Frozen Shoulder Exercises That Relieve Pain and Stiffness, Plus Improve Mobility
These doctor-backed moves can be done from the comfort of home—follow along with videos!
Have you ever reached up to grab something from a shelf only to feel sudden shoulder pain and stiffness? It could be frozen shoulder, a condition caused by inflamed tissue or scar tissue around the shoulder joint. It’s more common in women ages 40 to 60, likely due to the decline in estrogen that happens during menopause. Fortunately, the condition slowly improves with time. But if you want to speed healing, we’ve rounded up the best frozen shoulder exercises to feel better faster.
4 frozen shoulder exercises you can do in minutes
Try these simple range of motion exercises to reduce pain and ease your frozen shoulder symptoms naturally. Pro tip: “When doing these frozen shoulder exercises, the key is to avoid pain at the end of the range of motion, but also to try to keep it moving,” Jocelyn R. Wittstein, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, NC. “Do not push yourself into a painful position, as this may inflame the shoulder more.”
Pendulum stretch
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While sitting or standing (you can hold onto a sturdy chair for support), bend at the waist and let your affected arm dangle. Relax your arm and slowly rotate it in small circles clockwise for 30 seconds, then switch directions and rotate counterclockwise for another 30 seconds. Repeat two to three times.
“The gravity of your hanging arm lightly pulls on the shoulder joint to stretch it a bit as you make the small circles,” says Dr. Wittstein.
Table slides
While seated at a table, place the hand of your affected arm on the table palm down. Bend at the waist so you’re leaning over the table while you gently slide your affected arm across the table to stretch the shoulder. (You can add a tea towel under your forearm to make the gliding motion easier.) Hold for five seconds, then return to the starting position. Repeat 10 reps, three times daily.
“This stretching exercise helps to increase shoulder flexion motion (the upward motion of your shoulder) without activating your shoulder muscles,” explains Dr. Wittstein.
Finger wall walk
Stand facing a wall about three-quarters of an arm’s length away. At waist level, reach out and touch the wall with the fingertips of your painful arm. Slightly bend your elbow and slowly walk your fingers up the wall until your arm is shoulder level and you feel a gentle stretch. If it’s comfortable, you can walk your fingers up higher (so long as your fingers are doing the work, not your shoulder). Slowly walk your fingers back down to the starting position. Repeat 10 times, three times a day.
Similar to a table slide, this exercise helps with regaining or keeping your bending range of motion with minimal stress on your frozen shoulder, says Dr. Wittstein.
Door frame stretch
For this frozen shoulder exercise, you’ll want to stand in a doorway and bend your affected arm at a right angle, placing your palm on the door frame. Slowly rotate your body away from that side of the door frame until you feel a light stretch in your chest and shoulder. Hold for 15 seconds, then relax for 15. Repeat three times.
This stretch improves posture and restores your shoulder’s external rotation (rotating your arm away from the body). “It never hurts to do this on both sides if you have the time,” suggests Dr. Wittstein.
“When doing these frozen shoulder exercises, the key is to avoid pain at the end of the range of motion, but also to try to keep it moving,” Dr. Wittstein says. “Do not push yourself into a painful position, as this may inflame the shoulder more.”
What to do if frozen shoulder exercises aren’t working
If the above exercises aren’t providing enough relief, you should visit your doctor to discuss additional frozen shoulder treatment options to help you make a full recovery. These may include steroid injections, prescription anti-inflammatory medications or a referral to see a physical therapist. “Steroid injections work best if provided within three months of onset of symptoms, and are ideally provided before the shoulder gets too stiff,” says Dr. Wittstein.
Your doctor may also want to take X-rays and other imaging tests to see if your shoulder stiffness or pain is caused by something else, such as arthritis, bursitis or a torn rotator cuff.
The good news? Most people don’t need surgery for frozen shoulder, notes Dr. Wittstein. “The reason you’d consider surgery is if your range of motion in that frozen phase is too impactful to function,” she says. In most cases, the pain and stiffness usually get better on their own as the inflammation goes down and the shoulder slowly heals.
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