This is a quality study conducted in 2014 that showed supervised exercise by a physiotherapist in a cohort of people with frozen shoulder resulted in significant improvements in pain and function. This was compared to independent home exercise and individual multi modal physiotherapy.
The improvements in the supervised exercise class were large and happened relatively quickly, with most people beginning to improve in the first 6 weeks.
The rationale behind the large improvements in the supervised exercise group was put down to potential psychosocial factors including reduced anxiety and depression scores. This may be due to experiencing peer support and deriving motivation from others to continue to try and improve function. This could have resulted in less catastrophic thoughts regarding pain and led to superior outcomes in the exercise group.
In summary, education from a physiotherapist and group exercise led by a physio resulted in improved outcomes in people with frozen shoulder. The results were significant after just 6 weeks and continued to rise after 1 year.