The optimal timing of arthroscopic capsular release in patients with frozen shoulder is controversial. Some surgeons delay surgery in the belief that early surgical intervention results in a poorer prognosis. However, whether early surgical intervention causes inferior clinical outcomes and a longer duration of symptoms in frozen shoulder remains unclear. The objective of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes and overall duration of symptoms in frozen shoulder between patients who underwent early surgical intervention and those subjected to late surgical intervention. Our hypotheses were that (1) early surgical intervention would provide significant improvement in symptoms but inferior clinical outcomes because of more severe synovitis compared with late surgical intervention and (2) early surgical intervention would shorten the overall duration of symptoms compared with late surgical intervention.
MethodsWe reviewed 60 consecutive patients with frozen shoulder who underwent arthroscopic capsular release. We compared clinical outcomes and the overall duration of symptoms between 2 groups: Group I comprised 27 patients who underwent surgery <6 months after onset (mean, 3.8 months), whereas group II comprised 33 patients who underwent surgery.
Reference link- https://www.jshoulderelbow.org/article/S1058-2746(20)30618-2/fulltext
