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

BACKGROUND: frozen shoulder is a common condition and its management can be surgical or non-surgical. 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 non-surgical 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.