Incidence and characteristics among individuals developing frozen shoulder following COVID-19 vaccine administration: A systematic review

Perform a systematic review to determine incidence and characteristics of vaccine administration of those developing frozen shoulder (FS) following COVID-19 vaccine administration.
Systematic review of the literature (PROSPERO number CRD42024611140). Inclusion criteria; diagnosis of frozen shoulder, published or available in the English language and onset of frozen shoulder linked to COVID-19 vaccination. Studies were excluded if FS was linked to onset outside of vaccination and if data were not separated. Relevant studies were assessed for inclusion and selected studies were identified from PubMed, EMBASE, EBSCOhost, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and CINAHL databases. The search strategy was developed by a biomedical librarian run on August 4, 2025. Data were extracted from retained studies and underwent quality assessment using The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist.
The search resulted in 1,506 studies and 9 retained for appraisal. A total of 140 individuals were identified among the retained studies with past medical history being reported in 6 of these studies identifying diabetes and hypothyroidism among the most common. Vaccine manufacturer and symptom manifestation data were reported in all retained studies. Incidence could not be determined based on available data
In addition to known risk factors associated with vaccinations, those with comorbidities associated with the etiology of FS may also be predisposed to developing FS following COVID-19 vaccination administration. Clinicians evaluating those with suspected FS should be aware of the link between vaccinations and the development of FS. Additionally, clinicians administering COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters need to be aware of potential risk factors that may predispose individuals to developing FS following as well as possible signs and symptoms to be aware of post-vaccination.

本研究为一项系统综述，旨在明确新冠疫苗接种后发生冻结肩（frozen shoulder, FS）人群的疫苗接种特征及发生率。
本研究已在PROSPERO平台注册（注册号：CRD42024611140）。纳入标准包括：确诊冻结肩、以英文发表或可获取、冻结肩发病与新冠疫苗接种存在关联。排除标准为：冻结肩发病与疫苗接种无关的研究，以及未拆分相关数据的研究。
研究检索范围涵盖PubMed、EMBASE、EBSCOhost、科克伦图书馆（Cochrane Library）、Web of Science及护理及联合卫生文献累积索引（CINAHL）数据库，检索策略由生物医学馆员于2025年8月4日制定。从纳入研究中提取数据，并采用乔安娜·布里格斯研究所关键评价清单（The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist）进行质量评估。
本次检索共获1506篇文献，最终纳入9篇进行质量评价。纳入研究中共涉及140名受试者，其中6项研究报告了受试者既往病史，最常见的共病为糖尿病与甲状腺功能减退症。所有纳入研究均报告了疫苗生产商及症状表现相关数据，但基于现有数据无法明确冻结肩的发生率。
除已知的疫苗接种相关风险因素外，合并与冻结肩病因相关共病的人群，在接种新冠疫苗后也更易发生冻结肩。临床医师在评估疑似冻结肩患者时，应意识到疫苗接种与冻结肩发病的关联；同时，开展新冠疫苗及加强针接种的临床人员，需警惕可能诱发接种后冻结肩的潜在风险因素，并留意接种后的相关体征与症状。