... and it's driving me crazy!
Has anybody else suffered this horrid condition? I've had it now for about eight or nine weeks for no reason at all - it just started coming on over a series of days before the rot set in!
I went to the docs after about three weeks of realising what it might be and that it wasn't going to get better on it's own and the locum said, 'oh yes, frozen shoulder' and gave me anti-inflams and said stick a hot water bottle on it! I went back to see my own doctor after a couple of weeks because my movement is becoming more and more restricted - and the pain!! He swapped my tablets (no better) and said I'd be referred to a physio. Well, that was over two weeks ago and I've not heard anything since. Is it too early to start moaning at somebody?
I can't lift my arm up, out, back, round or pretty much anywhere properly any more. I can't put pressure on it, pull things toward me (even a window shut!) put on my clothes - or even do up my bra! The slightest bit of effort has me shrieking. Getting out of the car the other day I banged it against the roof and I could have rolled up in a ball and cried the pain was so bad. Top half of my arm keeps throbbing and now the lower half has started to feel uncomfortable too. I'm not the sort of person who would normally suffer from injuries (it comes with suffering from idolness, LOL) but man, this is doing me in. Does this sound like a frozen shoulder or could it be something else?
I'm so unhappy that it's feeling worse and worse that I've picked up a leaflet from the local leisure centre today for a physio based there and I'm going to give him a ring tomorrow and see if he can fit me in!
Does anybody have any experience or tips that they've tried themselves to help things along or perhaps some exercies given to do at home?
Apologies for the whinging but today seems to be the day it's officially got me down, LOL. Good job I can still manoeuvre chocolate to my mouth is all I can say ... :P ;D
Thanks :)
Can't give you advice except to say if you can afford it get to a physio as quick as you can.
Sorry you are suffering such awful pain.
Aw Sam poor you my OH had it a couple of years ago and it was dreadful.
What about a chiropractor ? I had help from one a few years ago.
Can't give any advice Sam but hope you soon get it sorted.
I know what you're going through. I had it earlier this year. I was in agony and woke up several times a night screaming with the pain. My chiropractor had several sessions with me - not cheap, but worth it - and eventually it's gone.
It's a trapped nerve, so anything which can relax it will help. Painkillers are a last resort, but work. I found whisky very helpful as well.... Biofreeze is fantastic (without the side effects of whisky!!).
But - horrid though it is - it's not terminally serious and will pass. (I didn't believe that either!!)
Oh you poor thing!
I'm seeing my daughter tomorrow night - (she's an osteopath) - so I'll ask if she can suggest anything that might help. In the meantime, instead of the hot water bottle, try applying an ice pack - (a big packet of frozen peas is good for a shoulder) - quite often cold is better than heat for an inflammatory condition and it can do no harm. xxx
Infra-red lamps can work wonders.
I had a painful swollen knee & GP said cold not heat but not to use frozen peas. He said ice cubes inside a couple of plastic bags. I used the ice making bags & they worked a treat. Tee fear of the cold was definitely worse than the reality.
Don't be too brave...get the painkillers sorted with your doctor. The physio refused to treat me as pain relief not in place, she was spot on as other Doc and physio said you need to keep it moving as much as you can bear and gave me anti-inflammatories and painkillers. Without the painkillers I woke up if I even moved that arm. I later got a steroid injection.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhesive_capsulitis_of_shoulder
Two years on 90% better :)
I agree with the cold not hot approach as the guy I saw said the same.He used to twist me about something awful but it was never painful and afterwards I felt fab.
Chiropractor is good but as TrevorD says can be pricey.
Fortnight wait for physio is about standard as a minimum I am afraid :(
I fnd the hot/cold pack to be best - more expensive than peas but you can re use it! Also nice and flexible, always wrap in a damp tea towel or old flannel. It really helps ( useful for tropical moments too for anyone of THAT age!!!!)
In summer I take one to bed!
Oh and like Hector says and those little travel pillows help when sitting.
Forgot to say, oh got me a v shaped pillow which was a godsend for stopping me rolling onto bad side :)
SL - I feel your pain and frustration. Mine was mild in comparison but still made me miserable. I found the stick on heat pads great but the thing that sorted me in the end were muscle relaxants and 3 days of doing nothing at all, sitting on the sofa.
