The Best Frozen Shoulder Exercise?

When I instruct a patient on exercises for frozen shoulder syndrome I begin with stretching. This lesson always winds up with a lot of questions. Can I stretch too much? What If I feel pain when I stretch? Can I overdo with stretching exercises? What if I have a rotator cuff tear?  I’ll attempt to answer these questions with some brief answers:

1) If done properly and with the right intensity there is no such thing as “too much stretching” with a frozen shoulder. Proper technique includes using good posture and form with any frozen shoulder exercise. The intensity of each stretch should be mild to medium but not to the point of sharp pain. It’s best to perform stretching in short bursts multiple times throughout the day rather than just two or three times a day. Too much time in between stretches allows the joint capsule to stiffen up and makes each exercise more uncomfortable.

2) There are two types of pain that I educate my patients on – a) damaging pain and b) non-damaging pain. Damaging pain is felt as sharp or searing type pain, or pain that lasts more than 30 minutes after performing any exercise to the shoulder. This is a sign that additional trauma is being added to the shoulder which means more recovery time and limitation of results. Non-damaging pain is felt as “achy”, “stretchy” type pain and simply means that tissues are being lengthened and exercised properly. This type of pain is short lived, most often within moments of stopping the stretch or exercise.

3) If you are experiencing any symptoms of pain that last or pain in other areas besides the area you are trying to stretch then you are possibly overdoing your exercise. Try backing off the intensity or repositioning your shoulder and performing the exercise as instructed. You can benefit greatly from pictures or videos from a program targeted specifically for frozen shoulder treatment.

There are many exercises for frozen shoulder that may be too difficult for you to perform at first, particularly if you have severely restricted motion or are in an acutely inflamed state. I recommend to begin any exercise with proper warm-up which may include moist heat, shoulder pendulums, or pedaling and “arm bicycle”. Never try to stretch a “cold” shoulder as this may only damage tissues further and limit your progress.