Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis)

What We Do

We conduct a thorough examination including the head, neck, and arms. We determine the root cause of your symptoms to ensure that physical therapy treatment is the best option for you.

How We Do It

We examine posture, range of motion, strength, reflexes, sensation, soft tissue mobility, joint mobility, nerve mobility, and functional movements to create a custom treatment plan. We also take into account any imaging that you have had like X-Rays, MRI, CT scans, etc.

Frozen shoulder occurs most commonly in females over the age of 40.

Did you know?! If you have had frozen shoulder in one shoulder, you are at increased likelihood of having frozen shoulder in the opposite shoulder.

Did you know?! Frozen shoulder is more common after a traumatic incident. This incident does not always have to involve a severe injury but could include a fall, a car accident, or a traumatic emotional event.

Why We Do It

Frozen shoulder occurs in 3 phases…
Freezing (1-6 months): painful and loss of motion gradually worsens
Frozen (3-12 months): typically the most painful and motion becomes very limited
Thawing (5-18 months): motion and pain slowly improves

Frozen shoulder typically takes 6-18 months to fully resolve. Recent research has shown that physical therapy treatment can help regain motion and restore function in the affected shoulder earlier versus not having treatment at all.

Due to the duration of this diagnosis, we determine the frequency of sessions based on which stage of healing you are currently in (freezing, frozen, thawing). Treatment is very focused on hands-on stretching, joint mobilizations and a specific home exercise program that must be performed consistently to improve pain and motion.