What Is Frozen Shoulder Diagnosis And Treatment

July 29, 2025

Frozen shoulder, or medically known, ‘Adhesive Capsuilitis’, is a disorder which involves the connective tissue surrounding the shoulder, the capsule. The shoulder capsule is just an envelope of tissue that surrounds the shoulder joint, this shoulder joint capsule can become inflamed which can result in tightening and scarring of the shoulder joint capsule which gives rise to ‘Frozen Shoulder.


Frozen shoulder is synonymous with a stiff shoulder and a reduction in shoulder range of motion, however it is commonly misdiagnosed. Healthcare practitioners often diagnose a stiff shoulder as frozen, despite it not always being the case.

What Is Frozen Shoulder & What Happens During?

True frozen shoulder usually occurs in people between 40-60 years of age and is idiopathic, that is to say it usually comes on spontaneously. It tends to be more common in women and also in people who have diabetes; there has also been a link with thyroid disorders and the drugs that are used for their treatment. Despite these links a direct cause for ‘Frozen Shoulder’ is still unknown.


It is a very debilitating and restrictive condition that can have a very large impact on the lives of those affected. The condition is known to be self limiting, that is to say it resolves itself usually over time without any surgical intervention however on average a frozen shoulder can take up to one and a half years to recover.


The pathology is generally split into three distinct stages:


Freezing – This is the painful stage and mostly when you will present to a healthcare practitioner for accurate diagnosis. The shoulder becomes stiff and painful and you slowly start to lose the range of motion in your shoulder (Can last up to 6 months).


Frozen – This stage is characterized by a decrease in pain (slow) coupled with a more significant restriction in the shoulder (can last 4-12 moths).


Thawing – In this stage the shoulders slowly starts to recover, the shoulder becomes looser and movement gradually returns ( it can last 4-12 months).


Common Symptoms Of Frozen Shoulder

The symptoms occur gradually over time. As highlighted earlier an initial sign is stiffness in the shoulder, however lots of shoulder pathologies also present with a stiff shoulder and therefore that cannot be used to rule in or out a diagnoses of frozen shoulder.


A strong dull ache within the shoulder joint is common with pain usually increased with movement of the joint. Patients will present with difficulty with tasks such as putting on a jacket, tying up a bra, washing their hair, putting on a belt or any other overhead movements first.


As the pathology worsens the level of restriction will increase and normal daily activities can become increasingly difficult and painful. Pain often being something we in Physiotherapy can help with management of as well as advise of when we may need some assistance in reducing pain, be that with medication or injection.

Physiotherapy Diagnosis of Frozen Shoulder

An accurate diagnosis of Frozen Shoulder can be made by your physiotherapist with a comprehensive subjective history and thorough examination. Your physiotherapist may also decide to confirm the diagnosis with an MRI or a diagnostic ultrasound. 


As stated above most cases of true ‘Frozen Shoulder’ will take a number of months to recover, others may take even longer depending on how quick the thawing stage can commence.


Treating Frozen Shoulder

The management of Frozen Shoulder can be greatly assisted by your physiotherapist. Your physio can use various techniques to help manage pain and restriction, help decrease the effect on your daily life and effectively monitor any progression or advancement into different stages of the condition. It is important to note however that physiotherapy cannot ‘cure’ the condition, treatment is widely focused at maintaining as much shoulder movement as possible, managing the pain and when in the thawing stage ensuring a speedy recovery and return to normal shoulder movements. The use of corticosteroid injections has been shown to help reduce the effects of the inflammatory stage allowing your physio to work with you sooner. However their effect appears to be best used during the initial inflammatory stage with little or no effect after this.  


In severe cases surgery can also be indicated, an athroscopic capsule release has been shown to have a good effect at restoring motion and relieving pain, where the tight capsule is released surgically.


The nature of this condition is different to others where you generally have to wait until the condition wears itself before it resolves. This does not mean you can do nothing to help it though; there are lots of exercises and management techniques that your physiotherapist can assist with to ensure this nasty condition does not have too large an impact on your life.



If you are struggling with Frozen Shoulder, please get in touch today and get some advice from an expert who can help.


