Frozen Shoulder?

wingnut4772

I have been having some serious issues with my left shoulder for about a year and a half. To the point where the motion is very limited and strength is low. My doctor diagnosed me with adhesive capsulitis or 'frozen shoulder'.

I have to go to physical therapy 3X a week and do a gazillon stretching and strength exercises. It's been a month now and I have seen very slight improvement but it is still very limited and painful. Has anyone else had this? Heard of it even? How long did it take to heal if so?

snow

No Darla I havent but I sympathize with you on shoulder problems. I have had several surgeries on my shoulders due to the shoulder muscles being over developed and causing problems.



REGARDS SNOW

wingnut4772

snow wrote: »

No Darla I havent but I sympathize with you on shoulder problems. I have had several surgeries on my shoulders due to the shoulder muscles being over developed and causing problems.



REGARDS SNOW

ow:( shoulders are tricky ****

nooshinjohn

your post prompted me to look into your condition a bit. According to the stuff I saw you are in for a few months of this with the therapy and all. Maybe we can come over and mow the lawn for you from time to time... God bless and I hope all gets better for you soon

66chevyIISS

aren't you an officer? are you able to work with that condition? I'm sure you got good medical, GL!

wingnut4772

nooshinjohn wrote: »

your post prompted me to look into your condition a bit. According to the stuff I saw you are in for a few months of this with the therapy and all. Maybe we can come over and mow the lawn for you from time to time... God bless and I hope all gets better for you soon

Thanks. I Googled a bit too but I was hoping to find some real world testimony. Well, I guess a few months is better than not healing at all. Work is a bit difficult to navigate but I'll be darned if I am going to go on light duty.:eek:
Thanks for the well wishes.

ben62670

They don't call them physical terrorists for nothing. Stick it out, and you are added to my daughter's an my prayer list.
Ben

nooshinjohn

wingnut4772 wrote: »

Thanks. I Googled a bit too but I was hoping to find some real world testimony. Well, I guess a few months is better than not healing at all. Work is a bit difficult to navigate but I'll be darned if I am going to go on light duty.:eek:
Thanks for the well wishes.

wiki has some info... ouch!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frozen_shoulder

Sherardp

Feel better Darla. Go easy out there in the field when you can. Sounds very painful.

hearingimpared

I have arthritis in both my shoulders all three joints. The capsule is inflamed so I know what kind of pain you are going through. Aren't you a little young for this affliction? Did you injure it somehow?

engtaz

Best of luck. Hope you get better soon.

Face

It took me a year of physical therapy to regain a full range of motion. A little over 18 months later it stop pops and acts up time to time though.

Hobbyguy

Adhesive capsulitis is an inflammation of the capsule of your shoulder joint. The result is less volume in your shoulder and this restricts motion. treatment consists of gentle motion exercises everyday. The motion exercise should cause a little pain...not alot. Alot of pain usually means that you are stretching the capsule too much and this may cause more inflammation. Heat the shoulder before stretching and ice it down afterwards. It can take up to two years for A.C. to resolve. You might also benefit from a cortisone injection...one that is in the shoulder joint, not in the subacromial space. If you have an associated endocrine abnormality then this treatment is less useful. A manipulation under general anesthetic is done to tear the capsule and helps restore motion earlier. I personally do an arthroscopic capsulotomy. This is where you use an arthroscope to look at the inside of the shoulder joint and then you use tools to cut the capsule (this is less successful with post traumatic A.C. due to extracapsular adhesions). Surgery is not complication-free and is a last resort.

Motzart

Gosh :eek:
I hope you get better soon!
Me being a Bowler....just the thought of that.......UGGG!!!

