The influence of diabetes on treatments for frozen shoulder

Disease - Frozen shoulder

Lead applicant - Dr Milica Blagojevic-Bucknall

Organisation - Keele University

Type of grant - PhD Scholarship

Status of grant - Active

Amount of the original award - £144,127.34

Start date - 22 September 2018

Reference - 21899

Public Summary

What are the aims of this research?

Frozen shoulder is a condition where the shoulder becomes inflamed and stiff, which can be painful and cause restricted motion. It is more common in people who have diabetes compared to the general population. The aim of this research is to investigate the link between these two conditions.

Why is this research important?

Previous research has already shown that people with diabetes are more likely to develop frozen shoulder, which is painful and can result in poor sleep and reduced quality of life. Some experts also suggest that people with frozen shoulder should be screened for diabetes, but it is unclear how many people with frozen shoulder actually have diabetes. This research will gather data to better understand the links between the conditions, which will ultimately be used to inform treatment options in the future.

The researchers will look at electronic health records to evaluate how many people with frozen shoulder are newly diagnosed with diabetes, as well as how likely it is that people living with diabetes will later develop frozen shoulder. The researchers will also investigate whether people with diabetes experience different effects from treatments they receive for frozen shoulder.

How will the findings benefit patients?

The findings of this research will help determine whether the management of shoulder pain should be different for people with diabetes. The data and findings of the study will also help doctors decide whether people with frozen shoulder should also be screened for diabetes. It is hoped that this research will therefore have a positive impact in optimising treatments for people with diabetes, frozen shoulder or both, improving their independence and quality of life.