The frozen shoulder.

The clinical entity of frozen shoulder has been the subject of considerable controversy concerning pathogenesis and treatment. This is a review and interpretation of the literature against the background of my personal experience and a formulation of a treatment algorithm based on a practical synthesis of these sources. The separate stages of the disease are clearly definable and must be considered in prescribing treatment for the purpose of compressing the natural history and morbidity of this self-limited though disabling condition.