"I can't lift my arm to comb my hair." "Putting on a shirt is painful." "I wake up at night if I turn onto that side." These are classic complaints of frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis).
What is frozen shoulder?
The shoulder joint is surrounded by a soft capsule. In frozen shoulder this capsule becomes inflamed, thick and tight, so the joint can no longer move freely. It usually affects people between 40 and 60 years.
Who gets it?
- People with diabetes — up to 1 in 5 diabetics develop it
- Thyroid disorders
- After a period of not moving the shoulder (after a fracture, surgery or stroke)
- Women more often than men
The three stages
- Freezing (2–9 months) — increasing pain, especially at night; movement slowly reduces
- Frozen (4–12 months) — pain eases but the shoulder is very stiff
- Thawing (6 months–2 years) — movement gradually returns
Without treatment it can take up to two years to recover. With treatment, most people are much better in 3–4 months.
Treatment that works
- Pain control — short courses of medicine so that you can exercise
- Injection or hydrodilatation — a steroid injection into the joint, sometimes with saline to stretch the capsule; very effective in the painful stage
- Physiotherapy — the key to getting movement back
- Sugar control — good diabetic control speeds up recovery
- Arthroscopic release — only for the few who don't improve
Simple home exercises
Do these gently, 2–3 times a day, after a warm shower:
- Pendulum swings — lean forward, let the arm hang and swing it in small circles
- Finger walk — "walk" your fingers up a wall as high as comfortable
- Towel stretch — hold a towel behind your back with both hands and pull gently upward with the good arm
- Cross-body stretch — use the good arm to bring the stiff arm across the chest
Stretch to the point of mild discomfort, not pain. Consistency matters more than force.
If your shoulder has been stiff and painful for more than a month, get it examined — a frozen shoulder can look like a rotator cuff tear, and the treatment is different.
