Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)
Also known as: frozen shoulder, adhesive capsulitis, stiff shoulder, shoulder capsulitis
Frozen shoulder is a painful stiffening of the shoulder capsule that typically moves through three phases — freezing (painful), frozen (stiff) and thawing (recovering) — over one to three years. It is more common between ages 40 and 60 and in people with diabetes. Chinese medicine frames it as 'shoulder of the fifties' (wu shi jian), a local channel obstruction with Wind-Cold-Damp, Qi and Blood stagnation, or underlying deficiency letting the pathogen settle in.
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Lifestyle & Diet
- •Keep the shoulder gently moving every day — total rest makes freezing worse.
- •Heat before stretching, ice after if it flares.
- •Do your prescribed stretches little and often rather than one big session.
- •If you have diabetes, tight blood sugar control genuinely speeds recovery.
- •Sleep on the unaffected side with a pillow supporting the sore arm.
Cautions & Contraindications
- •Shoulder pain with chest symptoms must be medically cleared before musculoskeletal treatment.[]
- •Forceful manipulation of a frozen shoulder can cause fracture or cuff tears — mobilisation must be graded and gentle.[,]
When to reassess or seek care again
Track pain and range of motion fortnightly. No improvement after 8–10 treatments, or any red-flag feature, goes back to the GP for review and possible imaging or corticosteroid injection.
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Sources & Further Reading
Clinical guidance, red flags and safety notes on this page draw on the following current sources alongside the classical references above.
- healthdirect Australia · 2024
- NHS · 2024
- AHPRA / Chinese Medicine Board of Australia · 2024
Educational reference for licensed practitioners. Not a substitute for individual clinical assessment. Refer to conventional care for any red-flag or undiagnosed presentation.