Does the timing of surgical intervention impact the clinical outcomes and overall duration of symptoms in frozen shoulder?

Abstract

The optimal timing of arthroscopic capsular release in patients with frozen shoulder is controversial. Some surgeons delay surgery in the belief that early surgical intervention results in a poorer prognosis. However, whether early surgical intervention causes inferior clinical outcomes and a longer duration of symptoms in frozen shoulder remains unclear. The objective of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes and overall duration of symptoms in frozen shoulder between patients who underwent early surgical intervention and those subjected to late surgical intervention. Our hypotheses were that (1) early surgical intervention would provide significant improvement in symptoms but inferior clinical outcomes because of more severe synovitis compared with late surgical intervention and (2) early surgical intervention would shorten the overall duration of symptoms compared with late surgical intervention. We reviewed 60 consecutive patients with frozen shoulder who underwent arthroscopic capsular release. We compared clinical outcomes and the overall duration of symptoms between 2 groups: Group I comprised 27 patients who underwent surgery <6 months after onset (mean, 3.8 months), whereas group II comprised 33 patients who underwent surgery ≥6 months after onset (mean, 11.1 months). The severity of glenohumeral synovitis at the time of surgery was evaluated. Patient-reported pain, shoulder function, and range of motion, as well as the presence of sleep disturbance, were assessed preoperatively and at 3 and 6 months after surgery. Both groups showed significant improvements in the visual analog scale pain score, Japanese Orthopaedic Association score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score, and prevalence of sleep disturbance after surgery (P < .001), although the glenohumeral synovitis score was significantly higher in group I than in group II (P < .0001). Forward flexion at 6 months after surgery was significantly greater in group I than in group II (P = .007). The overall duration of symptoms was shorter in group I than in group II (P < .0001). Neither the pain score, functional score, prevalence of sleep disturbance, nor postoperative recovery time differed between groups. Arthroscopic capsular release provided significant pain relief and improvement in shoulder function in patients with frozen shoulder regardless of the timing of surgery. Early surgical intervention might shorten the overall duration of symptoms in frozen shoulder and is not associated with inferior clinical outcomes when compared with late surgical intervention. Surgeons do not need to delay surgical intervention for patients who have intolerable pain and/or nocturnal pain with sleep disturbance.