Hope you feel better soon :-*
Sam. I went through hell with the same 3 years ago. COLD when it starts as in injured but Heat after. I had mine fixed by massage by a wonderful physio. who treated me for a few weeks before I noticed a marked improvement. The shoulder is one of the worst places to heal after an injury because of all the muscles, tendon that cross over the shoulder and up to the neck. Do try and get to a physio soon. I also used a TENS machine for a short spell and it helped me briefly get a nights sleep. I think the lack of not sleeping was the worst situation. Poor you, all my sympathies.
Forgot to mention an exercise I was given. Bend over and drop the bad arm down and make small circles with your arm. round and round and then change direction. This helps to release the tightened muscles. Maybe yours is now too injured to do this. Do see that physio tomorrow. :-*
Go back to the doctor tomorrow and make a fuss. I was in so much pain when I had my bad shoulder, went to hospital for x-ray which I paid for, then to ostopath who wouldn't treat it as it was cronic. Took cat to the vet and the vet was shocked at the state of me, as I was crying (not about the cat, he was OK) but the pain of carrying him, he helped me with the carrier and told me to go straight back to the doctor, which I did and saw a lovely doctor (not my doctor) and got an injection. He had to make sure it hit the right spot, he was so kind even run over to the chemist to get the stuff immediately as it was before Christmas. Next day I was cured. I couldn't sleep, and my daughter had to dress me, it was horrible. Could only eat with one hand. Mine was caused through playing tennis when I should have stopped immediately my shoulder started hurting but I carried on. Now we can have a joke about it and say if you are ill go to the vet. but it wasn't funny at the time. You really must go back to the doctor and tell him the pain is really, really bad.
I really suffered with shoulder pain earlier in the year - I couldn't lift my elbow higher than mid chest level, and putting my bra on was impossible. GP gave me muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatories which were great while I was taking them, but as soon as I stopped, the pain came back double time. ::)
I went to see a chiropractor who shares an office with a masseuse. And between these two lovely ladies, within about a month I felt significantly better.
Hope you feel better soon - but I would strongly recommend the chiropractor.
Thank you very, very much for all of the replies. I feel encouraged by what I've read, I genuinely do.
So would a chiropractor be better than a physiotherapist do you think and if so, can I just look through local listings and make myself an appointment or do I have to be referred? (sorry to appear so thick!)
Carol, I'm going to try that exercise when I get up in the morning and see how it goes!
I'll definitely try the cold treatment as I have one of those beany type bags that can be nuked or frozen.
Edit: Hmmmm, seems a common injury amongst us gardeners! ::) :-[
Might be worth getting the doc to check you have not pulled something might be worth a MRI scan i tore my rotator cuff brushing my hair doc said it was a frozen shoulder but i ended up needing surgery to have some of the bone removed.
If the doc can get you sorted soon pack a bag and go camp out at A&E :)
I had a frozen shoulder about 5 years ago and after much fuss was sent to the phsyo for radio therapy. After about4 visits it was ok. I did have to exercise with one of those stretchy ribbons.Its awful while it lasts. Hope you get it sorted soon.
You don't have to be referred to a chiropractor - just make an appointment. They all have to be registered, so you shouldn't end up with a fake one. But - as with most things - if you can find someone to recommend one, all the better. They all have slightly different techniques, so some might suit you better than others. And they should take an x-ray before they do too much. Also, if it's something they can't treat, they will tell you.
We've been going to ours for over 30 years. My wife was threatened with life in a wheelchair before she started with him. (Yesterday, having spent an hour and a half walking the dogs through the woods, we went to the allotment where she spent two hours strimming!)
Go! I can't recommend them highly enough.
The lady I see is a McTimony chiropractor which is the gentlest form of manipulation. I like Trev can't praise her enough. I tripped up in February & landed on my knee. The pain was getting worse so GP sent me for an xray. Of course the answer was arthritis. By chance in bed I put pressure on the knee cap & the pain went. My lovely lady saw me that afternoon & sure enough the knee cap was out of place. I'm going to have physio because the residual pain is from holding the knee cap in the wrong place.
