Patterns of Range of Motion Restriction in Subjects with Adhesive Capsulitis

Background: Adhesive capsulitis is one of the most common problems of the arm. It is a painful and disabling condition and the etiology is unclear. Adhesive capsulitis is caused by tightening of the joint capsule and results in stiffness and pain. Adhesive capsulitis occurs in three distinct stages. Freezing stage, Frozen stage & Thawing stage. Till date, adhesive capsulitis remains to be more of a clinical diagnosis rather than radiological. Cyriax’s proposed shoulder capsular pattern was external rotation most limited followed by abduction followed by internal rotation. It remains unclear whether this pattern is exists in all the phases of adhesive capsulitis or not. Aim: To identify pattern of restriction of ROM in subjects with adhesive capsulitis in three phases of adhesive capsulitis. Methodology: The study included 60 subjects with idiopathic adhesive capsulitis. Passive ROM for shoulder Abduction, internal and external rotation was measured with universal Goniometer. Results & Conclusion: Findings suggest that various patterns of restrictions were found in different phase of Adhesive capsulitis. Key words: Adhesive capsulitis, Shoulder passive ROM, Pattern of restriction.