by Liz Bonis, WKRC | Click here to read the full story.

CINCINNATI (WKRC) – If anyone is experiencing pain or difficulty moving their shoulder, they might be dealing with a common condition known as frozen shoulder, local doctors said.

This condition frequently affects women and individuals with diabetes, but there are steps to regain mobility.

Dr. Trevor Wilkes, a shoulder and elbow surgeon at OrthoCincy, explained.

“Frozen shoulder is an inflammatory condition which affects the ligaments around your shoulder and it makes them freeze up, we say, so they are usually stretchy and they become very tight or painful and the patient can’t raise or rotate their shoulder,” said Wilkes.

While the exact cause of frozen shoulder remains unclear, Dr. Wilkes suggested it might be related to the autoimmune system.

“So attacking your own body, we know it is three to four times more common in women, diabetics and people with hormone problems like thyroid disease,” he said. “It may be that antibodies sort of attack the shoulder, so you have to work against this process.”

Physical therapy is often the first step in treatment.

“Usually they get a cortisone injection first, that’ll help with the inflammation get things moving, and they come in here pretty frequently, typically one to two times a week at least, and then at home they are doing relatively aggressive therapy two to three times a day to get that motion going,” said Dennis Mirosh, a physical therapist at OrthoCincy.

Early intervention is crucial, and in many cases, the condition resolves within about 18 months. If not, pain relievers injected directly into the area may be the next step.