Effectiveness of an Oxygen-nitrous Oxide Mixture During Physical Therapy for Frozen Shoulder (MEOPA)

Inclusion Criteria:

• Affiliated with a social security system
• Has signed the consent form
• Patient has a painful, or initially painful but stable frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis): stiffening characterized by a passive loss of amplitude on three planes. This loss of amplitude is greater than or equal to 50% of controlateral amplitude when the controlateral shoulder is considered as normal. Otherwise, the loss of amplitude is greater than or equal to 50% of normal anatomical values.
• Radiography confirms the integrity of the glenohumeral interspace.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Intercurrent, evolving or unstable pathology: cancer, advanced cardio-vascular pathology, severe infection
• The patient is taking a treatment that may interfere with the study (eg corticoids, pain killers, chemotherapy)
• Contra-indication for physical therapy
• Coagulopathy
• Advanced diabetes mellitus, with neurological or joint complications
• Contra indication for the experimental treatment
• Pregnant or nursing women
• Patient's mental state prevents him/her from understanding the nature of the study, its objectives and potential consequences.
• Patient under guardianship
• Patient is in an exclusion period determined by a previous study
• Patient not able to follow protocol constraints or timetable
• Medical history of local infection, polyarthritis or neuropathy that might explain the shoulder pain.
• Absence of radiculopathy of cervical origin, of rotator cuff tears or evolving shoulder tendinopathy, of severe omarthrose