The Wall Street Journal discusses frozen shoulder, a painful condition where inflammation immobilizes the shoulder joint for months or even years. Doctors don’t know exactly what causes it. Unlike many other orthopedic problems, it’s not often triggered by overuse. Midlife women are especially prone to it.

Frozen shoulder sometimes happens after an injury or surgery, but it often develops out of the blue. The condition occurs when the shoulder’s capsule becomes stiff and tight as adhesions—thick bands of tissue—develop.

Symptoms come in three stages: The “freezing” stage typically occurs first, with worsening pain that makes it hard to move your shoulder. During the second—or “frozen”—stage, pain lessens but stiffness remains, and your range of motion is limited. The final, “thawing” phase is when your range of motion returns to normal.

Frozen shoulder can last from three months to two years. On average, it lasts six to nine months, says Laura Moore, MD, PhD, sports medicine surgeon in the HSS Women’s Sports Medicine Center. Treatments, aiming to reduce inflammation and improve pain and function, can vary, she says. Her go-to is a combination of steroid injections, an oral anti-inflammatory and physical therapy.

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