Guide patient
Frozen shoulder and pain at night: is it adhesive capsulitis?
If your shoulder is becoming increasingly stiff, pain wakes you at night and lifting your arm is difficult, you may have adhesive capsulitis — "frozen shoulder". Options exist beyond injections.
Warning signs to watch for
Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) is inflammation of the shoulder joint capsule. It often progresses through three phases: intense pain, then maximum stiffness, then gradual recovery — a process that can last up to 2 years without appropriate treatment.
- Night pain: dull discomfort worsening at rest that wakes you up
- Blocked shoulder: difficulty lifting the arm overhead or behind the back
- Loss of mobility: daily movements increasingly limited
- Heaviness: the shoulder feels "locked"
Good to know: this condition mainly affects women aged 40–60, people with diabetes or those who have immobilised the shoulder after trauma. Early diagnosis speeds recovery.
Corticosteroid injection: what next?
Initial treatments are often medical (anti-inflammatories) combined with physiotherapy and sometimes a corticosteroid injection into the joint. This may relieve local inflammation, but the effect is sometimes temporary.
When pain and stiffness persist despite 3–6 months of proper treatment, it is reasonable to seek an alternative to injection and surgery. This is where frozen shoulder embolization is particularly relevant.
Embolization: a minimally invasive alternative
Frozen shoulder embolization targets the deep cause of inflammation: hypervascularisation of the capsule. Abnormal small arteries develop around the shoulder and sustain the inflammatory process and pain.
Targeted technique
Under radiological guidance (angiography), the interventional radiologist identifies and occludes these abnormal vessels, reducing inflammatory supply to the painful area.
No open surgery
No incision: a simple arterial puncture at the wrist or groin. Day-case procedure, home the same day.
Encouraging results
Studies report significant pain reduction within the first weeks, with mobility improvement in 1–3 months in patients refractory to conventional treatments.
Your care pathway
- First contact: describe your symptoms (duration, night pain, treatments already tried).
- Case review: we review your imaging (MRI, ultrasound) to confirm indication.
- Consultation: discussion with our interventional radiology team in Bordeaux.
- Embolization: if eligible, the procedure is scheduled as a day case.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if I have frozen shoulder?
Diagnosis is based on clinical examination (limited movement in all directions) supplemented by MRI or ultrasound. If your shoulder stiffens progressively with night pain, see a doctor.
Does embolization replace physiotherapy?
No, it complements it. Embolization reduces inflammation and pain, making rehabilitation easier to restore mobility.
How long to regain mobility?
Improvement is gradual. Pain often decreases within weeks; mobility recovers over 1–3 months, depending on the patient and duration of capsulitis before treatment.
Does this page replace epaule-gelee.fr?
Yes. Information on frozen shoulder and embolization treatment is now integrated on this site, within our interventional radiology centre in Bordeaux.
Would you like to understand the proposed treatment in detail?
Learn more about frozen shoulder embolizationYour shoulder deserves specialist care
Send us your file: our team reviews your situation and guides you towards embolization if indicated.
Request a case reviewData is processed in accordance with GDPR.