Geee I hope this isn't a old age thing! :rolleyes::)
I have noticed as I get older I get some strange things happening now and then.
Pinched nerve in my hip now and then....pain in the upper part of my arm now and then.
Things that come and go when they feel like it.
Damn frustrating for sure!! :mad:

Fireman32

Sorry to hear Darla. The PT sucks but its worth it. I only have a few more weeks to go and I will be done rehabing my knee. Feel better.

reeltrouble1

Darla,

I had the exact same thing, same therapy which did work in my case. My therapist was a slight woman of about 95lbs., she put the fear of God into me everytime I would see her coming my way. Lets see, there were wall crawls, stuff with rolling balls on the wall, overhead stuff, anyway, it only took about 2 months and my left shoulder was feeling much better, of course then the right one did the same thing, however, its getting better. I also get massages from a very nice lady which make me feel much better for a bit.

RT1

obieone

Good luck. I hope it heals without the need for surgery.

janmike

Hope you have a speedy recovery Darla.

I-SIG

You should go easier with those night sticks!!!

Seriously though, I have tendinitis in my rotator cuff, while not nearly that bad, I truly feel your frustration with the problem. You just have to battle through and take care of yourself.

Wes

tonyb

Hope your shoulder gets better....we want to see you on that new show,Danceing with Florida's Finest.Too bad your partner will be Doro though.

wingnut4772

Thanks guys for the well wishes..

hearingimpared wrote: »

I have arthritis in both my shoulders all three joints. The capsule is inflamed so I know what kind of pain you are going through. Aren't you a little young for this affliction? Did you injure it somehow?

I'll be 41 in May. I don't really remember injuring it unless it was dips at the gym...?

Face wrote: »

It took me a year of physical therapy to regain a full range of motion. A little over 18 months later it stop pops and acts up time to time though.

That's a long time but better than forever I suppose.

Hobbyguy wrote: »

Adhesive capsulitis is an inflammation of the capsule of your shoulder joint. The result is less volume in your shoulder and this restricts motion. treatment consists of gentle motion exercises everyday. The motion exercise should cause a little pain...not alot. Alot of pain usually means that you are stretching the capsule too much and this may cause more inflammation. Heat the shoulder before stretching and ice it down afterwards. It can take up to two years for A.C. to resolve. You might also benefit from a cortisone injection...one that is in the shoulder joint, not in the subacromial space. If you have an associated endocrine abnormality then this treatment is less useful. A manipulation under general anesthetic is done to tear the capsule and helps restore motion earlier. I personally do an arthroscopic capsulotomy. This is where you use an arthroscope to look at the inside of the shoulder joint and then you use tools to cut the capsule (this is less successful with post traumatic A.C. due to extracapsular adhesions). Surgery is not complication-free and is a last resort.

Ouch. Thanks. The associated endocrine abnormality is worrisome but I don't think so. I hope not anyway. I guess it might be time to get my thyroid tested again.

cfrizz

Yup I've had it due to an accident to jammed everything into my left shoulder when I put my hand out to stop from planting my face in the ground instead.

It took a few weeks of physical therapy, excersises at home along with ice, heat & anti inflamatory pills.

I got my strength and full range of motion back, But I can take it out again as easily as sleeping the wrong way on my side, (which is my preferred way of course) or getting a mammogram!

Sounds like you got a real bad case of it Darla, and only time & work will heal it.

bikezappa

I had a frozen shoulder also.

Take Ibuprofen or Motrin, they are the same before therapy for pain and before bedtime.

Get MRI. It may tell what the real problem is.

I would get a massage and therapy twice a week. I did. They work tiogether to increase the range of motion.

It takes much time to improve.

wingnut4772

Wow. This is a lot more common than I thought. I just came from the gym and just concentrated on doing the PT exercises with range of motion and little resistance. I guess it's just gonna take a while. I really don't want to take too much motrin though...

I asked my MD for an MRI and he poo pooed it. I may go to someone else.

reeltrouble1

Darla,

My primary sent me to an Orthopedist???, his first order of business was an MRI, which revealed a small tear. Like Cathy if I sleep the wrong way on the shoulder it still gets quite painful.

RT1

hearingimpared

No matter how I sleep I wake up with both shoulders in pain. I do PT rubber band exercises and wall creeping exercises to loosen it up but the pain never goes away.

