Musculoskeletal #47

54-year-old male:

      • Chronic shoulder pain and limited ROM
What is causing the symptoms? Describe all abnormalities you see.

Adhesive capsulitis


There is a thickening and edema of the inferior joint capsule in the axillary recess which is characteristic of adhesive capsulitis.

Additionally, there is an interstitial tear of supraspinatus tendon.

Explanation:

Adhesive capsulitis, also known as frozen shoulder, is an inflammatory condition characterized by shoulder stiffness, pain, and significant loss of passive range of motion.
The joint capsule exhibits inflammation, thickening and fibrosis, leading to pain and loss of ROM.
In most cases, adhesive capsulitis is a self-limited disease with high spontaneous recovery rates within 18 to 30 months.

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