Symptoms of frozen shoulder and rotator cuff injury

Both frozen shoulder and rotator cuff injury will have adverse effects on our life and work, so if we want to solve them effectively, we must also understand the symptoms between the two, so that we can promptly determine whether it is frozen shoulder or rotator cuff injury and provide symptomatic treatment.

1. Shoulder pain: In the early stage, the shoulder presents paroxysmal pain, most of which are chronic. Later, the pain gradually intensifies or becomes abrupt and persistent. 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 hit or pulled, it often causes tearing pain.

2. Shoulder pain is lighter during the day and heavier at night, which 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 condition is more obvious in those caused by blood deficiency. If the pain is caused by cold, the patient will be particularly sensitive to climate changes.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Finally, posterior muscle spasm and atrophy: The deltoid muscle, supraspinatus muscle and other muscles around the shoulder may spasm in the early stage

In the late stage, disuse muscle atrophy may occur, with typical symptoms such as protrusion of the shoulder process, difficulty in raising the body, and difficulty in bending backward. At this time, the pain symptoms are alleviated.