Having a similar problem my self which was brought on by sleeping in a funny position on our hols in the caravan, my Doctor said that it will settle down in six weeks time, I've already been to to the Chiropractor but he was a bit reluctant to do anything, I'm more annoyed about having to cancel my Snowdon trip but I'm still digging the lotty, :)
I do not think you can say a physio or chiropractic is better or worse.
Advanage of chiropractor is you get to see one straight away- as you are paying! Each are individuals.
There are private Physio's too.
I see a sports massage thereapist - eases the muscles when I've done too much - but there are physios in the same practice and having been refered (by the massage therapist) with the last injury can heartily recommend them.
I think the major point is to find someone you're comfortable with, which is not necessarily the first person you see, if you're going private. not sure you ahve much of a choice on the NHS
When I injured myself initially I went to the Chiropractor but a froz\en shoulder is a muscle/tendon problem so he referred me to the sports physio. I cannot thank that lady enough for relieving my pain. I will repeat myself by saying do not use a COLD compress. It is Heat you need to relax the inflamed muscles. Those heat pads you can now buy at all supermarkets/chemists are brilliant for this kind of pain. Well they did help in my case and also gave me a nights sleep. Hope you have got something sorted for yourself today Sam.
:-*
Thank you again for your informative and helpful messages. Such a great place for advice and support is A4A :)
I have indeed booked an appointment with a chiropractor. I called this morning and good news too - the Chiropractic Clinic is based about a fifteen minute walk from where I live! Nearly fell off me chair when he told me how to find it (then I'd have booked in a bad back too! ;D) He asked me a fair few questions including how long I'd had it, what the doc had done about it (that didn't take long to explain, lol!) which tablets I was given and a little info on the movement I have and don't have. Told him I'd attempted a couple of sessions of swimming (round in circles, mostly) Asked me how I slept, how much I moved about in bed (I said, ooooo, no matron, don't be nawty) had I had an injury that I can remember - any little thing, etc etc. As the first appointment is around half an hour, he's squeezed me in for tomorrow morning at 11.30. I feel nervous, isn't that silly? He said I've to expect discomfort and some pain ... I said I already have that so if it's going to be for the greater good, I'll put up with more ;D He told me how much the sessions will be (but I forgot to ask how long, lol) and it was a much more reasonable figure than I'd read about on the internet. Is it ok to say how much it is? (as long as you don't all write back and say your sessions were £20 cheaper!! ;D)
Anyway, enough waffling but just wanted to let you all know as you'd been so kind & quick with your advice and pointing me in the right direction. Haven't done the hot/cold treatment tonight; thought I may as well wait and see what he says tomorrow to be sure :)
Goodnight :-* :)
Good luck for today Sam. Hope you get some relief from the pain.
Hi Sam, hope you had a good night. It won't be like toothache will it though & go away now you have an appointment ;D.
I pay £39 for about 30 minutes, sometimes a bit more, we do chat a lot & I take her seeds & plants. Never miss an opportunity ;). I've seen her for 10 years now, 9/11 was my first appointment. My lady was a radiographer but when she had the children she wanted to work from home.
Good luck, we await your report.
Hi SamLouise,
So glad you have been able to find a local practioner who can see you straight away. Had a chat with my daughter and she asked me all the questions the chiropractor asked you - most of which I couldn't answer!
Please let us know how you get on, we're all wishing you well and keeping our fingers crossed. xxx
Hope you are sorted out soon... :)
Good luck for this morning, Sam. I don't suppose it will miraculously disappear but I do hope it eases some of the pain. xx
Hi Sam, Poor You!! It is a very miserable thing a frozen shoulder. I too have suffered, and after an appointment with the physio at my doctors, which was unsatisfactory I too went to a chiropractor. She was absolutely brilliant and really helped me. I hope yours will do the trick too, as I think you have made the right choice by seeking one out. It can be expensive but can make such a difference to your health. One of the exercises I was given by mine was to do the breast stroke swimming movement. Just stand up with feet slightly apart on the floor and start as low as you can with the movement, gradually working your way higher. It really loosens you up and you can be as gentle as you want to be and go as far as you are comfortable. Good luck with it, and we hope to hear better news from you soon. love, busy_lizzie
Well .... it all went well I think. We had quite a long chat about it and he seems to feel it's a problem with the rotator cuff, not a frozen shoulder. Gave me lots of advice, asked me lots of questions and spent half an hour doing a bit of manipulation and massage (I don't like neck manipulation one little bit!) He said the muscles in my back and shoulders are ridiculously taut (sp?) which would contribute to but is not the cause. Oh my gosh, every time he tried to massage the back or top of my shoulders I just winced and yelped :-[ I told him to ignore me and just push on, LOL! He thinks as I can't lift my arm up sideways more than 20 degrees that there might be a deeper problem which will be investigated via my GP if there's no response to his treatment after four sessions.
