Evaluation of suprascapular nerve block versus physical therapy in management of chronic adhesive capsulitis of shoulder joint

Adhesive Capsulitis, or frozen shoulder syndrome (FSS), is a condition characterized by limitation of motion of the shoulder joint with pain at the extremes of motion. It was first described by Putman in 1882 and later by Codman in 1934 (David and Thornhill, 2005).Adhesive capsulitis (or frozen shoulder) has an uncertain etiology. Both primary and secondary adhesive capsulitis exist, with the onset of the former often being slow and insidious after minimal or no trauma. Secondary frozen shoulder has been linked to disorders, such as impingement, but can also be associated with systemic disease such as thyroid disease or diabetes. (Scott et al., 2005Suprascapular nerve block has shown some promise as an alternative treatment for patients with shoulder pain& disability (shanahan et al., 2003). Its use is effective in disability and glenohumeral joint contracture of adhesive capsulitis (Dahan et al., 2002).A program of physical therapy combined with home exercises with other modalities can help to restore the shoulder motion and function (Pajareya et al., 2004).The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of suprascapular nerve block versus physical therapy in management of pain and disability in patient with chronic adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder joint.