What causes shoulder stiffness?

Stiffness may affect active movement, when you move the arm yourself, passive movement, when someone else moves it, or both. Frozen shoulder typically causes progressive restriction in several directions, often making it difficult to reach behind the back or overhead. Arthritis can create deep pain, reduced joint glide, and grinding. A rotator cuff tear may make movement feel limited because lifting is painful or weak rather than because the joint is fully blocked. After an injury or operation, guarding and reduced use can tighten muscles and surrounding tissues. The pattern and speed of change help distinguish these possibilities.

Keep the shoulder gently moving within a tolerable range, unless a clinician has given you specific protection instructions after an injury. Avoid forceful stretching, heavy lifting, and repeated movements that increase pain for hours afterward. A clinician can check active and passive movement, strength, and the neck before recommending exercises or other care. Physiotherapy may help restore controlled movement. See Frozen Shoulder, Rotator Cuff Tear, or Shoulder Osteoarthritis for related information. Early review is useful when stiffness is worsening rather than settling.

Seek urgent help after trauma if the shoulder is deformed, the arm cannot be moved, or the hand is numb, cold, or unusually pale. Prompt assessment is needed for a hot swollen shoulder with fever, sudden severe pain, or rapidly increasing weakness. Make a routine appointment for stiffness that persists, disrupts sleep, or prevents dressing, washing, or reaching.

Is my restriction caused by pain, weakness, or a true loss of joint movement? Which diagnosis best fits the pattern? What range should I practise safely, and when should I stop? Would physiotherapy or imaging be useful?