BigMac

Hi. I am a certified personal trainer and have come across this issue many,many, times with new clients. I'm sure you already know about the heating pad,ice, and anti-inflammatory. Usually they have started or completed the normal physical therapy sessions and want to continue to strengthen or increase range of mobility. Start here with the basics. There are lots of other shoulder stretching exercises but this may point out a few you have not tried. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/stretches.php?MainMuscle=Shoulders .

You can also try this as it works great but is advanced and NOT for everyone. What I am going to recommend seems impossible at first but over time your shoulder(s) will have a better range of motion if this stretch exercise is performed correctly. This is not meant to be a "cure all" in any way. So with that in mind you should proceed with caution and try this at your own risk.

Watch the video I post a few times and make sure you see what is going on.
<div><object width="512" height="322"><param name="movie" value="http://d.yimg.com/static.video.yahoo.com/yep/YV_YEP.swf?ver=2.2.40&quot; /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="AllowScriptAccess" VALUE="always" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="flashVars" value="id=12657453&vid=4739005&lang=en-us&intl=us&thumbUrl=http%3A//l.yimg.com/a/p/i/bcst/videosearch/8015/82487652.jpeg&embed=1" /><embed src="http://d.yimg.com/static.video.yahoo.com/yep/YV_YEP.swf?ver=2.2.40&quot; type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="322" allowFullScreen="true" AllowScriptAccess="always" bgcolor="#000000" flashVars="id=12657453&vid=4739005&lang=en-us&intl=us&thumbUrl=http%3A//l.yimg.com/a/p/i/bcst/videosearch/8015/82487652.jpeg&embed=1" ></embed></object><br /><a href="http://video.yahoo.com/watch/4739005/12657453"></a><a href="http://video.yahoo.com&quot; ></a></div>

Key points to remember are:
1. Go slowly (even when you feel comfortable doing this DO NOT speed up)

2. Maximum stretch in front,overhead,and behind

3. Keep arms straight throughout whole range of motion (you may have to loosen your grip slightly to complete full range of motion).

4. When you get to your sticking point stop. This is where you have to be VERY careful. Like with all stretching exercises it takes a while to move beyond your current limitation.

5. Once at your sticking point you can slowly and NON forcibly try and continue the stretch (very small increments). Each time you do this it is working towards total shoulder mobility. Over time this stretch has given over 80% of my clients their mobility back.

6. To start off with I would only do a few reps and then stop. Wait a day and see if there is any negative effects from the day befores stretch (I am not there with you so I cannot physically watch your form and look for any negative signs from this stretch). The next time you try this do a few more reps and continue to increase the # of reps till you can go for 20-30 seconds at a time (each individual progresses at their own pace so it may take you longer than another person).

On a side note, I tweaked the heck out of my shoulder doing really heavy bench presses at a competition and this is the one stretching exercise that over time brought me back to 100%. Good luck.

shawn474

Do you need a referral to go to an orthopedist? If you have insurance that doesn't require a referral, just go to a reputable orthopod and the first thing they will do is order an MRI.

bikezappa

[QUOTE=wingnut
I asked my MD for an MRI and he poo pooed it. I may go to someone else.[/QUOTE]

Kick him in the balls.

Consider a new primmary MD!

wingnut4772

bikezappa wrote: »

Kick him in the balls.

Consider a new primmary MD!

He was referred to me by my primary. He's a sports med doc and does work with the Dolphins (the team not the sea critter).:p


That video made me curl up in a fetal position.:eek:

Hobbyguy

No that is not the first thing that I would do. I did my orthopaedic residency training at the Mayo Clinic so I know a little bit about orthopaedics. MRI is useful for confirmation of clinical findings and or extent. I don't know how old you are but if you are under 40 years old it will be extremely unlikely that you will have a rotator cuff tear, if you are over 40 and you are not responding to treatment then I would consider an MRI to look for an associated injury.
Big Mac has a very good regimen that I agree with.
I agree with your avoidance of NSAIDs...I think that we will see in the future that they are not as helpful as we believed. We have already learned from studies that they delay bone and tendon healing. If tylenol or aspirin works then use these.