What is Frozen Shoulder?
This is also known as a more technical term, adhesive capsulitis. This is a medical condition that causes pain, stiffness, and limited range of motion in the shoulder joint and muscles around it. It develops when the connective tissue around the shoulder joint (the capsule) becomes thickened and tight, forming scar tissue like bands called adhesions restricting movement and can make daily activities difficult. BUT with stretching exercises, a massage gun and a positive mind you can get over it like I did. (affiliate links present below)
Frozen Shoulder Playing Pickleball
This isn’t specific to any sport but yes I, and several other women I know, have experienced this while playing this popular paddle sport. When you learn how to play pickleball you may ease into it at once a week or so buuuuuut, pretty soon we all get obsessed and sometimes we overdo it, that is likely what happened in my case. Overuse and an initial injury (that you likely have ignored) is where it all starts.
My Story
I learned how to play in May of 2024. Then took a 101, followed by a 102 clinic and I was hoooooked!! From there I met friends who were at my same level and I started to play in a league once a week, coordinating a round robin group once a week, pickup games here and there and then there is always open play right?? Pretty soon I played 5 days a week, sometimes 3 hours each time – it was a lot but I loved it!
About 8 months in I had a pain that shot down the middle of my deltoid (upper arm) every time I smashed the ball. I ignored it, and kept playing. It got worse and worse…but still played and just didn’t do that shot much. About 1 month after that my arm would only lift about 80% up over my head and I could no longer put my hair in a ponytail or clasp my bra in the back. Then….I knew I needed an MRI. It showed I had an inferior capsule tear (way under my armpit) which likely was the cause of my arm being “stuck”. Was told I had to heal the injury for 6-8 weeks and to “just stretch my arm and go to PT”.
Don’t Believe the 4 Stages of Frozen Shoulder Timeline
Part of recovering from any injury is in your head friends. When my frozen shoulder was diagnosed I read online and told by PT that it would take a year or longer to recover. I was like “absolutely NOT, nope, that is too long…..I am going to get better faster”. With that said of course some cases are worse than others. But y’all, I couldn’t reach behind my back at all, like it was at my side and wouldn’t stretch 1 inch behind my butt let alone my back and 3 months later I am very close to clasping my bra again and starting playing with my right (bad) arm. Just yesterday in a game and it felt great…..so keep hope and stay focused because you can do it too!
What You Need to Fix Frozen Shoulder
There are 4 things I have used, 2 that I incorporated by myself and were the biggest game changers that PT and doctors never mentioned. The biggest game changer that you MUST get is a massage gun (and don’t cheap out because Theragun or my Hyperice is the best, there is a big difference going cheap). You will want to use this on speed 2 on the tight areas of your arm in the morning and evening to loosen it up but don’t forget your back!!!
This is key! Have someone else help you, on speed 3 work slowly to break up the knots in your neck on the “bad side”, around the shoulder blade, behind the shoulder joint on those muscles and along the side of your torso too. ALL of this needs to be released, twice a day.
The other thing I found on my own was this self back massaging tool. There are tons of models out there but basically it enables you to work on knots behind your shoulder and around the scapula. Releasing those muscles in the back is key!!!! Docs and PT did a lot of talk and stretching of the arm itself but it is the muscles in your back and on your side that will speed up your recovery dramatically.
A stick is helpful, at least 18 inches in length, to stretch your arm behind your back and to the side. I had this roller on hand so I used that but really a walking stick would do or you can use a band too. By holding one end behind you with your good hand and the other with your bad arm and pulling the bad arm to the opposite side you can stretch the muscles in your upper bicep. Doing this once a day on and off, you will eventually be able to pull it further and further.
And finally get yourself a set of bands in several “weights” with handles. If you have a post in your house like we do it is the best way to do all sorts of stretching. Wrap around the post at the height of your chest and pull down toward your thigh to work your deltoid muscle. Do this slowly, repetitiously, twice daily with a break every 2 days or so to engage the muscle and “wake them up” essentially. Stretching and strength training together is key.
