Frozen shoulder (sometimes called adhesive capsulitis) is when a shoulder becomes painful and progressively stiffens.

There are 2 types:

Primary – where the cause is not known.

Secondary – following surgery, injury, or related to a medical condition such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, or metabolic syndrome.

The symptoms include an increase in pain, and gradual decrease in range of motion caused by stiffening of the joint capsule. This stiffening can make overhead activities such as hanging out clothes, dressing, brushing hair and particularly fastening items behind the back difficult.

Frozen shoulders go through 3 phases:

• Acute/freezing phase: Gradual onset of shoulder pain, with sharp pain at extremes of movement, and pain at night with sleep

• Frozen phase: Pain lessens (might just be at the end of range) with progressive loss of shoulder movement.

• Thawing phase: Spontaneous, progressive improvement in range of motion.

Frozen shoulder can sometimes have a slow recovery. Occasionally, people will have pain for over a year – although many people can recover more quickly. The good news is that it does improve. Effective diagnosis and treatments can shorten the duration of symptoms.

Your physiotherapist can firstly advise you whether or not it is a frozen shoulder. It can mimic other shoulder problems, such as rotator cuff tendinopathies, which require different treatment. Then you’ll be given a treatment program including stretches to regain movement. Once the pain and stiffness has improved the physiotherapist will be able to guide you back to your sport and your general activities.

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