Frozen Shoulder and High Cholesterol Linked

A recent study, found a connection between frozen shoulder and high cholesterol / lipoproteins. They excluded patients with thyroid problems and/or diabetes, which are known to be associated with frozen shoulder.  Lazarus wrote a commentary on the article, in which he explains the history of the research on this topic.  He raises the possibility of prevention, “Can the incidence or disease course of frozen shoulder be modulated by employing strategies to reduce hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipoproteinemia, such as exercise, diet change, and medical management?”

My take away- add the possibility of preventing frozen shoulder to the list of reasons to exercise more and watch your diet.

Side note:  I treat about five patients with frozen shoulder a week and anecdotally I find manual therapy and exercise to be quite effective in most cases.  I have spoken to a leading UK frozen shoulder expert about doing a study, but it would be very difficult to do a study with a low risk of bias.

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