Jeremy Swisher, MD
Evidence-informed home exercise program
Adhesive Capsulitis Home Exercise Program
Name: __________________________________
Affected side: ______________
Start date: __________________
Review date: _________________
Clinician or PT: ______________________________
Before you start
This starter program is intended for adults who have already been evaluated and told adhesive capsulitis or frozen shoulder is the likely diagnosis. It is not a postoperative protocol and should not be used to explain every painful or stiff shoulder.
This program may fit
Gradual, often atraumatic shoulder pain followed by loss of motion both when you move the shoulder yourself and when someone else moves it. Turning the arm outward is often especially limited, with night pain and difficulty dressing, grooming, or reaching.
Get assessed first
Sudden weakness after trauma, passive motion that is relatively preserved, prior shoulder surgery, substantial shoulder arthritis, cervical or neurologic symptoms, recurrent instability, or a pattern that does not include progressive loss of passive motion.
Stop signs
Call 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting, or another medical emergency. Seek same-day urgent assessment after trauma with deformity or inability to raise the arm, rapidly progressive weakness, new or worsening numbness, or a new painful, hot, red, or swollen shoulder with or without fever. Arrange a prompt evaluation for unexplained weight loss or known cancer with new persistent pain.
Check the next morning
Gentle pulling or mild discomfort can be acceptable when it settles promptly and does not meaningfully increase rest pain, night pain, or next-morning stiffness.
Fit and safety
Confirm this is the right diagnosis.
This starter program is intended for adults who have already been evaluated and told adhesive capsulitis or frozen shoulder is the likely diagnosis. It is not a postoperative protocol and should not be used to explain every painful or stiff shoulder.
This program may fit
Gradual, often atraumatic shoulder pain followed by loss of motion both when you move the shoulder yourself and when someone else moves it. Turning the arm outward is often especially limited, with night pain and difficulty dressing, grooming, or reaching.
Get assessed first
Sudden weakness after trauma, passive motion that is relatively preserved, prior shoulder surgery, substantial shoulder arthritis, cervical or neurologic symptoms, recurrent instability, or a pattern that does not include progressive loss of passive motion.
Do not self-start with these warning signs
Call 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting, or another medical emergency. Seek same-day urgent assessment after trauma with deformity or inability to raise the arm, rapidly progressive weakness, new or worsening numbness, or a new painful, hot, red, or swollen shoulder with or without fever. Arrange a prompt evaluation for unexplained weight loss or known cancer with new persistent pain.
This is a diagnosis-specific home program, not a substitute for an examination. A clinician may change the exercise, dose, range, or timeline based on your history.
Your home program
Match the exercises to how painful and sensitive the shoulder is.
Use only the first two exercises when rest pain and night pain are high. Aggressive stretching beyond the pain threshold can be counterproductive during a more painful phase. Add longer holds, active motion, and strength as pain settles and stiffness becomes the dominant limitation.
- Frequency
- Short mobility sessions 1 to 2 times daily; strength 2 to 3 days per week when tolerated
- Equipment
- Table, wall, cane or broom handle, optional light band
- First checkpoint
- Reassess pain, sleep, function, and motion after 4 to 6 weeks
- Primary goal
- Easier sleep, dressing, grooming, reaching, and lifting
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Exercise 1Daily
Supported table slide
Dose1 to 2 sets of 5 to 10 repetitions
Sit facing a table with the involved hand resting on a towel. Let the towel slide forward as you gently lean from the trunk, keeping the shoulder relaxed. Return before the muscles tense or pain increases; the hand stays supported throughout.
Make it easierUse a shorter range and pause only 1 to 5 seconds in a comfortable position.
Progress itAs rest and night pain settle, gradually hold 10 to 30 seconds near a tolerable end range. Let the supported position provide a gentle stretch without pushing or forcing the shoulder.
My starting dose or notes
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Exercise 2Daily
Cane-assisted external rotation
Dose1 to 2 sets of 5 to 10 repetitions
Lie on your back or sit supported, holding a cane with both hands and the elbows close to your sides. Use the unaffected arm to guide the involved forearm outward while its elbow stays near the body. Stop within a comfortable range and return gently.
Make it easierUse a smaller range with the arm fully supported and only a brief pause.
Progress itAs pain settles, increase the hold toward 10 to 30 seconds, then increase the comfortable range. Keep the elbow near the side and do not force the arm outward.
My starting dose or notes
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Exercise 3Daily when tolerated
Supine assisted elevation
Dose1 to 2 sets of 5 to 10 repetitions
Add this when the earlier movements are tolerated and pain is settling. Lie on your back, clasp the hands or hold a cane, and use the unaffected arm to help the involved arm move overhead. Stay within a comfortable range, then lower with the same assistance.
Make it easierStop well before pain or support the arm on a pillow.
Progress itIncrease the comfortable elevation gradually, then use less help from the other arm. Keep the shoulder relaxed and step back if rest pain, night pain, or next-morning stiffness increases.
My starting dose or notes
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Exercise 4Daily when rest pain is settling
Active wall slide
Dose2 sets of 6 to 10 repetitions
Use this as rest pain settles. Face a wall with the involved hand or forearm against it, then slide upward through a comfortable range while keeping the neck relaxed. Lower slowly without shrugging or twisting the trunk.
Make it easierUse the other hand to assist or shorten the range.
Progress itReach a little higher or add a brief, comfortable end-range pause. Do not push through pain to gain height; sleep and next-morning motion should remain stable.
