First Assessment
Free
45 minutes, at home
- Full clinical examination at the patient's home
- The likely cause explained in plain language
- A realistic recovery plan and what it will cost
- No obligation to book any further sessions
A frozen shoulder announces itself in small defeats: the hand that will not reach the back of the head, the sleeve that is a struggle, the shelf above eye level that has suddenly become out of range. For a person who works in a shop, a classroom or a kitchen on Tilak Road, those small defeats come dozens of times a day.
The condition is described on our frozen shoulder physiotherapy page. This page looks at the everyday reaching tasks that matter on this road and at how a home programme gets the arm working for them again.
The reaching tasks that stop first
- High shelves. Shop staff reach above shoulder height to bring down stock, and the stiff arm cannot lift that far without the body leaning to cheat.
- Dressing. Pulling on a kurta or blouse, fastening hooks behind the back and combing hair are among the first things a frozen shoulder spoils.
- Handlebars and seat belts. Turning to check traffic or reaching for a seat belt can pull on the sore side.
- Writing boards and cupboards. Teachers writing high on a board and homemakers reaching into top cupboards feel the stiffness quickly.
- Sleeping. Rolling onto the painful shoulder wakes people at night, and the poor sleep makes the pain feel worse by day.
The stages of a frozen shoulder, and what home treatment does in each
A frozen shoulder typically passes through a painful stage, a stiff stage and a thawing stage. The treatment changes with the stage, which is why an assessment comes first. When the shoulder is very painful and irritable, the physiotherapist keeps movements gentle and within comfort, avoids forcing the joint, and focuses on pain control and sleeping positions. As pain eases and stiffness dominates, the plan shifts towards regular stretching and mobilisation to regain range.
Gentle hands-on work through manual therapy can ease a stiff capsule, and TENS may reduce pain enough to allow stretching. Neither replaces exercise. The progress of a frozen shoulder is usually slow, and the physiotherapist will not promise a date; the useful measure is whether the arm can do a little more each month.
Everyday exercises that fit a working day
Short, frequent practice does more than one long session. Pendulum swings, done leaning on a table with the arm hanging, take under two minutes. Walking the fingers up a wall or a door frame shows the improvement in range. Towel stretches behind the back can be done after a shower, when the shoulder is warm. The physiotherapist chooses the exercises and counts for your shoulder and checks your technique at home, because forcing the stretch is the commonest mistake.
Small changes at work help too. Keep the items you use most between waist and shoulder height. Use a step stool for the top shelf instead of reaching. Carry bags on the good side. Sleep on the unaffected side with a pillow supporting the sore arm.
Shoulder pain that needs a doctor soon
Shoulder pain with chest tightness, breathlessness, sweating or pain spreading to the jaw or left arm should be treated as a possible heart problem and needs an emergency department. Severe pain after a fall, a visible deformity, or a hot, red and swollen joint also needs prompt medical review. Frozen shoulder is more common in people with diabetes, so blood sugar should be checked if it has not been recently.
Book on the booking page, or see our approach to home physiotherapy on Tilak Road.