Surgical and non-surgical treatment of frozen shoulder. Survey on surgeons treatment preferences

Abstract

Background: frozen shoulder is a common condition and its management can be surgical or nonsurgical. The aim was to determine current trends in the management of frozen shoulder amongst surgical members of the British Elbow and Shoulder Society (BESS).
Methods: a single electronic questionnaire was emailed to surgical members of the BESS. Participants were asked about their surgical and nonsurgical treatments of choice and the reasoning behind that, as well as which components of
arthroscopic arthrolysis they favoured.
Results: 87 BESS members completed the questioner. The majority of respondents used physiotherapy as their preferred means of non-surgical management while arthroscopic arthrolysis was the most frequently used surgical intervention. A
substantial proportion of surgeons based their choice on personal experience and training rather than published evidence.
Conclusions: management of frozen shoulder amongst surgeons varies substantially and is highly based on personal experience and training rather than strong evidence. Arthroscopic arthrolysis is a heterogeneous procedure with a wide variation in the use of its various components.
Our results highlight the need for high quality clinical trials to compare the management options available.