Ask a PT Response: "In some cases, patients with frozen shoulder do improve without participation in physical therapy, but the timeline for recovery is unknown.It could be months or years. Physical therapy is definitely helpful with helping the patient achieve a faster recovery compared to no therapy. Various treatment options are available to the physical therapist. As far as your question" Do some people never regain full ROM?". Yes, some patients may not regain full range of motion. However, from my experience, for my patients that don't regain full ROM, they are at least able to achieve functional ROM. ie. They may have trouble unscrewing a light bulb directly above them, but they are able to reach into a cupboard overhead in front of them. I hope this helps."