Shoulder Therapy

About Shoulder Therapy

The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the human body — and that mobility is exactly why it goes wrong so often. In Makati and across Metro Manila, we see a steady stream of shoulder patients: forty-something professionals who suddenly cannot reach behind to fasten a bra strap, call-centre agents whose shoulders ache from eight hours on a headset, and home-based OFW spouses who developed frozen shoulder seemingly overnight.

Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) deserves a special mention here. It is extraordinarily common in Filipino patients between 40 and 60, especially women, and especially those with diabetes or thyroid conditions. Left alone, it can take 18 to 30 months to resolve — and many people never regain full range. With the right physiotherapy, we compress that timeline significantly and dramatically reduce the pain you carry through the freezing phase.

Beyond frozen shoulder, we handle rotator cuff tears and tendinopathies, subacromial impingement, AC joint issues, posture-driven shoulder pain, and post-surgical rehab. Every case starts with a clear diagnosis so you know exactly what you are treating — and what you are not.

What to expect on your first visit

• A thorough shoulder exam: passive and active range, rotator cuff special tests, impingement screening, scapular control, and neck clearance.
• A clear, plain-language diagnosis — frozen shoulder versus cuff tear versus impingement are treated very differently.
• Immediate manual therapy to unlock range and calm pain.
• A personalised home exercise program you can do in a condo without equipment.
• Guidance on whether imaging (ultrasound or MRI) or orthopaedic referral is worthwhile in your case.

Treatments we may use

• Manual mobilisationSkilled hands-on glides and capsular stretching — the gold standard for frozen shoulder and stiffness.
• Graded exercise therapyProgressive loading of the rotator cuff and scapular muscles, built around what your shoulder can handle today.
• Postural retrainingTargeted work on thoracic mobility and scapular position — because most shoulders need the upper back to move first.
• Shockwave therapyClinically proven for calcific tendinitis and chronic cuff tendinopathy that has not responded to rest.
• Dry needlingPrecise needling of trapezius, infraspinatus, and subscapularis to release chronic tension quickly.

Typical session pricing

Service	Price
Initial assessment (60 min)	₱1,800
Follow-up session (45 min)	₱1,500
5-session package	₱6,500
10-session package	₱11,500
Shockwave add-on (per region)	₱600

Pro tip: If your shoulder hurts at night when you roll onto it, and reaching up or behind feels physically blocked (not just painful), you are likely in the early stage of frozen shoulder. Early physio intervention can shorten the whole course dramatically — do not wait for it to "loosen up on its own."

A surprising number of shoulder problems are really neck problems in disguise. Tight upper trapezius, stiff thoracic spine, and forward-head posture from phones and laptops all pull the shoulder blade out of position. That is why we always screen the neck and upper back. If you suspect your pain is referred from the cervical spine, our article on neck-driven shoulder and arm pain is a useful read, and many patients benefit from combining shoulder therapy with our back pain relief program.

For chronic or recurring shoulder pain, the bigger picture matters. Understanding how pain works in the body — and why some injuries take longer to settle — is a huge part of recovery. Our pain management library has practical, evidence-based guides that complement what we do in the clinic.