Frozen shoulder syndrome or adhesive capsulitis is an impairment of the shoulder that limits mobility of the shoulder leaving it very painful for an individual to function when using the range of motion of their shoulders.  It can be caused by many factors such as injury, inflammation, or overuse, however it is very difficult to cure and can last almost three years throughout the various stages that is associated with it. There are different methods of treating frozen shoulder or “stiff shoulder”, however the basic treatments are normally combined with physical therapy and exercise. Three common exercises are found to be effective in providing pan relief, improved functional ability of the shoulder and delivers relief from the common symptoms of frozen shoulder.

Stretching, improving range of motion, basic frozen shoulder exercise

Stretching is a main component of shoulder exercise in frozen shoulder. The painful frozen shoulder finds relief from heat therapy and anti-inflammatory medications. There are two convenient stretches that one can perform on their shoulders while staying at home. Adhesive capsulitis benefits from dumbbell exercise that can help in the treatment of frozen shoulder while arm rotations are also helpful shoulder exercise.

Anterior shoulder and chest stretch - from s standing stance one bring their hands clasped together at the back. When you lift them up, it is important to add resistance by pulling the tension towards you. This can provide better shoulder movement from stiffness when done 10 times.

Psoterior shoulder stretch - this is done by stretching the arms laterally across the chest and the other arm applies a pressure and tension to obtain an ultimate stretch with resistance applied within point of tolerance. You may repeat this 3-4 times in intervals of 10 seconds.

Arm rotations - it is a good exercise that improves the pain and stiffness symptoms on the affected shoulder. It can be done simply sitting upright in a chair. With arms extended out rolling your shoulder and making circling motions with your arms or by letting your arms relax at your sides and rolling distinctively the  balls of the shoulders. this can be done repeatedly but must be with precaution and advised by the physician.

Using Dumbbells-  With this frozen shoulder exercise you should bend or kneel on the opposite side of the shoulder that is affecting you. Let your arms fall in a relaxed manner. The dumbbells should be between the 3-5lb range, and you should hold the dumbbell in the hand and arm that is experiencing the “stiff shoulder.*With thi slowly move your arms in rotation and move in the opposite direction. These are done at an interval of 5 to 10.

When performing any frozen shoulder exercise it is crucial that you obtain a physicians opinion on what is safest for your initial condition to prevent harm or damage from occurring and making the frozen shoulder worse. The bad shoulder should be conditioned slowly to develop its strength and stamina in a gradual manner to pevent worsening of the condition.


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