Frozen Shoulder Physiotherapy at Home in Bibwewadi, Pune

You notice a frozen shoulder in the small jobs. In a Bibwewadi flat these include pegging clothes on a balcony line above head height, reaching for the high shelf in the kitchen, tying a dupatta, fastening a bra or button at the back, and finding a position that lets you sleep. The shoulder hurts, then it stiffens, and gradually the range of movement shrinks.

Our frozen shoulder physiotherapy page describes the condition. This page is about what it does to a household and how a home session helps. We also treat shoulder problems in Gangadham.

Balconies, shelves and the morning routine

A physiotherapist who visits you at home can see the actual obstacles. In an apartment these tend to be:

• The washing line. Many flats have a line on the balcony or in a utility area, often at or above head height. Lifting wet clothes there means working in exactly the range a frozen shoulder has lost.
• Kitchen cabinets. Wall-mounted shelves put the daily plates and containers just out of reach.
• Dressing. Putting an arm through a sleeve, or reaching behind the back, is often the first task that fails.
• Night-time. Lying on the sore shoulder, or letting the arm fall away from the body, wakes people with pain.

Rather than avoid these, we adapt them for the time being: move a few items to a lower shelf, lower the line or use a clothes stand, and dress the stiff arm first. These steps cost nothing and spare the shoulder while treatment works.

A treatment plan that follows the stage

Frozen shoulder is generally described in stages. In the early, painful stage the shoulder is irritable and the aim is to settle pain and keep as much gentle movement as comfort allows. In the stiff stage the emphasis shifts to gradually stretching the joint capsule, and in the recovery stage to strengthening the muscles that have weakened from disuse. The physiotherapist will tell you which stage your shoulder appears to be in, because the right exercise at one stage can aggravate it at another.

Hands-on joint work and manual therapy are used with care, and a pain-relief device such as TENS can help when pain stops you from exercising. Evidence for many add-on treatments is mixed, so exercise and patient education remain the foundation. Some people with severe, persistent symptoms are referred for a medical opinion about injections or other procedures, and we will say if we think that is worth asking about.

Looking after the shoulder between visits

• Do your short exercise sessions several times a day instead of one long one. Little and often suits a stiff joint.
• Use warmth, such as a warm shower, before stretching if it helps you.
• Let the good arm do the lifting, but keep the sore arm moving through the comfortable range during daily jobs.
• Rest the arm on a cushion when sitting and avoid hunching it forward.
• Do not sling the arm unless a doctor has advised it, because immobility tends to stiffen it further.

Shoulder pain that is not a frozen shoulder

Pain in the left shoulder or arm that comes with chest tightness, sweating or breathlessness may be a heart problem, and needs emergency care. A shoulder that has swollen, turned red or become hot, pain after a fall, or severe pain with a fever also needs a doctor. If movement is lost suddenly after an injury, a tear or fracture should be excluded first.

When you are ready, use the booking page or read about home visits across Bibwewadi.