condition.

• Injury or surgery leading to immobilisation: Direct trauma or surgeries performed on shoulders contribute to stiffened and stuck joints.
• Autoimmune or musculoskeletal conditions: Certain conditions like rheumatoid arthritis could result in the inflammation of the shoulder capsule.
• Diabetes and Thyroid issues: Diabetes raises the risk of this condition, similar to hypo- and hyperthyroidism.
• Immobilisation: Extensive immobility allows the shoulder capsule to contract and thicken, limiting flexibility.

Lack of physical activity, such as a sedentary lifestyle, can contribute to joint stiffness. Occupational factors, such as jobs involving repetitive elevated arm movements or poor posture, also increase the risks. It strains the shoulder joint, raising the risk of developing a frozen shoulder. 

Professions likely to harbour this condition are those in the construction, factory work, or even office jobs. Clinical surveys are still ongoing to support this trend statistically.

3 Stages of Frozen Shoulder: What Are The Symptoms?

Frozen shoulder progresses through three distinct clinical stages, each with various sets of symptoms and duration. Understanding its different stages could help you recognise the condition and seek appropriate treatment.

Each stage may overlap and present unique challenges per patient. If you suspect you are experiencing shoulder mobility issues on par with these symptoms, consider consulting with a healthcare professional to obtain appropriate treatment.

Diagnosis and When to Seek Help

Diagnosing a frozen shoulder typically begins with a discussion of your symptoms and past medical history. Your doctor will discuss how your stiffness began, which movements trigger pain, and if you have had any recent surgeries or injuries.

A physical exam follows to gauge your shoulder’s range of motion— active (what you can do on your own) and passive (how far it goes with help). This helps differentiate a frozen shoulder from other causes, such as rotator cuff injuries or arthritis.

In a few instances, imaging like an X-ray or ultrasound might be suggested to rule out other underlying conditions. 

It’s worth getting assistance if:

• Your shoulder pain persists or worsens, even with proper interventions
• You are losing range of motion
• It interferes with daily tasks like dressing or driving
• The discomfort is affecting your sleep

Early intervention is critical to reducing stiffness and recovery timeline. Undergoing shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI) test your eligibility for rehabilitation services within Australia. If you’re noticing signs that your shoulder just isn’t working like it used to, it’s best to get it checked sooner rather than later.

Treatment Options for Frozen Shoulder

Pinpointing the best option to treat a frozen shoulder is still an ongoing topic of discussion. Most patients manage it with these treatments, often with an expert’s supervision:

Chiropractic Care

Frozen shoulder sets in as a throbbing pain, then immobility. While rest may ease pain, slow, mindful movement keeps your joints and muscles fit. Chiropractic care targets this by using manual therapy to release the tension and stiffness in surrounding affected areas.

Besides easing muscle constraints, chiropractors use soft tissue therapy to release joint tension and improve circulation in the shoulder region. Then, patients undergo graded mobilisation exercises to restore motion, a crucial approach early in the recovery process. 

Physiotherapy

This is helpful for patients, mostly in the frozen and thawing stages. Experienced physiotherapists curate targeted exercises to improve shoulder joint movement. Notably, this must not increase your pain levels; inform your specialist to make adjustments otherwise.

Pain Relief

Your doctor may discuss pain relief options as a frozen shoulder radiates sharp, piercing pain. These include regular paracetamol or prolonged use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). However, take these as directed, as pain relief medicines have side effects.

Other patients find resting, taping the shoulder, or icing and warming the painful area relieving. Topical creams, ointments, or lotions are ineffective, but this helps as long the patient perceives it beneficial and brings no harm.

Injections or Surgery

In advanced cases, your doctor may suggest corticosteroid injections to reduce substantial inflammation. Another injection therapy involves hydrodilation. This procedure injects your shoulder with sterile saline solution, sometimes added with local anaesthesia to minimally stretch the joint capsule and improve symptoms.

Before any injection-based therapies, your physician needs to check for dosage requirements and medication side effects like allergies or contraindications. Surgery is the last option for patients with aggravating symptoms, only considered after 6-12 months of nonsurgical pain management.

How Chiropractic Care Helps With Frozen Shoulder

Frozen shoulder hampers daily tasks, from lifting and dressing to sleeping cosily. While it resolves distinctly per patient, personalised chiropractic care is key to hastening recovery and mobility restoration from intolerable shoulder ache, inflammation and tightness.

Chiropractic care promoting subtle joint motion reduces the severity and duration of its symptoms. This includes gentle, precise massage, manual therapy, and dry needling to restore your shoulder’s full motion range. At MVMT Sports Chiro, our experienced chiropractors take it up a notch using high-level laser therapy, rehabilitation, and expertly curated self-exercises.

With each condition’s stage in mind, our chiropractors personalise treatment plans anchored with decades of hands-on experience. Call us at 0421 151 778 or book online to see one of our chiropractors in North Strathfield today.

Frequently Asked Questions 

How long does a frozen shoulder last?

How long a frozen shoulder persists varies for each patient, though it spans 1 to 3 years without early intervention. This is even longer for severe cases, especially those with inflicted injuries from recent accidents or mishaps.

Can a frozen shoulder go away without treatment?

Yes. Like the body recuperating naturally from injuries, frozen shoulder patients can notice improvements in their symptoms, but it takes years. In medical practice, doctors will discuss pain relief or refer you to pain specialists or physiotherapists.

Is chiropractic care safe for shoulder pain?

Definitely, although any treatment types present minimal risks, chiropractic-based options prove to reduce joint strain and stiffness through precise massage, dry needling, and trigger point therapy. At MVMT Sports Chiro, we also employ high-frequency laser therapy for shoulder pain levels and discomfort to subside.

What are the early signs of a frozen shoulder?

Frozen shoulder begins as a subtle pain in the shoulder, often in the non-dominant arm. It gradually gets worse, even with the slightest arm twitch and stretch. This is unfavourable enough to find a comfortable lying position or during sleep.

Can a frozen shoulder come back after treatment? 

While its symptoms resolve for a long time, a frozen shoulder recurring in the same spot is uncommon. Given that this is prevalent to female adult patients with injuries, diabetes, or chronic conditions, it’s likely to develop on the opposite shoulder.