Contact us:

hello@chelmsfordphysio.co.uk

01245 895410

How Athletes Adapt Their Training to Cope with High Temperatures: The Science of Heat Acclimatisation

By Chelmsford Physio • July 29, 2026
Athletes competing in hot and humid environments face significant physiological challenges that can impair performance and increase the risk of heat-related illness. From marathon runners in tropical climates to footballers playing summer tournaments, the ability to tolerate and perform in high temperatures is a critical component of elite sport. As a result, many athletes use structured heat acclimatisation strategies to prepare their bodies for environmental stress.  What Is Heat Acclimatisation? Heat acclimatisation refers to a series of physiological adaptations that occur when an athlete is repeatedly exposed to hot conditions during training. These adaptations typically develop over 7–14 days and help the body improve its ability to regulate temperature, maintain performance, and reduce cardiovascular strain during exercise in the heat. Common methods include: ● Training in hot environments (natural or artificial heat chambers) ● Passive heat exposure (saunas or hot water immersion post-training) ● Adjusting clothing to increase thermal load during sessions ● Gradual exposure to increased environmental temperatures The goal is to safely stress the thermoregulatory system so the body becomes more efficient at dissipating heat.

Why Footballers & Athletes Use Ice Baths: The Science Behind Cold Water Immersion

By Chelmsford Physio • July 29, 2026
Ice baths, also known as cold water immersion (CWI), have become a common recovery strategy among elite athletes, particularly footballers. From Premier League changing rooms to Olympic training camps, many professionals immerse themselves in cold water after intense matches and training sessions. While the sight of players sitting in freezing water may seem extreme, there is growing scientific evidence explaining why this recovery method is so widely used. What Is an Ice Bath? An ice bath typically involves immersing the body (or lower limbs) in water between 10–15°C for 10–15 minutes shortly after exercise. The aim is to promote recovery by reducing muscle soreness, inflammation and fatigue, allowing athletes to perform consistently during periods of heavy training or competition. Why Do Footballers Use Ice Baths? Football is a physically demanding sport involving repeated sprinting, jumping, tackling, rapid changes of direction and high-impact collisions. These actions create microscopic muscle damage and trigger an inflammatory response. Cold water immersion is commonly used because it may help: ● Reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) ● Minimise post-exercise swelling ● Decrease perceptions of fatigue ● Improve recovery between matches ● Maintain performance during congested fixture schedules For professional footballers playing two or three matches per week, rapid recovery is often as important as training itself. 

The Physio’s World Cup Playbook: Most Common Injuries at FIFA World Cup 2026 (and What to Do About Them)

By Chelmsford Physio • July 29, 2026
The FIFA World Cup is a unique tournament environment: elite athletes compressed into a short, high-stakes schedule, with repeated sprinting, sudden acceleration/deceleration, frequent collisions, and often limited time for full tissue recovery. It’s not surprising that the injury pattern in football tends to cluster around the lower limb—particularly the hamstrings, groin/hip-adductors, knee, and ankle. Across football research more broadly, these are repeatedly identified as the most common locations and/or injury mechanisms, even if the exact percentages differ by competition and injury-reporting method. Below is a physio-focused overview of the most common injury “types/regions” you should expect to see at World Cup 2026, along with practical assessment and management themes. 1) Muscle strains—especially hamstrings (HSI)  Why they happen in tournaments: Hamstring strain injuries (HSIs) are strongly associated with high-speed running and the physical demands of sprinting mechanics. In injury surveillance and football epidemiology, hamstring injuries consistently appear among the most common soft-tissue problems, with meaningful recurrence risk. What a physio will look for: - History: onset during acceleration/sprinting, feeling of “pull,” bruising (sometimes). - CNS/tissue considerations: prior injury, training load spikes, inadequate sprint exposure progression. - Clinical exam: focal tenderness, resisted muscle testing, and functional tests aligned to your local protocols (e.g., pain-free activation and lengthening tolerance). Rehabilitation themes: - Restore capacity for high-speed eccentric/concentric demands (not just range of motion). - Use progressive loading and functional return-to-play criteria to address reinjury risk—because football research highlights that the hamstring is one of the most frequently reinjured regions.