Shoulder pain

Who it may help

TAME may suit you if:

• you have had shoulder pain for more than 3 months
• physiotherapy, medication or steroid injections have not given lasting relief
• you want to avoid or delay surgery
• an ultrasound or MRI shows inflammation or abnormal vessels around the shoulder

Conditions treated

• Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)
• Stiff shoulder after an injury or shoulder operation
• Rotator cuff tendinopathy or partial tears
• Calcific tendinitis
• Shoulder pain after arthroscopy
• Chronic pain after shoulder surgery
• Trapezius myalgia (pain in the muscle across the top of the shoulder)

Frozen shoulder: the inflamed joint capsule · 1 of 2

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Chronic shoulder pain

Chronic shoulder pain can be caused by inflammation or overuse of the tissues around the shoulder joint. In many cases, tiny abnormal blood vessels form around these inflamed tissues, which can worsen pain and slow healing.

Shoulder embolisation, also called transarterial microembolisation (TAME), is a minimally invasive, image-guided procedure that targets and blocks these abnormal vessels to reduce inflammation and help recovery.

How the procedure is performed

1. The procedure is performed by an interventional radiologist.
2. It is done under local anaesthetic with mild sedation for comfort.
3. A small catheter is inserted into an artery, usually in the wrist or groin.
4. Using X-ray guidance, the catheter is passed to the arteries supplying the inflamed area of the shoulder.
5. Tiny particles are injected to block the abnormal vessels while keeping normal circulation.
6. The procedure usually takes about an hour, and you go home the same day.

Access through the artery at the top of the thigh or at the wrist · 1 of 3

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Benefits

• No surgical incision
• Local anaesthetic rather than a general anaesthetic
• Most people return to light activity within days
• Pain often starts to improve within days to weeks
• Shoulder movement and function improve over time for many people
• May help avoid surgery or reduce reliance on pain medication

After the procedure

• Most people go home the same day.
• Light activities can usually resume the next day.
• Pain usually improves gradually over the following weeks.
• Physiotherapy is recommended to get the most movement and strength back.
• The full benefit may take 1–3 months.