How long does frozen shoulder last?

What are the three stages of frozen shoulder and how long does each last?

Frozen shoulder, or adhesive capsulitis, moves through a painful freezing stage, a stiff frozen stage and a slow thawing stage. AAOS gives typical durations for each, and the stages often overlap rather than switching on a set date.

Knowing the stage helps set expectations. Someone in the freezing stage, with pain that wakes them at night, needs a different plan from someone in the thawing stage who has little pain but cannot reach a high shelf. The frozen shoulder page explains how each stage is recognized.

• Freezing: pain builds and motion is lost, typically 6 weeks to 9 months.
• Frozen: pain often eases but stiffness stays, typically 4 to 6 months.
• Thawing: motion slowly returns, typically 6 months to 2 years.

Why does a frozen shoulder hurt so much at night?

Night pain is a hallmark of the freezing stage, because the inflamed joint capsule is sensitive to any stretch, and lying on the shoulder or rolling over pulls on it. Many people describe waking several times a night in the early months.

Sleeping on the other side with a pillow hugged to the chest, or propped up slightly on the back with a pillow under the sore arm, often helps. Your physician may discuss pain medicine or a steroid injection, which the NHS lists as options for stronger pain relief. The page on shoulder pain at night covers other causes of night pain worth ruling out.

What does physical therapy do at each stage of frozen shoulder?

Physical therapy changes with the stage: during freezing it aims to calm pain and keep the motion you have with gentle exercise, and during the frozen and thawing stages it works more actively to regain range and strength. Pushing hard into painful stretches early on tends to flare the shoulder rather than speed things up.

Gentle hands-on joint mobilization, part of manual therapy, can be used alongside home exercises such as pendulums, assisted reaching and the shoulder wall slide. The NHS notes physiotherapy often runs for at least six weeks, and many people get on well with a longer, lighter-touch plan they continue at home between visits.

Who is more likely to get frozen shoulder, and does that change how long it lasts?

Frozen shoulder is more common in people between about 40 and 60, in women, and in people with diabetes or thyroid conditions, according to AAOS. It can also follow a period of immobilization, such as after a fracture or surgery. People with diabetes often have a longer or stiffer course, so good blood sugar control is worth discussing with your physician.

Having one frozen shoulder does not mean the other will follow, though it sometimes does. If you notice early stiffness in the other shoulder, starting gentle movement early is sensible.

Daily life during the long middle stage takes some planning. Keep things you use often between waist and shoulder height, put on shirts and jackets sore arm first, and use the other arm for reaching into the back seat of the car. A therapist can also suggest ways to keep exercising the rest of the body, such as walking the Monon Trail or leg-focused strength work, so fitness does not slip while the shoulder recovers.

When is surgery or a procedure considered for frozen shoulder?

Procedures are reserved for people whose stiffness is not improving after a long period of nonsurgical care. AAOS describes two options: manipulation under anesthesia, where the shoulder is moved while you are asleep, and arthroscopic capsular release, where tight parts of the capsule are cut through small incisions. Physical therapy afterward commonly runs for 6 weeks to 3 months.

Therapy after a procedure starts quickly, often within days, because the aim is to keep the motion gained in the operating room before the capsule tightens again. Frequent home stretching is a large part of that plan, so it helps to clear some time in your schedule for the first few weeks.

Sudden severe shoulder pain after a fall, inability to lift the arm at all after an injury, or shoulder pain with chest pain or shortness of breath are not frozen shoulder patterns and need medical attention first. For a typical stiff, painful shoulder, Indiana allows you to see a physical therapist without a referral, and the matching questionnaire connects you with a therapist in the network in Carmel.