What Are The Stages of Frozen Shoulder?

Stage 1: Freezing - The Painful Phase

In the "freezing" stage, pain increases gradually, making shoulder movement harder and harder. As the pain worsens, your shoulder loses range of movement. Pain tends to be worse at night, disturbing sleep. The pain often persists no matter what people do or how they position their arms. Freezing typically lasts from 6 weeks to 9 months.  

Stage 2: Frozen - The Progressive Stiffness Phase

Painful symptoms may improve during this stage, but the stiffness remains. Shoulder movement in all directions is restricted. During the 4 to 12 months of the "frozen" stage, daily activities may be very difficult.

Stage 3: Thawing - The Resolution Phase

Shoulder movement slowly improves during the 'recovery' stage. The stiffness gradually resolves and movement gradually returns to normal, or near normal. It typically takes from 6 months to 2 years.