Are you struggling with the persistent, debilitating pain and stiffness of a frozen shoulder? If conservative treatments like physical therapy and steroid injections haven't provided lasting relief, our practice offers an innovative, minimally invasive procedure called Shoulder Artery Embolization (SAE), also known as Adhesive Capsulitis Embolization (ACE). This cutting-edge treatment targets the root cause of your pain to help restore motion and improve your quality of life.

Are you struggling with the persistent, debilitating pain and stiffness of a frozen shoulder? If conservative treatments like physical therapy and steroid injections haven't provided lasting relief, our practice offers an innovative, minimally invasive procedure called Shoulder Artery Embolization (SAE), also known as Adhesive Capsulitis Embolization (ACE). This cutting-edge treatment targets the root cause of your pain to help restore motion and improve your quality of life.

Understanding Adhesive Capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder)

Adhesive Capsulitis, more commonly known as "frozen shoulder," is a painful condition that occurs when the connective tissue surrounding your shoulder joint—the joint capsule—becomes thick, stiff, and severely inflamed. This leads to intense pain and a progressive loss of motion, making everyday activities like reaching overhead or dressing yourself incredibly difficult.

Who is at risk?

• Adults between 40 and 60 years old.
• It affects women more often than men.
• Individuals with diabetes have a 10-20% chance of developing it.
• It can develop after a shoulder injury or surgery due to prolonged immobilization.

Symptoms can last anywhere from 1 to 3 years , significantly impacting your daily life. The driving force behind this pain-inflammation cycle is a process called hypervascularity—the growth of abnormal, new blood vessels that feed the inflammation in the joint capsule.

Shoulder Artery Embolization: A Targeted Solution

Shoulder Artery Embolization is a state-of-the-art, non-surgical procedure designed to break the cycle of pain and inflammation. Originally pioneered in Japan and adapted from similar successful embolization procedures for knee arthritis, SAE has shown remarkable results in clinical studies. The literature reports that patients experience a significant reduction in pain and a substantial improvement in their range of motion, allowing them to engage more effectively in physical therapy and regain function faster.

The goal of SAE is simple yet powerful: to reduce the abnormal blood flow fueling the inflammation. By cutting off the inflamed blood vessel (the main normal vessels stay open), the pain subsides, the capsule can begin to heal, and mobility can be restored.

The Procedure: What to Expect

SAE is a relatively painless procedure that takes about one hour and is performed by a specialized Interventional Radiologist.

1. Numbing and Access: The procedure begins with a small numbing injection at your wrist. The radiologist then makes a tiny puncture, not much bigger than an IV line, to access the radial artery.
2. Catheter Navigation: Using advanced X-ray imaging (fluoroscopy) as a guide, a tiny, flexible tube called a microcatheter is carefully navigated through your blood vessels to the small arteries supplying the inflamed shoulder capsule.
3. Embolization: Once in position, the radiologist injects microscopic, medical-grade spheres or a specialized oil into the targeted abnormal vessels. This block the excessive blood flow to the inflamed tissue, immediately disrupting the pain-inflammation cycle.
4. Preservation of Healthy Tissue: Crucially, this procedure only targets the abnormal hypervascular areas. The normal, healthy blood flow to your shoulder muscles and surrounding tissues remains completely intact.

Advantages of Shoulder Artery Embolization

Choosing SAE for your frozen shoulder offers numerous benefits over traditional or more invasive options.

• Minimally Invasive:There is no surgical incision and no direct, painful manipulation or injection into the shoulder joint itself.
• Painless Procedure:Performed under sedation, the procedure is comfortable and well-tolerated.
• Rapid Recovery:Most patients can return to work and normal daily activities within a day or two, without the need for a lengthy and painful surgical recovery.
• High Safety Profile:SAE has a very low complication rate.
• No Bridges Burned:very low complication rate.
• Effective Results:Most patients report noticeable symptom improvement within 3 to 4 weeks.

Are You a Candidate for SAE?

This procedure may be the right choice for you if:

• You have been diagnosed with adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder).
• You experience persistent shoulder pain and limited motion that interferes with your daily life.
• You have not found adequate relief from conservative treatments like physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), or corticosteroid injections.

Take the next step toward a pain-free life. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and find out if Shoulder Artery Embolization is the right solution for you.