Frozen Shoulder

[Horn of Gabriel 1669]

Orthopedic doc originally thought it was bursitis but on rediagnosis now says Frozen Shoulder. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

My ROM is pretty reduced, especially reaching up high or washing my back. Pain is also pretty intense in those situations. Apparently my T1 diabetes and Thyroid issues both increase my chances. Doc says there isn’t really a treatment, just rest and time and it can take up to two years to clear out. They don’t know what causes it or why it clears on its own.

 

Has anyone done hydrostatic distention? Apparently that is a new treatment (last 10 years) that started in Europe and is now coming over here...

[South Austin 52568]

Stiles: No... but I heard Mr. Murphy, you know, the shop teacher?

Scott Howard: Yeah?

Stiles: Got his dick caught in a vacuum cleaner.

[torre 1286]

1 hour ago, Horn of Gabriel said:

 

.

 

Has anyone done hydrostatic distention? Apparently that is a new treatment (last 10 years) that started in Europe and is now coming over here...

 

.Had a frozen shoulder about 10 years ago.   Dr gave a cortisone shot and I went to physical therapy.    Great, quick results.   However,  important to keep stretching as directed.

Not familiar with the new procedure,    hydrostatic distention.   You may want to ask the doctor to compare with the cortisone shot/physical therapy method.

I know your pain - it will get better.

[freyguy 4284]

Have you had an MRI yet?  Joint could be inflammed, combined with fraying tendons and/or bone spurs.  A little arthroscopic surgery to free up some space could do wonders for you.

[SHOOTER12 8819]

22 hours ago, Horn of Gabriel said:

 

Orthopedic doc originally thought it was bursitis but on rediagnosis now says Frozen Shoulder. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

My ROM is pretty reduced, especially reaching up high or washing my back. Pain is also pretty intense in those situations. Apparently my T1 diabetes and Thyroid issues both increase my chances. Doc says there isn’t really a treatment, just rest and time and it can take up to two years to clear out. They don’t know what causes it or why it clears on its own.

 

Has anyone done hydrostatic distention? Apparently that is a new treatment (last 10 years) that started in Europe and is now coming over here...

 

One of my coworkers wound up with a frozen shoulder after rotator cuff repair.   He did not go to physical therapy initially and his ortho said that's probably what caused the frozen shoulder, improper rehab.

I read an article on line a few weeks ago that focused on not knowing what causes them or why they clear up on their own.  I was really surprised that there was not a definitive answer on what causes it, just a lot of maybe's, ifs ors, or perhaps.

[Lobwedgephil 1139]

Agreed with above, cortisone shot and physical therapy. Shoulder injuries suck. 

[BottleRocket 647]

You might want to make an appointment with these guys if one is convenient to where you live.  My insurance covered it after copay.  After three or four sessions things got better.  I'd put it at 60% improvement. 

https://www.airrosti.com/

From their website:

"Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a condition characterized by stiffness and pain in your shoulder joint. The bones, ligaments, and tendons that make up your shoulder joint are encased in a capsule of connective tissue. Frozen shoulder occurs when this capsule thickens and tightens around the shoulder joint, restricting its movement.

Signs and symptoms typically begin gradually, worsen over time and then resolve, usually within one to three years. If you’ve injured your shoulder or are suffering from chronic shoulder pain, and you don’t use your shoulder for a long time, your joint will stiffen up. From there, it becomes a vicious cycle. If your joint begins to stiffen up, it’s more difficult and painful to use your shoulder, so you use your shoulder even less. Eventually, the lining of the joint will get stiff, severely limiting shoulder movement.

Frozen shoulder typically begins slowly and in three stages. Each stage can last a number of months. The first stage is the freezing stage. Any movement of your shoulder causes pain, and your shoulder’s range of motion starts to become limited. You then move into the frozen stage, where pain may begin to diminish, but your shoulder becomes stiffer and more difficult to use. Finally, you enter the thawing stage. Range of motion typically begins to improve in this stage, but pain may worsen at night and potentially disrupt sleep.

It’s unusual for frozen shoulder to recur in the same shoulder, but some people can develop it in the opposite shoulder. Certain factors may increase your risk of developing frozen shoulder. People who are 40 and older, particularly women, are more susceptible. People who’ve had prolonged immobility or reduced mobility of the shoulder are at significantly higher risk of developing frozen shoulder."

Edited February 7, 2019 by BottleRocket

[shakahorn 1645]

Sep 2017 I started feeling a nagging irritation, not even pain, in my right shoulder.  I'm left handed.  Never had an injury in that shoulder.  Initially just felt like something that would go away with a little stretching, light exercise, etc.  Got progressively worse, thought it might be repetitive stress injury, but May of 2018 I took a two week vacation and it didn't get even the slightest bit better.  Finally got so bad in Oct 2018 went to see a doc, who took an x-ray and sent me to PT.

PT was basically some awfully painful forced stretching, hand behind the back, over the head, etc.  combined with weight training and some other exercises.  I hadn't lifted weights since I was in high school.  Therapist said I better not get arrested because I couldn't even put my hand behind my back without serious pain.

Two sessions a week through December down to one session a week in January and I'm close to 100%. 

[Whatever 700]

Is Frozen Shoulder the same as the Cold Shoulder? 'Cause the wife seems to have that a lot.

[El Diablo 4232]

Didn't know there was a link between thyroid and frozen shoulder. My mother has had thyroid issues for years and also had a frozen shoulder at one time. Weird.

[pevodog 14]

High blood sugar can cause a frozen shoulder.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Buzzrock 14936]

Totally thought this was going to be a bbq thread.

