Frozen shoulder: symptoms, treatment and how long it lasts

The NHS says the 2 main symptoms are pain in your shoulder, which can be worse at night and disturb sleep, and stiffness in your shoulder that makes it difficult to move. Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust likewise notes that night pain is common and can disrupt sleep.

Kingston and Richmond describes frozen shoulder (also known as adhesive capsulitis) as a condition with significant stiffness and pain, which happens when the connective tissue capsule around the joint thickens and becomes tight, restricting movement.

The NHS says treatment works in 3 main steps, and that you may get a mix 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.

The NHS says physiotherapy can help you get movement back. A physiotherapist decides the number of sessions, which usually lasts at least 6 weeks depending on how quickly your shoulder starts to get better. Treatments include stretching exercises, strength exercises, advice on good posture and pain relief, including steroid injections.

If you are still in pain after your sessions, the NHS says to go back to your GP or physiotherapist, who may prescribe more physiotherapy or another treatment. In some areas you can ask to see a physiotherapist without seeing a GP first, and you can also get physiotherapy privately.

The NHS lists things that can ease the pain:

• Follow any exercises from your GP or physiotherapist.

• Keep moving your shoulder, because keeping it still will make the pain worse.

• Take paracetamol regularly up to the recommended daily dose.

• Put a heat pack or hot water bottle wrapped in a tea towel on your shoulder for up to 20 minutes at a time.

• Do not make up your own strenuous exercises, because gym equipment can make the pain worse.

The NHS says frozen shoulder can take months or years to get better, but the pain and stiffness will usually go away eventually.

Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust describes three stages, each of which can last months, with symptoms typically beginning gradually and worsening over time. It says it can take anything between 6 months and 3 years to recover. Timings are typical rather than exact and vary from person to person.

The NHS says it is often not clear why people get a frozen shoulder. It happens when the tissue around the shoulder joint becomes inflamed, then gets tighter and shrinks, which causes pain. The NHS names an injury or surgery that stops you moving your arm normally, and diabetes, as reasons it can happen.

Kingston and Richmond adds more risk factors: being 40 or older, particularly for females; reduced shoulder movement from a rotator cuff injury, broken arm, stroke or surgery; underlying conditions including diabetes, overactive or underactive thyroid, cardiovascular disease, tuberculosis and Parkinson's disease; and smoking.

The NHS says to see a GP if you have shoulder pain and stiffness that does not go away, or if the pain is so bad it makes it hard to move your arm and shoulder. It does not list frozen shoulder itself as an emergency. Sudden severe shoulder pain with chest pain, breathlessness or sweating is a different situation and needs urgent help; the NHS advice for chest pain is to call 999.

It is also worth mentioning to your GP if you have diabetes, because the NHS says it is important to keep up regular diabetes check-ups to catch any problems early.

Kingston and Richmond lists a rotator cuff injury as a cause of reduced movement that can lead to frozen shoulder, so the two can be linked. A key feature of frozen shoulder, according to the NHS, is stiffness that makes it difficult to move the shoulder, along with pain that can be worse at night. Shoulder pain without stiffness, or after an injury, can have other causes, which is why a GP or physiotherapist assessment helps.

On the NHS you can start with a GP, and in some areas you can see a physiotherapist directly. The NHS says you can also get physiotherapy privately and suggests finding a registered physiotherapist through the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

Whichever route you use, expect exercises to be a central part of recovery. If pain continues after physiotherapy, the NHS says to return to your GP or physiotherapist about further treatment.