Frozen shoulder is a condition that causes pain and stiffness in the shoulder joint, making it difficult to move your arm. Frozen shoulder exercises have been shown to help alleviate pain and help you return to normal.
Unfortunately, more than 3 million people in the United States suffer from frozen shoulder. This blog post will discuss 7 of the best-frozen shoulder exercises you can do at home.
What is the best frozen shoulder exercise?
The best frozen shoulder exercise depends on the level of pain and immobility. In general, the process begins with gentle shoulder mobilization and moves into more dynamic mobilization, followed by strengthening. We will outline one progression from mobility to strengthening below for pain relief.
What is frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)?
Frozen shoulder is a condition in which the shoulder joint becomes stiff and frozen. The main symptom of a frozen shoulder is pain, which can also cause the shoulder to feel frozen or “stuck.”
Frozen shoulder often occurs after an injury or surgery to the shoulder, but it can also happen for no apparent reason.
Frozen shoulder is treated with physical therapy, exercises, and medications. Frozen shoulder exercises are an essential part of treatment. They can help improve range of motion and reduce pain.
Symptoms of frozen shoulder
Symptoms of frozen shoulder can vary in severity and come on suddenly without much notice. Frozen shoulder often starts with pain in the shoulder area. The pain may be dull at first, but it gradually gets worse. You may also have stiffness and a loss of range of motion in your shoulder.
The symptoms usually come on slowly and may worsen over time. Other common symptoms include:
- Difficulty moving the arm
- Pain in the shoulder
- Stiffness in the shoulder
- A grinding sensation when moving the shoulder
- Weakness in the shoulder
How does shoulder pain develop
One of the most common causes of frozen shoulder is simply aging. The risk of developing frozen shoulder increases as we get older. Other potential causes include diabetes, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease.
Injury or overuse of the shoulder can also lead to a frozen shoulder. For example, this might occur if you recently had surgery on your shoulder or have been making repetitive motions with your arms, such as painting or swimming. Often, old injuries such as a rotator cuff strain or tear can trigger a frozen shoulder.
Frozen shoulder is more common in women than men, and it often occurs between the ages of 40 and 60.
Frozen shoulder treatment
The good news is that conservative treatment for frozen shoulder is usually successful. A recent article in the Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery indicated that initial treatment might be successful in up to 90% of patients.
It is important to seek professional medical advice to evaluate your specific needs. Conservative care for frozen shoulder commonly includes:
- Rest
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Advil or Motrin
- Physical therapy
- Corticosteroid injections
- Surgery
- Massage and myofascial release
A combination of treatments is also effective. For example, steroid injections followed by physical therapy may be more effective than home exercises alone.
What are the best exercises can I do for frozen shoulder
The progression of exercises is determined by how severe the frozen shoulder is. For example, suppose the frozen shoulder is intense and painful. In that case, medication such as a cortisone shot, oral steroid medication such as prednisone, or NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory) may be necessary to tolerate exercise. Natural pain remedies at home can also be effective.
How to use this series of exercises
These exercises start with a mobility and stretching program and move into strengthening exercises. In general, strength follows mobility training; however, this is a “big”; however, there is a point where strengthening will support mobility.
This exercise program is a guide and does not replace the value and expertise of a trained physical therapist or manual therapist.
Pendulum exercise
Goal: The goal of the pendulum exercise is to help improve the range of motion and reduce pain in the shoulder.
- Stand with your unaffected hand, gently supporting your body at a 45-degree angle. Allow your arm to hang down by your side.
- Gently swing your arm in a circular motion, gradually increasing the size of the circle as you go.
- Repeat this motion for about 30 seconds, then reverse directions and swing your arm in a small circle in the other direction.
- Try gently increasing the circle each time.
Wall Walks
Goal: The goal of wall walks is to improve shoulder range of motion and reduce pain. This exercise can also help improve posture.
- Start by standing facing the wall with your feet about 12 inches away.
- Slowly walk your hands up the wall as high as comfortable.
- Walk your fingers in an arc along the wall several times very slowly, pausing at the end of each movement.
- Slowly walk your hands back down to the starting position.
- Repeat this exercise three times
- You should feel a stretch around the shoulder.