What Physical Therapy Recommends
First off I will tell you that I saw 2 PTs and although they did give me some good suggestions for exercises I later did at home, 3 times a day. but the massage gun was probably most effective. I went about 6 times and got enough exercises to do at home that I stopped going and dedicated myself to choosing a few home exercises (shown below in the video) to do 3 times a day. Yes it has been exhausting but successful, way faster than the year of recovery they told me.
Exercises for Frozen Shoulder
Range of Motion Exercises
The specific stretching I thought was the most helpful were these;
- Raising your arm up into the air for 10 seconds, down, raise again, 10 times in a row 3x a day. Also lay on your back with your arm above your head allowing gravity to help it stretch, for 30 seconds 2x a day.
- Put your hand behind your neck and try to stretch that bad arm that way. This is best done at the beginning laying on your back on a bed and let gravity do it’s work holding it this way for 30 seconds 2x a day.
- Do slow arm circles all the way around in a 360 rotation standing up, 10 one direction and 10 the other 2x a day.
- Roll your shoulders back pulling back and holding your shoulder blades together tight for 5 seconds, roll thru and do again 3x whenever you think about it.
- Bend at the waist and move your arm back behind you (seen in the photo below, hold on to a couch or table). Hold for 5, put down, pull back again, 10x twice a day. With time you will be able to get higher. From there hold a 1 pound weight (or can of soda) to add a bit of weight.
Strength Training Exercises
There is a real balance of stretching and strengthening exercises. In the beginning until I felt some slight improvement I stuck just with stretching. You do want to start to integrate strengthening those muscles too though because many times that is what got you into the situation you’re in (engaging an area that didn’t have a lot of muscle around it to support that much activity). Start slow with just bands, you can actually do a LOT with them.
- Start with the lightest band (mine was labeled 10 lbs) and you can step on it with both feet (with shoes on) holding both of the handles with your right and left hand at level heights. Work your bad arm by pulling up and working the bicep. Slow and steady movements are better than a lot of reps fast. I did this just until “minor exhaustion” on that arm and then did the other side (don’t ignore your good side either).
- Then continue standing on the band holding the handle with your palm facing the floor and lift up, just to your waist level or the point where you don’t have to shrug your shoulder up. You want the deltoid doing the work, not your shoulder/neck muscles. Do this the same way, on both sides.
- Another great one to activate the deltoid is to wrap your band around a post about belly button height, a bit higher. Hold on with palms facing down and pull the handle down to the side of your leg, so a downward motion to feel the muscle on the outside of your bicep upper arm bone area worked.
How to Play When You’re Recovering
Learn to play with your opposite arm!! Both my friend and I were very successful at this. I took 1 month off and then I had to do something because this was my outlet for friends and exercise. SO 3 of us invested in a basket of 100 balls and carrier and got to drilling. For the first 3 weeks or so I was horrible, but kept going. Drives for 30 minutes, dinking for 30, then serving and each time I got better and better….now it feels almost normal (crazy right?). As I improved I went to open play for 2.5 (I was 3.5 before with my good arm before this) to practice with a lower level which helped as well. Now that I am getting back to “normal” now I have the ability to play with either, or switch mid play to grab a runaway ball. Bonus!
Treatments for Frozen Shoulder
You do NOT want surgery, it is very difficult to recover from that. You can do it, I believe in you. Visiting a physical therapist to have them work with you 1 on 1 at least for 4-6 times so you have enough shoulder movement stretches to do yourself is key in the beginning. Massage is huge, I suggest daily with a massage gun but professional once a week would be great too if you can afford it. I tried a steroid injection but it didn’t work for me, but worth a try if your insurance will cover it. If you don’t want to try anti inflammatory medication you could give peptides a whirl like I did. You can find it in pill form or they are more effective if given by a doc in shot form.
Peptide shots are injectable treatments that deliver specific chains of amino acids into the body to support various health, fitness, or cosmetic goals. Peptides are naturally occurring in the body and play a role in regulating functions like hormone production, immune response, tissue repair, and metabolism. Peptide shots are often used in medical or wellness clinics to target these systems more directly.
