To retrospectively assess the clinical efficacy of compound Danshen tablets with conventional regimen in the treatment of frozen shoulder (FS).

Patients with primary FS who attended the outpatient clinic of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University from April 2022 to July 2023 were reviewed. All the patients were treated with functional exercises, oral celecoxib and a single shoulder injection. Those who needed to take oral compound Danshen tablets during treatment for other reasons were included in the compound Danshen tablets group, and the other patients were matched and included in the control group based on baseline data in the 2 ∶1 ratio of control group : compound Danshe tablets group. The independent Student’s t test and repeated measures ANOVA were used to analyze the difference of visual analog scale (VAS), shoulder range of motion(ROM), the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, Constant-Murley shoulder scale (CSS) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) score before treatment, and at one, three months after treatment.

Data from 18 cases in the compound Danshen tablets group and 36 cases in the control group were available for retrospective analysis. At one month after treatment, the flexion mobility of the patients in the compound Danshen tablet group were significantly greater than those of the control group (147±22)° vs(134±32)°(t=1.558, P=0.003). At the third month, the ROM in flexion, abduction, lateral external rotation, and posterior extension internal rotation of the compound Danshen tablet group were(169±11)°, (160±23)°, (59±14)°, and(11±3) respectively, while the data of the control group were (146±22)°, (131±29)°, (41±13)°, and (13±3). The compound Danshen tablet group achieved superior ROM than the control group (t=4.147, 3.675, 4.662, -1.693, all P< 0.05). At the final follow-up, the ASES and CSS scores of the compound Danshen tablet group were significantly better than those of the control group (t=2.361, 2.088, both P<0.05).

On the basis of the conventional treatment program, the use of compound Danshen tablets can provide faster pain relief and promote functional recovery of the shoulder joint in patients with FS.