Frozen shoulder exercises

Frozen shoulder, or adhesive capsulitis, is a problem with the capsule - the sleeve of tissue that surrounds the shoulder joint. The capsule becomes inflamed and then thickens and contracts, so the joint simply has less room to move. That is why the shoulder stiffens in every direction, including turning the arm outwards, and why the stiffness is there even when someone else moves the arm for you.

It often arrives with no clear cause at all. It is most common between the ages of 40 and 60, affects women slightly more often, and is more likely in people with diabetes or a thyroid condition. It can also follow a period of the arm being kept still after an injury or an operation. Nothing you did wrong caused it.

It usually moves through phases. First a painful freezing phase, where the ache is deep, spreads into the upper arm and disturbs sleep. Then a stiff phase, where the pain settles but movement is very limited and everyday tasks like dressing, driving and reaching a back pocket become awkward. Finally a thawing phase, where range slowly returns.

It is not dangerous and it does resolve, but it is genuinely slow: the whole cycle commonly runs one to three years, though good management shortens the worst of it and most people regain useful function well before full range returns. This programme matches the phase you are in - keeping the shoulder moving without provoking an angry capsule early on, working steadily on range as the pain settles, then rebuilding strength as movement comes back.

Who this programme is for

Adults with a progressively stiff and painful shoulder that has lost range in all directions, including turning the arm outwards, with no history of a significant injury. It suits any phase, from the painful early months to the stiff and thawing stages. If the stiffness followed a fall or a dislocation, get it assessed first.