What Does Frozen Shoulder Feel Like

Frozen shoulder is a condition that feels like stiffness and pain in the shoulder joint. It typically develops over time and gradually worsens, restricting movement in the shoulder.

Women develop frozen shoulder more often than men, and it's common around the time of menopause, usually between the ages of 40 and 60.

Treatments for frozen shoulder range from physical therapy to pain relievers, steroid injections, heat therapy, and in severe cases, surgery.

Three women who have dealt with frozen shoulder describe it as a dull or aching sensation and say they've had problems with stiffness and trouble sleeping. Here's how they describe their experiences with the condition and what they did about it.

Chronic pain made her decide to prioritize herself and her care

Jennifer Stevens, a 53-year-old copy editor in Clarksville, Tennessee, has had frozen shoulder in both shoulders. She was diagnosed with frozen shoulder on her left side in fall 2019.

"I couldn't raise my arm higher than my shoulder in any direction," she says. Jennifer delayed seeking treatment for about 6 months because there were many things she could still do without raising her arm above shoulder height.

The pain was a constant low-level ache, but it began to disrupt her sleep with stabbing sensations, waking her whenever she turned over. "Eventually, I was sleeping in the recliner," she says. The pain also started to affect her ability to concentrate.

Jennifer finally went to a specialist and received a steroid injection.

The first shot provided little relief. But a subsequent injection directly into the shoulder capsule made a noticeable difference, she says. Along with the shots, Jennifer did physical therapy. Her physical therapist told her loosening the stiffness and gaining movement again would be tough. But the alternative could be surgery or shoulder manipulation, which involves being put under general anesthesia and having a doctor gently move your shoulder through a full range of motion.

After completing physical therapy in 2020 for her left side, Jennifer's right shoulder started to freeze up. This time, she went directly to the orthopedist for steroid injections.

Today, she has full range of motion on both sides and no pain.

Jennifer encourages women to prioritize their health and not ignore the symptoms of frozen shoulder.

"Frozen shoulder can make your life small before you realize it," she says, reflecting on how chronic pain affected her work and personal life.

"A lot of women in this stage of life are taking care of everyone else," she says. "If this is happening to you, take care of it. Prioritize yourself enough to get it looked at, because it can be really miserable if you don't get it resolved."

She feared activity would make her shoulder stiffness worse

Karin Moughler, a 55-year-old breast cancer survivor in Franklin, Tennessee, says her frozen shoulder symptoms began with limited range of motion in her right arm in 2021.

Everyday tasks became difficult. "Where there wasn't pain, I made up for in serious inconvenience and wondering, 'How am I going to do that?'" she says. Things she took for granted like getting dressed and wearing certain clothing became problematic.

"I was afraid to golf," she says. "I was afraid to run. I was concerned that anything I did would make it worse."

She didn't have much pain, but the growing stiffness and lack of mobility prompted her to get checked out.

Karin went to an orthopedist as soon as she noticed the stiffness in her shoulder and began physical therapy twice a week. Many of the stretches and exercises could be done at home, which was helpful since her therapy sessions were during her summer vacation.

At the same time, she had pulled her lower back and says that pain was much worse. Even though Karin didn't experience a lot of pain from frozen shoulder, it caused other problems for her. "For me, the issue was not being able to move my arm," she says.

She took ibuprofen and a nonsteroidal prescription anti-inflammatory medication that she says didn't seem to work. After she completed physical therapy, she had a steroid injection, which offered relief.

"My goal all along was to just be able to put a coat on come winter time," she says.

She's not sure if it is connected, but she had a complete hysterectomy in December 2019. "I have learned that a lot of crazy anatomical things occur after menopause," she says.

Her advice is to get health issues checked out sooner rather than later. "Physical therapy can do wonders and maybe help you get a handle on things and make it better before it gets worse."

Today, Karin is pain-free and back on the golf course.

She learned to compensate for her weak left side

Melissa Brodsky, a 55-year-old content marketer in Fort Myers, Florida, started having frozen shoulder pain about a year after she started menopause.

The pain in her left arm also began around the time she got her first two COVID-19 vaccine shots. So at first, she thought the pain was related to the vaccines. But her pain never went away.

Then she thought she might have hurt her shoulder lifting boxes during her 2022 move from Michigan to Florida. By October 2023, Melissa could barely move her left arm in any direction, and the pain became intense, especially at night when rolling over in bed.

"The pain would wake me up," she says. "It felt like something inside my shoulder was twisting or clicking, and my mobility was terrible. I couldn't raise my arm up or to the side."

Melissa finally went to an orthopedic surgeon who took X-rays. She was diagnosed with frozen shoulder.

Menopausal hormone changes can lead to increased inflammation and pain. "Given that I was almost a year postmenopausal, it made sense," she says. "Unfortunately, it still hurts."

Since she's right-handed, Melissa says she has learned to compensate for her weak left side. She has decided to wait things out and see if her frozen left shoulder will "thaw" to the point where she can perform physical therapy mobility exercises and stretches.

Ibuprofen helps a little, she says, but not enough to take it regularly. A handheld massage gun provides some relief, and she uses it to loosen up the tendon on the outside of her arm. Getting a professional massage has provided the most relief, and at one point she was going twice a week.

"I haven't gone in a while," she says. "But when I did, the pain went from 10 to a 5 in a month."

Melissa says that because the pain is in her left arm, she's not too restricted in movement as long as she can use her right. "If I need to do something with both arms in a certain range of motion, though, I'm unable to do it with my left arm," she says. "I'm just used to it, unfortunately."

What does the doctor say?

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Senior Medical Editor

Adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder - more commonly known as "frozen shoulder" - can be uncomfortable and limit your ability to complete everyday tasks. It develops when fluid that lubricates the shoulder joint starts to thicken and may even form scar tissue (adhesions). This makes it harder for the shoulder joint to move as it normally does.

There's no clear cause of frozen shoulder. People are more likely to develop frozen shoulder if they have certain autoimmune conditions. So frozen shoulder may be related to inflammation. People are also more likely to experience frozen shoulder as they go through menopause. So hormones, especially estrogen, may also play a role.

It's difficult to develop treatment for a condition when you don't know what's causing it. That's why current treatments for frozen shoulder focus on relieving symptoms. Most people feel better with physical therapy, home exercise, and over-the-counter pain relievers. When that's not enough, treatments like steroid injections, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, and other physical modalities can help, too. Surgery to remove scar tissue is an option when nothing else has helped.

Luckily, many people experience a natural "thaw" period within 6 to 24 months. During this time, pain improves, and shoulder movement starts to get better - though it may never go completely back to normal. Treatment can help you stay comfortable until you reach a "thaw" period.