Just as a point of interest, he said that as there's obviously a lot of inflammation going on in there that hot treatment is a definite no for me. Cold treatment only. He also said that alternating between hot and cold for injuries like this is a bad idea as apparently is causes the 'debris' inside to start moving around. I was told to give up trying to swim (I thought I was helping my shoulder by trying to get some motion going, oops :-[ :-\) and between now and next Tuesday I've to dedicate some time each day for shoulder rotations backwards and forwards to try and loosen up a bit. Apparently I can still attend the physio appointments (if they ever arrive) as he said treatments between physio and chiro very rarely clash and the more help the better :)
I didn't feel tender at the time but a couple of hours later I was quite uncomfortable - but I don't care because I'm on the mend! ;D ;D
Great news Sam. I've been known to have acupuncture for the pain from a chiropractic appointment ;D ;D ;D. Now that is wimpish ::).
Glad feeling a bit better, neck and shoulder problems are so demoralising. Every little movement seems to make it sore, give me back ache any time instead!
When you have the treatment, it's only relief. It's later that day, or the next morning, you feel fragile.
Neck crunching is lovely. But you've got be participating, not just having it done to you. (You'll understand what I mean after a few sessions.) You can feel the tension being released.... When I had it really bad, he had to do each disc in turn from the top down.
I still think you should go back to the doctor and get it checked, if it as painful as mine was the othopath wouldn't treat it, and I am sure he made it worse when I first went, and it was only sore, and it cost me £40 a session. The only thing that sorted me out was the doctor and the injection into my shoulder. I know that your shoulder might be different from what I had, but my opinion for what it is worth, is go back to the doctor, and I don't like doctors as a rule, but you really need to get this sorted.
Just a word of caution - be very careful about chiropractic neck manipulation as it has been reported that it's linked to stroke.
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/chirostroke.html
I'm just touching back on this with an update as so many people were nice enough to offer advice.
Well, it's been three months since the initial pain started and after four visits to the doctors, three visits to the chiropractor and one (so far, got another this Thurs) visit to a physiotherapist ... I'm in more pain than ever and made no progress whatsoever. Popping pain killers like sweets, particularly yesterday for some reason.
Last week I wrote a stern letter to my doc and told him that I felt the handling of my injury was not good at all and I wanted some help! I saw him last night (understandably he was not happy with the words in my letter, being a page and a half long an all ... lol) I took my husband for back up, LOL!! But I stood my ground and told him that my right arm is now near on useless - and how had this been allowed to happen, risking permanent damage, yadda yadda.
Anyway, to cut a very long story short, he contradicted himself all over the place. The ultra sound I have booked for next Tuesday won't show anything (he sent me for it) Physio won't help it (he put me forward for it - even though I'm still waiting for the NHS physio after nine weeks and paying privately!) and I shouldn't have bothered with Chiro as it's not that sort of injury (????) But he jabbed me in a different place this time for some relief, which thankfully seems to have worked somewhat for today so I'm trying to move it as much as possible and then he said ... it looks as if it's going to have to be referred to ortho and probably an operation for it to be put right!! He said they usually put a patient under a general anaesthetic and then wrench it free (yes, my toes also curled when he said it!!) I just feel pretty crushed really because I'm sure if he'd acted fast enough before it became this bad, I could have gotten better :'(
Btw, the chiro gave me the boot after three sessions, saying that what he was doing obviously wasn't working because I didn't gain any more range in motion. I just felt that three sessions was a bit quick, I wish he'd persevered a bit longer but obviously as the pro, he knew best. I'm giving physio a shot anyway because I feel I've got nothing to lose and something to gain.