Don’t neglect the PT. Shoulder injuries suck. I’ve had one rotator cuff and one decompression surgery.

[TwiceHorn 31529]

I'm coming off a broken collarbone and doing my PT religiously to avoid this.  The good news seems to be that rotation is not limited at all.

[GhostOfTomJoad 9349]

Went through FS two years ago. Orthopedist game me 2 cortisone shots early on when it was presenting as a different problem. Cortisone is not great long term so approach with caution.

My ortho discouraged PT during the experience. Says he's seen many patients cause additional damage during PT so recommended we let it run its course which was about 9 months total. I was seeing a massage therapist on a weekly basis and that helped with the pain management and flexibility.

It took awhile to get the strength back in my shoulder & my kettle bell routines were humiliating when I started back up, but so far so good.

[Dbeasy 15084]

I’m now on month 13 of it. I can finally sleep somewhat on that shoulder. I can lift a whole 5 pound weight. I can put on my jacket. It’s amazing.

[Horn of Gabriel 1669]

18 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

I’m now on month 13 of it. I can finally sleep somewhat on that shoulder. I can lift a whole 5 pound weight. I can put on my jacket. It’s amazing.

I'm probably 9 months behind you.  I never in my wildest imagined the pain of putting on a jacket or lifting a suitcase into the overhead.  It's even painful for me to get my arm in the right spot for squats.  I'm desperately searching for a shortcut to the yearlong process of unfreezing this thing.  So far my research has turned up only a few options:

1) Benign neglect - effectively do nothing other than light stretching to get back ROM.  Deal with the pain for 12-36 months and hopefully it will clear on its own.

2) Aggressive PT - get stretched by a PT and do their routine.  My Othopedist says it will be painful, might give me minor ROM improvements but won't really accelerate the process much.

3) Steroid shot - might help with pain but won't affect ROM; downsides to having multiple shots plus it fucks with my already fucked blood sugars.  Another Ortho offered to put the shot all the way into the ball/socket, not above as they did before, but again, same up/downside.

4) Manual manipulation under sedation - they knock you out and push/pull your arm in ways that would have you screaming if you were awake.  Try to break the joint capsule.  They put in a nerve block and pain med catheter into the shoulder.  A week+ of seeing the PT for more aggressive stretching.   They claim it helps accelerate the process.  Advised as painful, hence the block.  I'm not wild about any of this, especially going under general anesthesia.  Small risk of them factoring a bone as they jerk you around.

5) Shoulder hydrodilatation/hydrodistention - they inject your shoulder with a high volume of saline + a small amount of steroid to "distend" it and break the joint capsule.  Treatment started in the UK and there aren't many providers in the US that offer it - in fact I can't find ANY in Austin that offer this treatment.  Less pain than manual manipulation, studies say it recovers ROM quickly and accelerates the whole process.  Local ortho's are clueless when I ask about it.  Surgeons want to surgeon.

[Armybrat 40876]

Had a partial rotator cuff tear two years ago, but no surgery - just some light PT. Reinjured a month ago but haven’t seen the ortho doc about it - just doing the exercises off & on.

It does hurt some to stretch around and wipe my ass. Still have full ROM, but with a bit of snap, crackle & pop. The bone spurs & arthritis acting up.

[Mother mopar 3323]

On the topic of shoulders, any body have experience on a shoulder replacement. I'm going under the knife next month. I've had 2 previous surgeries on the shoulder but never had anything "replaced" Sorry for the hijack.

[ss13 1832]

Here you go. 

 

[RPM 26341]

On 2/7/2019 at 9:39 PM, shakahorn said:

Therapist said I better not get arrested because I couldn't even put my hand behind my back without serious pain.

No worries, the kind officer will assist you in getting your hands in the proper position. Just stop resisting his help.

[Dbeasy 15084]

Saw this was bumped. Hang in there. It took all the way thru 2019 to regain movement and most of my strength. So it was a two year journey and one of the most painful injuries I ever had. I did do some light physical therapy in the fall, but mostly it was just rest that got it most of the way back. I still can’t do exercises on the shoulder though. Not enough strength.

[HeHateMe 887]

On 2/9/2020 at 5:30 PM, Mother mopar said:

On the topic of shoulders, any body have experience on a shoulder replacement. I'm going under the knife next month. I've had 2 previous surgeries on the shoulder but never had anything "replaced" Sorry for the hijack.

You having a total, hemi or reverse done?  Who is the doc?  What city are you in?  

[SHOOTER12 8819]

On 2/9/2020 at 6:30 PM, Mother mopar said:

On the topic of shoulders, any body have experience on a shoulder replacement. I'm going under the knife next month. I've had 2 previous surgeries on the shoulder but never had anything "replaced" Sorry for the hijack.

I'm your huckleberry...

I waited way too long to have mine done and as a result had to have a reverse replacement.  The reason for the delay was the misdiagnosis of tendonitis for years when it was a torn rotator cuff.

The other patients I met in therapy were very pleased with the results. (regular replacement). Good surgeon and good therapists are crucial.  While you will have discomfort during therapy, do NOT let some half wit therapist push you too far.

But do not wait until it's so bad you have to have the reverse replacement.  Best case prognosis is "horrible". Major loss of ROM.  If you don't think it's a big deal, you will be in for a rude surprise as to how Important it is to be able to reach or twist just a precious inch or two

Best of luck my friend, and be patient.

[Deej 76897]

On 2/12/2019 at 4:10 PM, Armybrat said:

It does hurt some to stretch around and wipe my ass. 

Check out the bidet thread.