When is cortisone injection recommended for frozen shoulder?

Frozen shoulder involves tightening of the capsule around the shoulder joint. Corticosteroid can reduce inflammation and pain, which may make prescribed movement exercises easier. Relief varies, and an injection does not replace gradual rehabilitation. A clinician may also check that stiffness is not mainly due to a tear, arthritis, or another shoulder problem.

Your clinician may discuss injection timing alongside pain relief, home exercises, and physiotherapy. Tell them about diabetes, blood-thinning medicines, infection, and previous shoulder injections. Keep moving within the advised range; forceful stretching can aggravate pain. Explore [Frozen Shoulder](/conditions/frozen-shoulder/) and [Cortisone Injection](/treatments/non-surgical-orthopedics/cortisone-injection/) for context.

Arrange an assessment when shoulder pain or stiffness interferes with dressing, reaching, or sleep. Seek prompt help for fever, a hot or increasingly swollen injection area, sudden major weakness, new numbness, chest symptoms, or severe pain that does not follow the expected aftercare pattern.

Ask whether the injection should be combined with physiotherapy, which movements are suitable afterward, how progress will be measured, and what options remain if stiffness persists.