Routine stretching and exercise can help most people with frozen shoulder relieve pain and improve range of motion. Improvement usually takes time and persistent use of practices.

Read on for 10 exercises and stretches, plus a look at what other options people are using to treat frozen shoulder.

Frozen shoulder is categorized into three stages, with exercise recommendations for each:

Taking pain relievers before exercise may help. You can also use heat or ice for pain relief before you start these activities.

In the first and most painful stage of frozen shoulder, go slow. Increase the repetitions over time, without increasing the pain you’re experiencing.

One 2005 study found that when people exercised within the limits of pain, they reached near-normal, painless shoulder motion at 12 months (64 percent) and 24 months (89 percent).

In comparison, 63 percent of people receiving more intensive physical therapy reached near-normal, painless shoulder motion at 24 months.

Abduction means moving your arm away from the midline of your body.

This exercise requires that you use passive range of motion to manipulate your arm and shoulder without using the muscles in your affected shoulder.

As you move into the second phase of frozen shoulder with less pain, you can increase the stretch times and the repetitions, and add in some strengthening activities.

Try adding a small weight to your affected arm in exercise 4, such as a soup can. Or, push your affected arm farther up your back in exercise 1.

Adduction means moving your arm toward your body. It’s the opposite of abduction.

You’ll use passive range of motion again, where you or another person gently pull on your affected arm to stretch it.

If conservative treatment, including physical therapy and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), isn’t relieving enough to relieve your frozen shoulder pain, there are other alternative possibilities to discuss with your doctor:

Some studies indicate that steroid injections are most effective for pain control in the early stages of frozen shoulder treatment. Corticosteroid injections, along with hydrodilatation, may be particularly helpful in reducing pain during the first 3 months of treatment.

Hyaluronan injections were also found to relieve pain, especially at night.

A 2017 study compared both steroid and hyaluronan injections (also known as hyaluronic acid), and physical therapy to no treatment. The study found that all three treatments significantly improved pain and mobility after 3 months, compared with the no-treatment group.

A 2008 study reported that low-power laser treatment significantly decreased pain after 8 weeks of treatment for frozen shoulder, compared with a placebo group. However, there wasn’t a significant improvement in range of motion during the same period.

Evidence about the effectiveness of electrotherapy treatment is scant.

Research from 2014 on different types of electrotherapy concluded that electrotherapy combined with physical therapy might be more effective than physical therapy alone. The types of electrotherapy included laser treatment, TENS, ultrasound, and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy.

Manipulation under anesthesia and arthroscopic release under anesthesia may be used when conservative treatment is failing.

According to a 2013 study, people experiencing frozen shoulder at stages 2 and 3 may benefit most from intense physical therapy and steroid injection treatments.

Many people with frozen shoulder also regain pain-free shoulder use through treatments like exercises, although it may take up to 3 years. Research into new treatments is ongoing.

Physical therapy and a home-based exercise program are often combined with other conservative treatments, including:

It’s important to have professional physical therapy guidance so that you can tailor your exercise program to your level of pain and the stage of your frozen shoulder.

Physical therapy, routine stretching, and exercises are useful in both the short term and long term for reducing pain and increasing range of motion in frozen shoulder.

Your doctor may advise an exercise program in combination with NSAIDs and corticosteroid, hydrodilatation, or hyaluronan injections.

It’s a good idea to have professional guidance when starting a home exercise and stretching program. There are many exercises to try, and a physical therapist can help you find treatments that suit the stage of your frozen shoulder and are realistic for you.

Last medically reviewed on November 19, 2019

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