Sleeper Stretch
Goal: The sleeper stretch aims to improve shoulder range of motion and reduce pain.
- Lie on your side with the frozen shoulder on top
- Bend your elbow to 90 degrees, keeping your hand close to your chest
- Use your other hand to pull your bottom arm across your body towards the floor.
- Hold the stretch for 30 seconds.
- You should feel a deep stretch in the back of your shoulder.
- Repeat the stretch five to seven times, gently moving deeper into the stretch.
Posterior Capsule Stretch with a Towel
Goal: The goal of the posterior capsule stretch is to improve shoulder range of motion and reduce pain in the affected arm.
- Start by standing comfortably and grabbing a towel in front of you.
- Place the towel over your affected arm and reach around with the unaffected arm to grab the opposite end of the towel.
- Use your other hand to pull the frozen shoulder hand towards the floor, keeping your elbow close to your side.
- You should feel a gentle stretch in the back of your frozen shoulder.
- Hold the stretch for 30 seconds.
- Repeat five to seven times, gently moving deeper into the stretch.
Active Internal Rotation
Goal: The goal of the strengthening internal rotation is to improve shoulder range of motion and reduce pain in the affected arm.
- Tie the exercise band around a door handle securely
- Start by holding a band in your frozen shoulder hand.
- Keeping your elbow close to your side, rotate your arm inward, bringing the band in towards your stomach
- Repeat this exercise 15 times
- Rest and repeat two more sets
You should feel your shoulder muscles working throughout this exercise.
Active External Rotation
Goal: The goal of the strengthening external rotation is to improve shoulder range of motion and reduce pain in the affected arm.
- Tie the exercise band around a door handle securely
- Start by holding a band on the side of the affected arm
- Keeping your elbow close to your side, rotate your arm outward away from your stomach
- Repeat this exercise 15 times
Rest and repeat two more sets. You should feel your shoulder muscles working in the affected arm throughout this exercise.
Wall Slides with Bands
Goal: The goal of wall slides with bands is to improve shoulder range of motion and reduce pain while strengthening the stabilizing muscles in the affected arm
- Start by standing facing the wall with bands looped around both wrists
- Slowly move your hands away from each other until you feel the tension in between your shoulder blades
- Place the edge of your hands on the wall at about a 90-degree angle
- Slowly pull and squeeze your shoulder blades together while you slide your hands up the wall.
- Slowly and in a controlled manner, slide your hands back down the wall until they are at 90 degrees to the floor
- Repeat 10-15 times for three sets
Frequently Asked Questions
What exercise works the serratus anterior?
The serratus anterior is a muscle that originates on the surface of the ribs and inserts onto the front of the shoulder blade. In isolation, it protracts and rotates the shoulder blade.
Functionally, it helps stabilize the shoulder blade through movement, allowing other muscles such as the rotator cuff and deltoids to perform work.
Any exercise that requires the shoulder blade to protract and lift will target the serratus anterior muscle. For example, the serratus anterior is engaged in closed-chain exercises such as scapular push-ups, which help stabilize the shoulder girdle and rotator cuff.
The best serratus anterior exercise requires serratus anterior activation along with functional movement of the other scapular muscles.
Additionally, the serratus anterior is engaged when doing an ab roll out, which allows you to work the serratus through a greater range of motion. Bear crawls are also great functional movements to help improve strength and stability in the serratus anterior muscle.
How do you target the serratus anterior?
There are a few ways that you can target the serratus anterior muscle. One way is to do a plank on a ball, which helps stabilize the shoulder girdle and rotator cuff.
Additionally, you can do an ab rollout, which allows you to work the serratus through a greater range of motion.
When the serratus anterior fails, a winged scapula will be present, which is when the scapula is lifted off the thoracic wall. To make the most out of scapula exercises, the shoulder blades should be protracted along the upper back to prevent shoulder impingement and protect the shoulder joints.
Conclusion
The good news is that many ways to alleviate the pain and restore mobility. We’ve outlined seven of the best stretching exercises for frozen shoulders. Still, it is essential to remember that you should always consult your doctor or physical therapist before starting any program.
Be soft and gentle with yourself while you heal; take things one step at a time, and soon you will feel better.
