There are a myriad of ways to treat a frozen shoulder these days, some of which are good and some which may leave the sufferer with more pain and loss of motion than they started with. This article will cover a couple of key components to successful frozen shoulder treatment, and a few treatment programs to avoid.

The first key element in any treatment program is consistency. Whether you are in your mid twenties (yes, this age group suffers as well), a baby boomer, or a senior in the 60 plus range, you must stay consistent with the prescribed treatment on a daily basis for at least 3 weeks before abandoning the program for another one, or worse, quitting altogether. Now if you're seeing increases in range of motion or function after 3 weeks, you may need to stay with your program another 4-5 weeks for maximum gains. The reason is that it takes up to 3 weeks to recover from initial irritation from stretching or breaking loose adhesions that may have formed in the joint capsule.

The second key element in successful frozen shoulder treatment is intensity. All too often I see patients "going through the motions" of a well designed program without sufficient intensity and become discouraged because lack of results. Correct intensity varies from one individual to another but can easily be learned in the first few sessions. Thinking of the phrase "medium-to-strong, but not fully strong" and apply it to each exercise. For instance, if you are stretching in a particular direction, you should feel a "medium-to-strong" stretch, but not fully strong or unbearably painful, and hold that stretch.

As far as unsuccessful treatments, a few guidelines apply as to which ones to avoid:

• Programs that sound gimmicky (i.e holding the non-burning end of a lit candle in your ear will probably not help your frozen shoulder)
• Programs that are not research-based or evidence-based (i.e. programs where the author has no credentials)
• Programs that promise instant relief of symptoms (i.e. "Cure your frozen shoulder overnight!")
• Programs based only on relief of symptoms and no focus on return of function

These are just a few red flags to watch for, however there are a few good programs available and would encourage anyone seeking frozen shoulder treatment to make sure they meet some of the criteria above.