Do You Have Frozen Shoulder?

Frozen Shoulder, also known as Adhesive Capsulitis is characterized by a thickening of the shoulder capsule.  When this occurs, it results in adhesions which results in pain and stiffness in the shoulder.


A person with Frozen Shoulder will demonstrate shoulder pain in all planes of motion depending on what stage it is in (there are 3 stages).  Simple everyday tasks such as reaching overhead, reaching out to the side, or reaching behind your back can be painful and limited.  This alone however does not provide a person with enough information to determine if their shoulder pain is caused by Frozen Shoulder.  That is why it is important to also check other factors that have been proven in the research community to guide effective treatment.

How do we determine if a person has Frozen Shoulder?  It is important to look at several different characteristics:

• A person's age
• Frozen Shoulder typically occurs between 40-60 years of age   
• A person's diabetic status
• The incidence of Frozen Shoulder is two to four times HIGHER in patients with diabetes compared to the rest of the population
• A person's gender
• Research has shown a higher risk of developing Frozen Shoulder in females compared to males
• A person's history of injury
• Sometimes a person will develop Frozen Shoulder after having another type of shoulder injury and/or a period of shoulder immobilization
• A person's physical examination
• A person will be limited in a capsular pattern (External Rotation Limitation > Abduction Limitation > Internal Rotation Limitation)

If a person meets this criteria most likely they are suffering from Frozen Shoulder.  The best way to try and regain motion in the shoulder is through physical therapy intervention, specifically with passive range of motion exercises.  Most commonly passive range of motion can be performed with a pulley.

For more information on Frozen Shoulder click here

Here is a video with some sample pulley exercises to treat Frozen Shoulder: