Living with frozen shoulder: ‘It was as if someone had been hitting my arm with a baseball bat’

The damage might have come from holding up the hefty telephoto lens while photographing birds on a nearby wetland or from sitting at a desk with my left arm – the afflicted one – almost immobile for hours.

The rounded head of the upper arm bone (humerus) fits into a small, shallow bowl on the shoulder blade (scapula), allowing a greater range of movement than any other joint.

Normally, the capsule is baggy – Taplin describes it as “like a deflated balloon” – to allow free movement, but when inflamed it tightens, effectively clamping the joint.

A 2022 qualitative study of 10 frozen shoulder patients by a team of researchers at Flinders Medical Centre, found that the pain, lack of sleep, and loss of independence had profound psychological impacts.

As well as the impact on daily living, it also prevents sufferers from spending time with those close to them, and taking part in favourite hobbies and sports.

Some suggest that stress can trigger the inflammation linked to frozen shoulder, or that the condition sometimes correlates with people suffering from depression or anxiety.