How to treat a frozen shoulder? A survey among shoulder specialists in the Netherlands and Belgium.

A frozen shoulder is a common cause of a painful and stiff shoulder. A web-based survey was conducted to obtain insight in the current preferences about the diagnosis and treatment of a frozen shoulder. A response rate of 54% was reached among shoulder specialized orthopaedic surgeons from the Netherlands and Belgium. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and intra-articular corticosteroid injections are used frequently in the first phase of the condition. Physiotherapy is assumed to be more important in the final phase. The results of the survey indicate a wide variety of treatment strategies in the different phases of a frozen shoulder. Three out of four respondents considered that the management of a frozen shoulder could benefit from a written guideline. The development of a written guideline should lead to an improved level of consensus and a more standardized approach in the treatment of a frozen shoulder among shoulder specialists in the Netherlands and Belgium.