Regain shoulder mobility and live pain‑free with our targeted physical therapy
Serving Philadelphia, Main Line & surrounding suburbs
What Is a Frozen Shoulder?
Frozen shoulder, or Adhesive Capsulitis, is when the capsule that surrounds the shoulder joint becomes inflamed and causes shoulder pain and stiffness. This medical condition limits the arm’s range of motion, making it difficult to carry out daily tasks.
For example, patients seeking treatment for adhesive capsulitis in Philadelphia often tell us they can’t reach overhead or behind their bodies, which greatly limits their daily lives. Frozen shoulder can persist for a long time, often lasting for months to a year, and it typically passes through three stages known as freezing, frozen, and thawing.
At Rebalance PT, we offer specialized treatment for frozen shoulder in Philadelphia & Main Line to help restore your pain-free mobility and enjoyment of life!
Who This Page Is For
We work with clients seeking frozen shoulder therapy Philadelphia wide from our comfortable clinics. Our skilled therapists work with:
- Adults experiencing shoulder stiffness, pain, or limited mobility.
- Peri and Post Menopausal women who are starting to experience pain and stiffness
- Post-surgical or post-injury clients struggling with declining shoulder mobility
- Sports fans and athletes who want to return to active life and full sports performance at the earliest opportunity.
- Anyone struggling with daily tasks, such as getting dressed, reaching behind the back, or combing their hair.
- Patients who have gone down the traditional PT route, but who are still experiencing pain.
- Patients who have visited us to treat other conditions such as shoulder pain, neck pain, and headaches, and discovered that frozen shoulder is co-existing or contributing to other issues. (Don’t worry, our skilled PTs always get to the root cause issue before identifying the right personalized treatment plan!)
Causes & Symptoms
Causes of frozen shoulder
When clients come to us for frozen shoulder physiotherapy in Main Line, we begin by explaining what causes the condition. Basically, the shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint. The head of the upper arm bone is the ball, which fits into the shoulder joint, the socket. Surrounding the joint is something called a capsule. With frozen shoulder, the shoulder capsule becomes inflamed and leads to shoulder pain and stiffness.
No one really knows what triggers frozen shoulder. However, it tends to happen more in women with a more slender build than in men, often because of fluctuating hormones. In that way, you can think of it as your body’s own protection mechanism, and a sign that expert help is required!
Symptoms of frozen shoulder
Frozen shoulder symptoms can come on gradually, or they can be caused by a sudden fall to the arm or other trauma.
The symptoms of frozen shoulder might start with just a little shoulder pain, or difficulty reaching behind you or extending your arm overhead. Other symptoms include:
- restricted shoulder movement
- shoulder pain
- limited range of motion
- shoulder pain at rest
- shoulder pain with movement
- shoulder pain at night
- difficulty with day-to-day functions.
Our Treatment Approach / How We Treat Frozen Shoulder
Our skilled and highly qualified therapists take a structured approach to frozen shoulder physical therapy in Philadelphia.
Evaluation session
Firstly, we’ll welcome you warmly and make you feel comfortable before spending about an hour on a comprehensive evaluation. We’ll take your medical history and any relevant information, then gently and thoroughly assess your shoulder, looking at its capsule, movement, surrounding muscles, and compensation patterns across the neck, upper back, and arms.
Holistic treatment: Strengthening
At Rebalance PT, we’re proud to be a 100% manual therapy practice, so we treat both the capsule and surrounding musculature using targeted manual techniques and soft tissue release (such as Graston technique, trigger point release, Myofascial release, dry needling) to help soften the capsule, strengthen the shoulder, and restore pain-free, full mobility.
Why do we treat the body holistically? Because in a traditional PT setting, physiotherapy treatment for frozen shoulder usually involves a lot of stretching and range of motion exercises, along with modalities such as ultrasound, electric stimulation, and heat/cold. This can help you regain some of your range of motion; however, most patients find that some shoulder pain persists and limits their daily life.
