Frozen shoulder means your shoulder is painful and stiff for months, sometimes years.  It can be treated with shoulder exercises and painkillers.

Check if you have frozen shoulder

The 2 main symptoms of frozen shoulder are:

• pain in your shoulder which can be worse at night and disturb sleep
• stiffness in your shoulder which makes it difficult to move

Frozen shoulder can take months or years to get better.

But the pain and stiffness will usually go away eventually.

See a GP if:

• you have shoulder pain and stiffness that does not go away - 
• the pain is so bad it makes it hard to move your arm and shoulder

Treatment for a frozen shoulder

Broadly, treatment works in 3 main steps:

1. Pain relief - avoid movements that cause pain.  Only move your shoulder gently.  At first, try taking paracetamol.   You can take it at regular intervals, up to the recommended daily dose. If paracetamol does not work, try an oral NSAID painkiller such as ibuprofen .If it does not help stop using it.

2. Stronger pain and swelling relief - prescribed painkillers.  Maybe steroid injections in your shoulder to bring down the swelling.

3. Getting movement back - shoulder exercises once it's less painful.  This can be at home or with a physiotherapist.

You may get a mix of these treatments depending on how painful and stiff your shoulder is.

Stronger pain relief is usually only used for a short time because it can cause side effects.

Physiotherapy for frozen shoulder

Physiotherapy can help you get movement back in your shoulder.

A physiotherapist will decide on the number of sessions you need. It usually lasts at least 6 weeks. The exact number depends on how quickly your shoulder start to get better.

The physiotherapist will first check how much movement you have in your shoulders.

Treatments from a physiotherapist include:

• stretching exercises
• strength exercises
• good posture advice
• pain relief advice

If you're still in pain after you have finished your sessions, go back to your GP or physiotherapist.  They might prescribe more physiotherapy or try another treatment.

All health boards in Wales offer a self-referral service, which means you can make an appointment to see an NHS physiotherapist without having to see a doctor first. 
Find out how to self-refer in your area.

Read more about accessing physiotherapy.

You can also get physiotherapy privately.

Find a registered physiotherapist on the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy website

How you can ease the pain from frozen shoulder yourself

Do:

• follow the exercises from your GP or physiotherapist
• move your shoulder - keeping it still will make the pain worse
• try putting a heat pack (or hot water bottle) wrapped in a tea towel on your shoulder for up to 20 minutes at a time - you can also buy heat packs from a pharmacy

Don't:

• do not make up your own strenuous exercises - for example, gym equipment can make the pain worse

Causes of frozen shoulder

It's often not clear why people get a frozen shoulder.

Frozen shoulder happens when the tissue around your shoulder joint becomes inflamed.

The tissue then gets tighter and shrinks, which causes pain.

Frozen shoulder can happen because:

• you had an injury or surgery that keeps you from moving your arm normally
• you have diabetes - it's still unclear why this is but it's important to have your regular diabetes check-ups to catch any problems early