Manipulation under anaesthesia for frozen shoulders: outdated technique or well-established quick fix?

Manipulation under anaesthesia (MUA) for frozen shoulder (FS) leads to a considerable increase in range of motion and Oxford shoulder score, a significant reduction in pain and around 85% satisfaction. A clearly defined indication for MUA in FS patients cannot be extracted from this review or the available literature. The associating criteria before proceeding to MUA vary widely. All but one study in this review lacked a control group without intervention. Therefore, firm conclusions about the role of MUA in the treatment of FS cannot be drawn from the current literature. An overall complication rate of 0.4% was found and a re-intervention rate of 14%, although most of the included papers were not designed to monitor complications. The following criteria before proceeding to MUA are proposed: a patient unable to cope with a stiff and painful shoulder; clinical signs of a stage 2 idiopathic FS; lessening pain in relation to stage 1; external rotation < 50% compared to contralateral shoulder joint; a minimal duration of symptoms of three months; and failure to respond to an intra-articular corticosteroid infiltration. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2019;4:98-109. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.4.180044