At Rebalance PT, we believe it’s important to treat not only the capsule, but the musculature that goes on top of that capsule, which plays a significant role in frozen shoulder. To this end, we offer physical therapy for frozen shoulder pain with a holistic and personalized approach.
Often, due to the shoulder pain, we find that there is compensation throughout the muscles affected by the shoulder, which can lead to imbalances and issues in the muscles, including the head, neck, upper back, biceps, triceps, and upper arm. All of that musculature can start to affect how the shoulder functions. We find that a lot of patients with frozen shoulder also develop head and neck pain.
It’s important to treat the soft tissue and improve the joint function. We use soft tissue release techniques and friction massage to release the soft tissue. That will let the capsule soften so that we can work on the joint to move properly.
Ongoing care: Stretching programs
From this point, we also start to incorporate stretching and strengthening exercises. This combination of physical therapy techniques is the most effective way to alleviate your shoulder pain from frozen shoulder and improve your range of motion.
Our shoulder pain physical therapy in Philadelphia is delivered from our Main Line and Narberth clinics for our patients’ convenience.
Benefits & Outcomes
At Rebalance PT, we offer specialized frozen shoulder therapy Philadelphia wide to help our patients regain their mobility and relieve pain.
Our patients rely on our skilled and experienced therapists to:
- Regain full shoulder mobility and function, to enjoy their active life fully once again.
- Reduce pain during rest and movement, without painkillers and damaging anti-inflammatories
- Shorten their recovery time compared to passive approaches.
- Address compensation patterns in the neck, upper back, and arms to prevent future injuries.
- Return to daily activities and sports.
- Experience care tailored to every stage of the problem (freezing, frozen, or thawing) and their lifestyle.
Whether your goal is to reach overhead without pain or return to nail those kipping pull-ups in CrossFit, we’re here to get you there!
Your Journey with Us
When you contact us for shoulder pain physical therapy in Philadelphia, we’ll guide you through a structured treatment process with a completely personalized plan, as follows:
- An initial consultation and assessment lasting around 45-60 minutes
- A personalised treatment plan that combines hands-on manual therapy and guided exercises
- Active rehabilitation with measurable milestones and progress checks.
- Maintenance & Prevention – education and home exercises to prevent recurrence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is frozen shoulder? How is it different from other shoulder pain?
Frozen shoulder is characterized by deep, intense aching pain in the shoulder, accompanied by stiffness and diminished range of motion.
What causes frozen shoulder, and why does it happen more in women?
Frozen shoulder can be caused by various factors, including inflammation, injury, or long periods of immobilization (for example, after an injury). It can also be caused by fluctuating estrogen levels, which is why it tends to affect women more than men.
What are the stages of frozen shoulder?
With frozen shoulder, there are three stages of the condition, as follows:
- Freezing state, when the shoulder starts to get tight and restricted
- Frozen state, when the mobility is the most limited
- Thawing state, which occurs when the shoulder starts to unravel itself and regain movement, either on its own or with the help of intervention.
The full cycle of frozen shoulder can last for a few months or up to a year.
How long does it take to recover?
It can take anywhere from 6 months to over a year to fully recover from frozen shoulder, though the underlying cause and severity of the condition affect this timescale. The sooner you seek frozen shoulder therapy in Philadelphia, the quicker we can get you back to full pain-free mobility!
Do I need a referral?
No, you don’t need a referral to see our physical therapy team at Rebalance PT. Please book with us for frozen shoulder therapy Philadelphia wide at our Mainline and Narberth clinics.
Will insurance cover treatment in Pennsylvania?
Frozen shoulder physiotherapy on the Main Line isn’t usually covered by insurance, but we can support with documentation and receipts for reimbursement costs you might be entitled to. Please contact our team for more information.
Testimonials
We are incredibly proud of our reputation, and much of our business comes from word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied patients who used Rebalance PT in Philadelphia themselves. Why not read our patient reviews to find out more?
