Frozen Shoulder Physical Therapy

Hi Christina I find remedial massage to release all the muscles around the shoulder. I find that physiotherapists only spend around 15Min on you while sports remedial massage will spend an hour on your shoulder, I have had significant results from this, you will need to find a good one. Where do you live? There is someone brilliant in Tweed Heads

There are several discussions on this on here and varying opinions - see the discussion below.  My personal opinion (backed up by quite a few specialists) is that over-zealous physio will make things worse.  I'd be inclined to listen to your body, ease off any agressive physio and instead do more gentle, stretching excercises, stopping if it hurts.

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/orthopedic-surgeon-said-do-not-do-physical-therapy-in-painful-stage-makes-worse--510090

I hear u wen u say the ROM is not improving. I can say after 5 months my pain has subsided but my Rear movement has not improved..

I also sometimes feel I am wasting my time going to pt and doubt excercise at home but decided that I can't just sit and wait for it to get better on its own. Most of the exercises are to increase strength or Rom and even the ones that hurt only hurt til I stretch it out. When they work on me some of the stretches I have to breath thru but I usually feel good when I leave pt.

On how hard you should push yourself- ask your PT.  Mine told me just until you feel the stretch- hold for a certain amount of time- and dont over do the reps.

They should be giving you print outs to take home, showing the exercise and instructions- as this should be done daily- if possible.

It has been many years since I experienced frozen shoulder. Until it happened to me I had never heard of it. My GP sent me to an orthopedic specialist who wanted to operate. He said that a type of webbing-like scar tissue makes the joint immobile and it needed to be cut, then followed by intense PT. I had already tried PT, but it was impossibly painful. I was leary of having an operation and went for a 2nd opinion with a sports doctor who specialized in shoulders. He xrayed and examined me (something the other doctor did not bother doing) and explained there were 3 stages: freezing, frozen and thawing and it took anywhere from 1-3 years to resolve on it's own. He did not recommend surgery because those web like scars form immediately and the purpose of the PT would be to tear them so I would be starting from the beginning. I took his advice, but it lasted 3 years which had rather disastrous effects on my neck, shoulder & back. I tried acupuncture, but it was not until I fould the right practioner 12 years later that all my pain disappeared and I got full range of motion back. Some years later I got it in the other shoulder, immediately went for acupuncture and the FS was far less severe and short lived. I would HIGHLY recommend acupuncture for anyone suffering with FS.

People here are mentioning hydrodilation which I had never heard of before. Maybe this is a newer treatment. My doctor at the time told me I was too young for a steroid injection. My sympathies go to anyone going through the pain & discomfort of this malady.

There is a longer discussion on FS on this site that's about a year old, but I don't know how to tell you how to find it, sorry.

Hi Christina. I'm on the same timeframe as you. Began with pain last September and started freezing in January. Totally frozen by June. Started PT again 2 months ao and definitely noticing increased ROM now. This therapist is great, he works up a sweat in stretching me. I recommend going to different places as I initially tried Healthsouth and all they did was ice, heat, and have me do exercises. Now at Attain and I told them I don't want any ice or heat, just exercises and some help with the manipulations. I'm paying so much out of pocket I figure I can make some requests. Shop around and make demands. The best to you!