{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T06:27:59Z","timestamp":1792650479190,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"Bioscientifica","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,13]],"date-time":"2026-02-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770940800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":2114,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.bioscientifica.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,5,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Frozen shoulder, a common and debilitating shoulder complaint, has been the subject of uncertainty within the scientific literature and clinical practice. We performed an electronic PubMed search on all (1559) articles mentioning \u2018frozen shoulder\u2019 or \u2018adhesive capsulitis\u2019 to understand and qualify the range of naming, classification and natural history of the disease. We identified and reviewed six key thought leadership papers published in the past 10 years and all (24) systematic reviews published on frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis in the past five years. This revealed that, while key thought leaders such as the ISAKOS Upper Extremity Council are unequivocal that \u2018adhesive capsulitis\u2019 is an inappropriate term, the long-term and short-term trends showed the literature (63% of systematic reviews assessed) preferred \u2018adhesive capsulitis\u2019. The literature was divided as to whether or not to classify the complaint as primary only (9 of 24) or primary and secondary (9 of 24); six did not touch on classification. Furthermore, despite a systematic review in 2016 showing no evidence to support a three-phase self-limiting progression of frozen shoulder, 11 of 12 (92%) systematic reviews that mentioned phasing described a three-phase progression. Eight (33%) described it as \u2018self-limiting\u2019, three (13%) described it as self-limiting in \u2018nearly all\u2019 or \u2018most\u2019 cases, and six (25%) stated that it was not self-limiting; seven (29%) did not touch on disease resolution. We call for a data and patient-oriented approach to the classification and description of the natural history of the disease, and recommend authors and clinicians (1) use the term \u2018frozen shoulder\u2019 over \u2018adhesive capsulitis\u2019, (2) use an updated definition of the disease which recognizes the often severe pain suffered, and (3) avoid the confusing and potentially harmful repetition of the natural history of the disease as a three-phase, self-limiting condition.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2020;5:273-279.DOI: 10.1302\/2058-5241.5.190032<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1302\/2058-5241.5.190032","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,5,1]],"date-time":"2020-05-01T05:53:39Z","timestamp":1588312419000},"page":"273-279","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1530\/crossmarkpolicy-16","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":57,"title":["\u2018Frozen shoulder\u2019 is ill-defined. How can it be described better?"],"prefix":"10.1530","volume":"5","author":[{"given":"Sophie","family":"Abrassart","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"1Division of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, La Tour Hospital, Meyrin, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Franck","family":"Kolo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"2Rive Droite Radiology Centre, Geneva, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"S\u00e9bastian","family":"Piotton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"1Division of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, La Tour Hospital, Meyrin, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joe","family":"Chih-Hao Chiu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"3Department of Orthopaedic Sports Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan City, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Patrick","family":"Stirling","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"4ReSurg SA, Nyon, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pierre","family":"Hoffmeyer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"5Division of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Department of Surgery, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexandre","family":"L\u00e4dermann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"1Division of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, La Tour Hospital, Meyrin, Switzerland"},{"name":"5Division of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Department of Surgery, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland"},{"name":"6Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"416","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,5,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026070711300559500_bibr1-2058-5241.5.190032","first-page":"211","article-title":"Adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder: a study of the pathological findings in periarthritis of the shoulder","volume":"27","author":"Neviaser","year":"1945","journal-title":"J Bone Joint Surg Am"},{"key":"2026070711300559500_bibr2-2058-5241.5.190032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"502","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jse.2010.08.023","article-title":"Current review of adhesive capsulitis","volume":"20","author":"Hsu","year":"2011","journal-title":"J Shoulder Elbow Surg"},{"key":"2026070711300559500_bibr3-2058-5241.5.190032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1402","DOI":"10.1016\/j.arthro.2016.03.024","article-title":"Shoulder stiffness: current concepts and 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shoulder: a consensus definition","volume":"20","author":"Zuckerman","year":"2011","journal-title":"J Shoulder Elbow Surg"},{"key":"2026070711300559500_bibr8-2058-5241.5.190032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"350","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apmr.2018.08.181","article-title":"Effectiveness of nonsurgical interventions for managing adhesive capsulitis in patients with diabetes: a systematic review","volume":"100","author":"Alsubheen","year":"2019","journal-title":"Arch Phys Med Rehabil"},{"key":"2026070711300559500_bibr9-2058-5241.5.190032","first-page":"314120","article-title":"Effectiveness of hyaluronic acid administration in treating adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials","volume":"2015","author":"Lee","year":"2015","journal-title":"Biomed Res Int"},{"key":"2026070711300559500_bibr10-2058-5241.5.190032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"815","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apmr.2015.07.025","article-title":"Efficacy of different types 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arthroscopic capsular release for refractory frozen shoulder with and without diabetes","volume":"32","author":"Cho","year":"2016","journal-title":"Arthroscopy"},{"key":"2026070711300559500_bibr21-2058-5241.5.190032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"69","DOI":"10.1136\/ard.31.1.69","article-title":"Periarthritis of the shoulder and diabetes mellitus","volume":"31","author":"Bridgman","year":"1972","journal-title":"Ann Rheum Dis"},{"key":"2026070711300559500_bibr22-2058-5241.5.190032","unstructured":"Wikipedia.org.\n          2019. https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Adhesive_capsulitis_of_shoulder (date last accessed 7March2019)."},{"key":"2026070711300559500_bibr23-2058-5241.5.190032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"628","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-70099-1","volume-title":"Textbook of shoulder surgery","author":"Trail","year":"2019"},{"key":"2026070711300559500_bibr24-2058-5241.5.190032","volume":"2016","author":"Rockwood","year":"1304","journal-title":"The 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