Quick Summary
Frozen shoulder, also called adhesive capsulitis, can make dressing, sleeping and reaching difficult. Pain and stiffness often change over a prolonged period. Our New Malden physiotherapists assess your movement and irritability, explain the options and help you manage daily activity with appropriately paced exercise and hands-on care.
What is Frozen Shoulder?
The capsule surrounding the shoulder joint becomes thickened and less flexible. Both moving the arm yourself and having it moved by someone else are usually restricted, particularly rotation. Other shoulder conditions can also be painful and stiff, so the diagnosis should be assessed rather than assumed. Recovery varies and can take many months or longer.
Your assessment at J&J Therapy looks at how symptoms affect your day, relevant health history, movement and strength. We explain the findings, agree priorities with you and advise when medical review or imaging would change your care.
Do You Experience These Symptoms?
- Shoulder pain, often troublesome at night.
- Increasing difficulty reaching overhead, behind the back or out to the side.
- Marked stiffness affecting dressing, washing or putting on a coat.
An assessment helps guide your next step, based on your symptoms, health and goals.
Why can it develop?
Frozen shoulder may develop without an obvious trigger, or after an injury or period of reduced movement. It is more common in people with diabetes and some other medical conditions. It is not simply a shoulder muscle that needs to be released.
Your treatment plan at J&J Therapy
Hands-On Manual Therapy
Gentle mobilisation and soft tissue work may help comfort and movement when tolerated. We match treatment to how irritable the shoulder is and avoid forcing through severe pain to try to break adhesions.
Is Shockwave Suitable?
Shockwave is not included as a routine frozen-shoulder treatment. We discuss established symptom-management options and referral when needed, without promising that a device will loosen the capsule or shorten recovery.
Targeted Exercise Programme
Your programme uses tolerable shoulder movement and gradually builds function as symptoms allow. During a painful flare, intensity is reduced; later, strength and everyday reaching can be progressed.
When to Seek Urgent Medical Help
While most symptoms are not serious, urgent medical attention is required if you experience any of the following:
- Seek urgent GP advice or contact NHS 111 for sudden severe pain, inability to move the arm, marked swelling, persistent numbness or a hot shoulder with fever.
- After an injury, a changed shoulder shape or sudden loss of strength needs urgent assessment. Do not try to put a dislocated shoulder back yourself.
- Call 999 for shoulder or arm pain with chest pressure, breathlessness, sweating or feeling faint.
Your questions answered
Should I stretch as hard as possible?
No. Strongly provoking pain may make the shoulder harder to manage. Exercises and hands-on care should match your current sensitivity, with clear guidance on progression and flare-ups.
What if pain is affecting sleep?
Tell your physiotherapist and GP. Medication or an injection may be considered by an appropriate clinician alongside rehabilitation. Your preferences, health and response to care guide the decision.
Which appointment should I book?
Choose a Physiotherapy Initial Assessment to understand this problem and plan your rehabilitation. Soft Tissue Therapy may be considered for associated muscle tension when appropriate; it does not replace assessment of an injury, tendon problem or joint restriction.
Book an appointment at J&J Therapy, ground floor, CI Tower, New Malden. Need help choosing? Call our reception team on 07935 869938.
Sources and further reading
This page is for general information only and does not replace professional medical advice.
Information updated 15 October 2026. General information only; this page does not diagnose your symptoms or replace an individual assessment. Treatment depends on your health, examination and preferences. Use the urgent-care advice above when needed.