See your GP if you think that you may have a frozen shoulder, or if you have shoulder pain that limits your range of movement. Early treatment of a frozen shoulder can help prevent long-term stiffness and pain in your joint.
Your GP will ask you about your symptoms and carry out a physical examination of your shoulder area.
Symptoms
Your GP will want to know:
- when your symptoms started, particularly if this was after an incident, such as a fall
- if anything makes the pain better or worse, such as movement or resting
- how severe the pain is
- if you have any other symptoms, such as neck pain
- how your symptoms affect your everyday life, for example your job
- if you have any other health conditions or if you are taking any medication
Physical examination
During the physical examination, your GP may test your range of movement by asking you to move your arm and shoulder as far as you can in each direction. Your GP may also assist you in moving your arm and shoulder. Although this may be painful, it will help them to determine how severe your condition is.
Your GP may also apply pressure to parts of your shoulder to determine where your pain is most severe and what is causing it.
They will also look for:
- swelling
- bruising
- muscle wasting
Further tests
You may need to have further tests to rule out other conditions. For example, you may have a blood test if your GP thinks you may have:
- diabetes (a long-term condition that is caused by too much glucose in the blood). Frozen shoulder is more common in people with diabetes
- polymyalgia rheumatica, a condition that causes the tissues of the joints to become inflamed (red and swollen), causing symptoms such as muscle pain and stiffness
Your GP will also rule out other possible causes of your symptoms, such as:
- infection
- a tumour (growth)
Imaging
If the inside of your shoulder joint needs to be examined to rule out other damage, an image of your shoulder may be taken. However, this is rarely necessary to confirm your diagnosis. If an image is required, you may have:
- an X-ray, where high-energy radiation is used to show up abnormalities in bones and certain body tissue
- a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, where a strong magnetic field and radio waves are used to produce detailed images of the inside of your body
