Shoulder & Arm
Frozen Shoulder
A painful, progressively stiff shoulder that follows a recognisable pattern over months.
About this condition
Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) typically moves through a painful phase, a stiff phase and a thawing phase. Knowing which phase you are in matters, because aggressive stretching in the painful phase usually makes things worse.
Physiotherapy manages pain early, maintains what range is available, and works hard on restoring motion once the shoulder is ready.
Common symptoms
- Deep shoulder pain
- often worse at night
- Progressive loss of movement in all directions
- Difficulty reaching behind the back or overhead
- Pain with sudden movements
- Gradual onset without clear injury
Frequent contributors
- Often no clear cause
- Can follow a period of shoulder immobility
- More common in certain age groups
- Sometimes follows shoulder injury or surgery
How physiotherapy typically helps
Phase-appropriate treatment — this matters most
Pain management strategies early on
Joint mobilisation to restore range
Progressive stretching and strengthening
Realistic timeline expectations
This page is general information. Information on this website is general in nature and is not a substitute for individual assessment, diagnosis or treatment by a qualified healthcare professional.
Not sure which service you need?
Book an assessment and we will tell you honestly what is going on, what will help, and roughly how long it should take.