Guide to Hydrodilatation for Frozen Shoulder

Table of Contents

Frozen shoulders, also known as adhesive capsulitis, can make you feel as if your body has stopped moving. Brushing your hair, reaching for a seatbelt, or opening a jar become difficult tasks. Pain and stiffness can gradually limit your daily activities, making even basic tasks difficult to perform in daily life.

If you or someone you know has this illness, you are not alone. Fortunately, there is an effective nonsurgical treatment available: hydrodilatation, also known as hydrodistension, for frozen shoulder. This resource will provide you with everything you need to know about this successful treatment, such as how it works, who benefits, and what to expect throughout the hydrodilatation recovery time.

What is the mechanism behind hydrodilatation?

Joint capsule stiffness and inflammation are the primary causes of frozen shoulders, and hydrodilatation is a minimally invasive procedure that addresses both of these problems. Throughout the procedure, a sterile solution containing saline, corticosteroids, and a local anesthetic is gently injected into the shoulder joint.

This provides two functions.

Stretches the joint capsule, which aids in breaking down stiffness and restoring movement.
Reduces inflammation, which soothes pain and facilitates long-term recovery. When combined with corticosteroids, hydrodilatation significantly improved shoulder function and pain levels compared to corticosteroid injection alone.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Hydrodilatation?

Hydrodilatation is especially beneficial for people who have been experiencing shoulder stiffness for more than three months.
Despite receiving physiotherapy and oral drugs, you continue to have difficulties.
Have been diagnosed with primary or secondary frozen shoulder.
This treatment will be pivotal in their recovery. A consultation with one of our specialists at RAD Clinics will help you establish your appropriateness.

How Hydrodilatation Works: Step-by-Step

You’ll be seated or lying comfortably. The skin over the shoulder is cleaned and numbed with a local anesthetic agent.
Ultrasound is used by the clinician to precisely guide the needle into the shoulder joint, ensuring both safety and accuracy.
A saline, corticosteroid, and local anesthetic mixture is injected to expand the capsule and reduce inflammation at the site.
The procedure takes approximately 15-30 minutes. You’ll usually spend about 45 minutes in the clinic, including preparation and post-procedure care.
Patients should start light shoulder exercises right away and be able to resume most daily activities within a few days.

Benefits of Hydrodilatation

This therapy provides several benefits:

Instant pain relief is experienced by patients.
Increased flexibility aids in improved joint mobility.
The time of recovery is short.
Using ultrasound to precisely target the joint makes the procedure minimally invasive.

A 2016 comprehensive review found that hydrodilatation improves pain and movement in adhesive capsulitis, especially when paired with corticosteroids and physiotherapy.

Expectations for the Procedure and Its Aftercare

Hydrodilatation is a safe and effective outpatient technique. Most patients report only mild discomfort because of the local anesthetic and excellent ultrasonography guidance.
The injection may cause some short-term discomfort, but this usually goes away in one to two days.
Maintaining joint mobility can be aided by doing basic aerobic exercises at home or in a clinic.
Within the first week of treatment, the majority of patients experience an improvement.

Eighty-four percent of patients reported better pain and range of motion four weeks after injection, according to a 2021 observational study.

Conclusion

Frozen shoulders are not always a permanent problem. An evidence-based minimally invasive procedure that can improve shoulder mobility and lessen pain is hydrodilation.

To help you regain your freedom of movement as soon as possible and safely, our professionals at RAD Clinics provide expert aftercare along with precisely guided hydrodilatation injections.

Schedule your consultation today at our clinics in Milton Keynes, Northampton, or Aylesbury and take the first step towards a pain-free, active lifestyle.

Common Questions We Hear From Patients

Is there any risk from hydrodilatation?

Only a slight risk is due to the use of a local anesthetic.

How long does it take for hydrodilatation to work?

Improvements are often noticeable within a few days to two weeks, depending on the stage of the condition.

Does hydrodilatation actually work?

Yes, in fact. It effectively decreases pain and improves range of motion, according to studies, especially when paired with rehabilitation exercises

What is the rate of hydrodilatation success?

Particularly with the use of corticosteroids and imaging guidance, the clinical success rate is between 80% and 85%.

Does hydrodilatation help with frozen shoulder?

Absolutely. It has remained one of the most successful nonsurgical therapies for adhesive capsulitis.

References

Disclaimer RAD Clinics currently provides ultrasound scan services only. Other tests and screenings mentioned in this article, such as blood tests, cervical smears, and DEXA (bone density) scans, are not available at RAD Clinics at this time. The information provided is for general educational purposes and should not replace medical advice from your GP or healthcare provider.