Effectiveness of home-based video exercise program for adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder

Adhesive capsulitis causes progressive shoulder pain and stiffness, yet supervised physiotherapy may be difficult to access in low-resource settings. This study evaluated a home-based video exercise program for pain, function, and range of motion (ROM).

In this prospective case series, 57 patients with stage II adhesive capsulitis at two tertiary hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City followed a standardized video-guided program. Thirty-one patients completed 6 weeks and 26 completed 12 weeks. Pain (Visual Analogue Scale, VAS), function (QuickDASH), and shoulder ROM were recorded at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks.

Mean VAS decreased from 5.9 ± 0.8 to 3.1 ± 1.6 at 6 weeks and 0.6 ± 0.6 at 12 weeks (p < 0.001). QuickDASH improved from 49.1 ± 6.6 to 26.1 ± 13.3 and 4.0 ± 4.8, respectively (p < 0.001). Active abduction and external rotation increased by 81.3° and 30.6°. Pain reduction correlated with functional gain (r = 0.67, p < 0.001). All 12-week completers achieved near-normal function without additional pharmacologic therapy.

A home-based video-guided exercise program is an effective, low-cost option for adhesive capsulitis, yielding marked improvements within 6-12 weeks and serving as a practical alternative or adjunct to in-person physiotherapy.