New insights for improving the physiotherapists’ policy in treating adhesive capsulitis!
Frozen shoulder is a self-limiting condition of poorly understood etiology that results in shoulder pain
and large mobility deficits. Up to now, there is little evidence to suggest that the disease prognosis is
affected by physiotherapy and this raises the need for new, innovative research in the area of adhesive
capsulitis and its treatment. The involvement of central sensitization in adhesive capsulitis has not been
studied yet and remains speculative, but it is hypothesised that continuously increased nociceptive impulse
activity, as in early stages of adhesive capsulitis, could lead to peripheral and subsequently long-lasting
central sensitization, as well as to an increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system.
Finally, specific guidelines for both physiotherapeutic treatment options and clinical assessment will be
presented in this scoping review.