My starting dose or notes
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Exercise 52 to 3 days per week
Optional light band row
Dose2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
Add this option when pain is settling and shoulder-blade strength or endurance supports a functional goal. Secure a light band in front of you and draw the elbows back through a comfortable range, gently bringing the shoulder blades together. Keep the neck relaxed and the trunk still.
Make it easierUse a 5 to 10 second isometric hold or a lighter band.
Progress itAdd repetitions within the prescribed range, then resistance, only when the shoulder returns to its usual baseline by the next day. Keep the neck relaxed and avoid pulling harder by leaning back.
My starting dose or notes
Optional video companion
See the movement principles in context.
The written program above remains the prescription. This independent third-party video adds a visual explanation of the condition and common exercise options.
E3 Rehab video
BEST Exercises for Frozen Shoulder | Adhesive Capsulitis (Mobility, Stretches, Strength)
YouTube content does not load until you choose this button.
A visual overview of adhesive capsulitis, irritability-based mobility, stretching, and later strengthening options.
Watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab)Use this video for education and technique, not as a second exercise program. Follow the exercises, dose, progression, and symptom rules on this page. Video examples are options, not additions. Links or promotions inside the video are provided by E3 Rehab and are not part of this program. Frozen shoulder is not the explanation for every painful or stiff shoulder. When rest or night pain is high, use brief comfortable motion and only the early exercises on this page. More aggressive stretching is not necessarily better.
Symptom response
Let the next day guide the dose.
Gentle pulling or mild discomfort can be acceptable when it settles promptly and does not meaningfully increase rest pain, night pain, or next-morning stiffness.
Green light
The mobility dose settles promptly, sleep is not worse, and the shoulder is no stiffer the next morning.
Yellow light
Pain stays elevated later that day, sleep worsens, or motion is worse the next morning. Reduce range, hold time, repetitions, or session frequency.
Red light
Stop. Call 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting, or another medical emergency. Seek same-day urgent assessment for sudden weakness, rapidly progressive weakness, new or worsening numbness, traumatic loss of function, or a new painful, hot, red, or swollen shoulder with or without fever.
Change one variable at a time
When symptoms are too reactive, first reduce range, resistance, repetitions, or frequency. When the current dose feels controlled for several sessions, progress only one of those variables.
Progression
Build capacity in stages.
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Stage 1: when rest and night pain are high
Use brief, comfortable table slides and assisted outward rotation. Avoid prolonged or forceful stretching.
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Stage 2: as pain becomes less constant
Increase hold duration gradually and add assisted elevation and active wall slides.
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Stage 3: when stiffness is the main limitation
Build total time near the end of your comfortable range, active motion, light resistance, and task-specific reaching while the shoulder returns to its usual baseline by the next day.
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Stage 4: restore function
Progress lifting, overhead work, dressing, grooming, and sport demands rather than measuring success by motion alone.
Signs you are ready for the next stage
- Night pain is stable or improving.
- The current mobility dose settles without a prolonged flare.
- Range or daily function is improving.
- One variable can increase without worse next-day stiffness.
When to schedule an evaluation
Schedule a review if the diagnosis is uncertain, symptoms escalate, or pain, sleep, function, and motion have not improved after four to six weeks. When early pain prevents meaningful exercise, discuss whether a shoulder-joint corticosteroid injection is appropriate for your health history. If you have diabetes, also discuss how to monitor blood glucose because a temporary rise can occur after the injection.
Call UCLA Orthopedics at 310-319-1234Progress tracker
Use this tracker through the first checkpoint above. Mark up to three key sessions each week, check weekdays for frequent work, and note symptoms, resistance, duration, or activity gains. Continue through a longer condition-specific trial when useful.
| Week | Key sessions | Daily or most-day work | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 1 | MTWTFSS | ||||
| 2 | MTWTFSS | ||||
| 3 | MTWTFSS | ||||
| 4 | MTWTFSS | ||||
| 5 | MTWTFSS | ||||
| 6 | MTWTFSS | ||||
Common questions
Questions about this program
Should I force the shoulder to regain motion?
No. Stretch intensity should match how painful and sensitive the shoulder is. Brief pain-limited motion is safer early, while longer stretching near the end of your comfortable range is more appropriate once pain settles.
How long does frozen shoulder last?
Recovery commonly takes many months. Some people retain mild pain or motion loss at twelve to eighteen months even when disability is much better.
Do I need an MRI?
Usually not for a typical clinical pattern. Imaging is an adjunct when the presentation is atypical, trauma occurred, or another condition must be excluded.
Can an injection help?
A shoulder-joint corticosteroid injection can improve short-term pain and function, particularly earlier in the course, but it does not replace a staged mobility plan. If you have diabetes, ask how to monitor blood glucose afterward because a temporary rise can occur.
Should frozen shoulder prompt other health checks?
Diabetes, thyroid disease, and dyslipidemia are associated with primary frozen shoulder. This does not prove they caused the shoulder problem or mean everyone needs testing. Ask your clinician whether screening is appropriate based on your history.
Evidence
Guidelines, reviews, and clinical studies
This plan translates current clinical guidance into a practical home program. The cited sources support the treatment principles, but they do not establish one universal exercise recipe for every patient.
- Clinical Practice Guidelines for Diagnosis and Non-Surgical Treatment of Primary Frozen Shoulder, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- JOSPT Clinical Practice Guideline: Adhesive Capsulitis (opens in a new tab)
- Manual Therapy and Exercise for Adhesive Capsulitis, Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, 2023 (opens in a new tab)
- UK FROST Randomized Trial for Primary Frozen Shoulder (opens in a new tab)
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Cortisone Shot (Steroid Injection) (opens in a new tab)
Evidence and recommendations can change. Last clinical review: August 28, 2026.