What is the difference between rotator cuff injury and frozen shoulder

There is a difference between rotator cuff injury and frozen shoulder. Frozen shoulder is most common in middle-aged and elderly people, seriously affecting the patient's normal life and work. Therefore, of course, it is necessary to focus on active treatment, but the treatment problem must be solved after the cause is clarified.

1. First, shoulder pain: In the early stage, the shoulder has paroxysmal pain, most of which are chronic attacks. Later, the pain gradually intensifies or becomes sudden and continuous. The pain is often aggravated by climate change or fatigue. The pain can spread to the neck and upper limbs (especially the elbows). When the shoulder is accidentally collided or pulled, it can often cause tearing pain. Shoulder pain is lighter during the day and heavier at night. It is a major feature of this disease. Most patients often complain of waking up in pain in the second half of the night and being unable to fall asleep, especially unable to lie on the affected side. This situation is more obvious in those caused by blood deficiency; if the pain is caused by cold, the patient will be particularly sensitive to climate change.

2. Secondly, the movement of the shoulder joint is limited: the movement of the shoulder joint in all directions may be limited, and it is more obvious in abduction, elevation, internal and external rotation. As the disease progresses, long-term disuse causes adhesion of the joint capsule and soft tissues around the shoulder, muscle strength gradually decreases, and the coracohumeral ligament is fixed in a shortened internal rotation position. The active and passive movements of the shoulder joint in all directions are restricted. In severe cases, the function of the elbow joint may also be affected. The hand cannot touch the shoulder on the same side when the elbow is flexed, especially when the arm is extended backward, the elbow flexion movement cannot be completed.

3. Again, fear of cold: The affected shoulders are afraid of cold, and many patients wrap their shoulders with cotton pads all year round. Even in summer, they dare not let the wind blow on their shoulders. Moreover, most patients can feel obvious tenderness points around the shoulder joint, most of which are in the tendon groove of the long head of the biceps brachii.

4. Finally, spasm and atrophy of the posterior muscles: The deltoid, supraspinatus and other muscles around the shoulder may experience spasm in the early stages, and disuse muscle atrophy in the late stages, with typical symptoms such as acromion protrusion, difficulty in lifting, and difficulty in bending backward. At this time, the pain symptoms are actually alleviated.