Since frozen shoulder is characterized by spontaneous recovery, no precise treatment strategy exists. Conservative therapy is available, but the time required for recovery varies considerably. Nevertheless, there have been very few reports on drug therapy. In this study we found that it was possible to obtain early symptom relief with oral steroid therapy. There were 27 patients (12 males,15 females), and their ages at the start of treatment ranged from 33 to 67 years old (mean: 52.9 years old). A single course of steroid therapy consisted of a total dose of 105 mg of predonisolone over approximately a 3-week period by the dose-tapering method. The number of courses varied with the degree of symptom relief, but the rest period between courses was always approximately 4 weeks. The results of treatment were assessed on the basis of the JOA score, but the principal items assessed were pain and range of motion. Pain, including night pain and exercise pain, was noted in 26 of the 27 patients, but after a single course of treatment, it persisted in only 3 of them. The ranges of motion before treatment were 96.4° of anterior elevation and 9.6° of external rotation, and internal rotation was at the buttocks in almost every case. However, after one course of treatment, anterior elevation was 128.0°, external rotation was 30.5°, and internal rotation was limited to the buttocks in only 5 cases. After one course, in 13 of these cases anterior elevatiorl was 150° or more and the impairment of ADL had completely resolved. The results of oral steroid therapy of frozen shoulder were highly satisfactory. However, sufficient care is required in explaining the method of administration in cases where adverse effects exist, such as the development of femoral head necrosis.
