Exercises for a frozen shoulder

Pendulum stretch – Do this once daily. Relax your shoulders. Bend forward as much as possible and let the arm of your affected shoulder hang down. Draw an imaginary circle with the hand about a foot in diameter. Draw 10 circles in each direction. As your symptoms improve, increase the diameter of your circle without straining too much. Once you’re ready for more, hold a light weight in your hand and repeat the exercise.

Towel stretch – Hold one end of a three-foot-long towel behind your back with the hand of your affected shoulder, and grab the opposite end with your other hand. Holding the towel in a vertical position, use your good arm to pull the affected arm upwards to stretch it. Do this simple stretch 10-20 times daily.

Finger walk – Stand three-quarters of an arm’s length away from the wall. Reach out and touch the wall at waist level with the fingertips of the affected arm. With your elbow slightly bent, slowly walk your fingers up the wall, spider-like, until your elbow is fully stretched and you’ve raised your arm as far as you can, comfortably. Lower the arm slowly and repeat two-three times. Do this exercise 10-20 times a day.

Cross-body reach – You can do this exercise while sitting down or standing. With the help of your good arm, hold the elbow of your affected arm and bring it up and across your body, exerting gentle pressure to stretch the shoulder. Hold the elbow in this position for 15-20 seconds. This simple exercise can be done up to 20 times a day.

Armpit stretch – Lift the frozen shoulder arm onto a shelf about breast-high with the help of your good arm. Bend your knees gently to open up the armpit. Increase the bend ever so slightly to the armpit, and then straighten. With each knee bend, stretch a little further, but don’t overdo it. Do this 10-20 times every day.

Inward rotation – Hook one end of a rubber exercise band around the doorknob of a close door. Standing next to the door, hold the other end with the hand of the affected arm. Now, holding your elbow at a 90-degree angle, pull the band toward your body two-three inches and hold for five seconds. Repeat the routine for around 10-15 times at a stretch.

Also read on Home remedies for frozen shoulder & Shoulder blade pain.