So many thanks to those who posted up helpful advice and tips. Especially thanks to GrannyJ, Borlotti & Carol for the supportive and helpful PMs :-*
I shant be around much on A4A from now on as using a computer causes me quite a lot of pain after 15+ mins. At work, as I have to use one (thankfully only three days a week) I've switched to using my left hand - well, that takes some getting used to, let me tell you, LOL!!
I tore my rotator cuff moving a ladder once. Actually felt it pop. Went to my doc who tried injections and said wait.
I waited with a useless arm for almost 6 mo. for things to improve. He finally sent me
to Orthopedic surgeon who said, "Once a rotator cuff is torn, it is gone and needs surgical repair. To wait is like trying to catch a train after it has left the station. It is impossible."
It took 3 mo. to heal up after surgery but I was able to go horseback riding that 3rd month out west on a trip we'd planned earlier!
I'm very thankful to have had the surgery and hope you feel the same about two weeks AFTER it is over.
The two best inventions for post-shoulder surgery are 1. the ice-water filled ice pack that fits around the shoulder and is attached to an ice-bucket and 2. a recliner chair with the control on the opposite side from the injured arm. I slept in a recliner for the first week or so since getting in and out of bed was extremely uncomfortable <read that " screaming pain">
Best wishes to you!
Really hope they can help you get some relief soon Sam. It has been a long time.
I am another ex-sufferer. I can spot it a mile off in others: eg they start to pour you a cup of coffee from a small coffee pot, then quickly change hands, having forgotten how painful it is. And they walk rather cautiously, because, as we all know, the slightest clumsy knock leaves us paralysed with pain, mouth silently open, trying not to cry out.
Dr referred me to a physio. I watched carefully what she did and after two expensive sessions did it for myself (not the electric thingy, of course). One thing she suggested was holding a broom stick in both hands and using the good arm to push the other one around. Mad, impossible movements like stepping over it and bringing it up and down over my head.......
One of the most useful exercises I invented as a result was to throw a rope over a strong curtain pole and attach it to the bad arm and to a foot. Then I tried to relax the arm completely (not easy) and the foot pushed gently down and up to raise and lower the arm fractionally above the movement it could make by itself. The idea was to gently free the mass of muscle that I imagined to be jammed together.
People told me that the worst thing was to hold the arm close to the body, protectively and stiffly. The muscles contract and go rigid. You have to TRY to swing the arm naturally. Hours of walking about trying to swing the bad arm....."The Ministry of Silly Walks" (Monty Python).
The bad news is that I got it in the second shoulder just as the first recovered and had to endure another 2 years of trying to free it. That made about 5 years of misery. I read somewhere that once you have had it, it NEVER returns. I choose to believe that.
It is SO disabling, I agree. Everything you do, from driving to housework to dancing to (in my lucky case) gorilla trecking in Uganda becomes 10 times more complicated and difficult and slow.
In Uganda, the ranger would try to help me up muddy cliffs by yanking on the wrong arm - I had to explain, and he was incredibly kind after that, carrying my backpack and carefully choosing the good arm every time I was struggling.
Throughout those years I was an illustrator, and as a right-handed person, could barely lift the paintbrush, or move it across the table to pick up more paint.
I am very sympathetic to all who have this awful condition, and can only say that it wears off eventually. Even now, when I find myself lifting my arms vertically above my head to remove clothes or to reach for something high up, I think back to the days when this was completely impossible, and am grateful for freedom from pain. Those were dreadful years.
Sorry taking so long Sam, I've been wondering how you went on. I hope you get some help soon, it's not right that you have had such a long time to put up with this.
Hope you get help to get dressed :D certain items can be a real pain to fasten :o
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotator_cuff_tear (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotator_cuff_tear)
Wikipedia has a really good anatomical diagram and explanation of all the many types of injuries there are to the rotator cuff. Some injuries are barely noticeable while others will never heal on their own.
Hope you can stick aound Sam.......get well soon :)