A shoulder can feel tight for many reasons, including pain, muscle guarding, tendon problems or reduced use. Frozen shoulder, also called adhesive capsulitis, usually produces a more substantial restriction of both active and passive movement and often follows a recognisable clinical pattern.
Key points
- Frozen shoulder commonly limits several directions, especially rotation.
- Pain and stiffness may change over different phases of the condition.
- A simple muscle-tightness feeling does not confirm frozen shoulder.
- Diabetes and some other health factors can be associated with frozen shoulder.
What a physiotherapy assessment can add
A physiotherapist can compare active and passive range, strength, pain behaviour and functional limits while screening for other shoulder or neck-related causes.
Practical next steps
Exercise intensity should match the irritability of the shoulder. Forcing aggressively through high pain is not automatically better and may make a very irritable shoulder harder to manage.
When to seek medical care
Recent significant trauma, deformity, sudden major weakness, fever, unexplained swelling or concerning neurological symptoms should be assessed appropriately.
