Disease Name differential diagnosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Marufa Marium, M.B.B.S[2]

Overview

Adhesive capsulitis is one of the most common disease in primary care settings. It can be occurred primarily or secondarily. Careful clinical examination and diagnosis is need to differentiate it from other disease.

Differential Diagnosis

Adhesive capsulitis is one of the most common disease in primary care settings. It can be occurred primarily or secondarily. Careful clinical examination and diagnosis is need to differentiate it from other disease. Differentials are:

• Rotator cuff injury or tendinopathy +/- supraspinatus impingement: History of overuse or repetitive use with focal tenderness and preservation of passive range of motion helps to aid diagnosis of rotator cuff tendinopathy. hawkin and neer test positive in impingement.
• Rotator cuff tear: Severe lateral arm pain with limited active and passive range of motion with drop arm test positive. MRI help to diagnose it.
• Acromioclavicular arthropathy: Pain at superior location of shoulder joint with history of heay weight lifting or overuse with preservation of range of motion. It can be diagnose clinically with positive result of cross arm test and compression test.
• Subacromion Bursitis: Local injection of lidocaine and MRI aid the diagnosis.
• Cervical Radiculopathy or Cervical disc degeneration: Weakness and numbness impaired light touch in upper extremity with reduced active range of motion with neck movement.
• Subdeltoid Bursitis: History of overuse injury and MRI aid in diagnose this.
• Tendinopathy of biceps at bicipital groove: anterior upper arm pain with positive test result of speed and yergason test, MRI rule out the adhesive capsulitis.
• Malignancy: Constitutional symptoms and compressional symptoms from pancoast tumor with imaging technique rule out frozen shoulder.
• Polymyalgia Rheumatica: Proximal muscle weakness of upper and lower extremity and increased ESR rule out adhesive capsulitis.
• Autoimmune disease: SLE or Rheumatoid Arthritis or other autoimmune disease may mimic frozen shoulder.