Hydrodilation Success Story

Posted , 7 users are following.

Hi I would like to share my experience with frozen shoulder and how hydrodilation worked wonder for me. I first developed persistant left shoulder pain in 2012 following a weight training session. By January 2013, I lost most of the range of motion (external rotation, lifting to the top and side). First I went to a private physiotherapist in Harley street who correctly diagnosed me having "atypical frozen shoulder" (frozen shoulder that does not follow a normal pattern) and she wrote a letter to ask my GP to refer me to a consultant. My GP referred me to a physiotherapy clinic instead of shoulder consultant (I supposed they tried to save money). I had several months of physiotherapy under the NHS which gave no improvement. Then i had a MIR scan which gave several false positives (torn rotator cuff, bursitis, AC joint arthistis) and therefore the physio clinic made the wrong diagnosis. Then they suggested i should have a steriod injection which i opposed because steriod is bad for the tendon and I never got to see a consultant under the NHS. Out of frustration, I paid privately to see one of the top shoulder specialists who also works in the NHS. The consultant himself had frozen shoulder and was treated succesfully by hydrodilation.  In April 2013 he referred me to have hydrodilation under NHS and saw me in the follow-up appointment also under NHS.

       Within two weeks after the hydrodilation, I returned 90% of range of motion. I worked very hard to do all the rehab exercises with a boom stick at home religiously. After two months , my shoulder returned to 100% range of motion and pain free. I have returned to intense weight lifting for one and half a year. Now I look back to the past when i felt hopelessness and depression. I read many depressing stories on internet about frozen shoulders.  I feel very fortunate and grateful because I happened to see the shoulder expert on frozen shoulder and hydrodilation works like a miracle cure for me.

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7 Replies

  • Posted

    Do you really think you had a frozen shoulder? Frozen sholders are genetic and so in families and have nothing to do with injuries. I would think that a weight lifting injury would cause a synovitis of the glenohumeral joint and that would result in the same restrictions of that joint. I have scanned the med journals, not one mention of "atypical frozen shoulder". Can you explain what was not the normal pattern.

    Hydrodilation I think, because of the particular cells which migrate into the joint capsule, would find it difficult to expand the capsule. With an inflammed capsule without these cells hydro could work. It would be interesting to know your age what the physiotherapy treatments were

    and also why you would wish to do intense weight lifting.

    • Posted

      Hi. my shoulder surgeon actually dismissed the link between weight lifting injury and frozen shoulder. He thought it was just a coincidence.

      Having said that I read some guy who has a frozen shoulder blog and he developed frozen shoulder after falling  off a bike. My pain first developed when i did overhead pressing with weights in the gym.  Actually the NHS physio clinic firmly believed that I had a torn rotator cuff and bursitis based the MIR . However frozen shoulder often gives false positives in the MRI scans and therefore wrong diagnostics could be made. I researched this in medical journals about frozen shoulder myself.

      If you type in "atypical frozen shoulder", you will see a few medical journal articles mentioning it. In my case, i think the first private physiotherapist refered it as atypical becuase it does not show the clear-cut development of three phases of classic frozen shoulder. However my shoulder surgeon just simply referred my case as frozen shoulder. I don't really know if there is any fundamental difference between normal and atypical frozen shoulder. I have been warned that I got a good chance of developing frozen shoulder on my right good arm in the future.  So it is definitely a genetic condition or inherited conditions if you have diabetes.

      My age is 47. I have been weight lifting and being a fitness fanatic since the age of 25. I did many overhead miltary presses and abused my shoulders in the past. Now I am extremely carefully in the gym and I am taking much more holistic approach. I do both weight lifting and hot yoga...I still do rehab strengthening and strectching exercises of my shoulders in the gym even my shouldrs are all normal now.

      My physiotherapy treatment were 4 months of manual manipulation but it did not do much at all. However the home exercises were very useful. I also used boom stick to do exercises and rubber bands a lot.

      Then icing was my number one choose of reducing the inflammation. I iced three times a day and also used eletro simulation for pain management for a few months.

  • Posted

    Hi ursine, I am also suffering from frozen shoulder.

    First my left shoulder which took more than a year to get back to normal and now the right one. I am doing some physio although I know that it doesn't work. I am at my wits end because apart from not having had a good night's sleep for months, I am struggling at work.

    I have just come across hydrodilatation on the web. Apparently in Australia it is routine for frozen shoulders. My GP never mentioned it.

    Is it possible to have the name of the shoulder specialist consultant that you used? 

    Many thanks

    • Posted

      Hi Phaedra, My shoulder consultant is Mark Curtis. He worked in several private pratices and a NHS Hospital. 

      In the UK, it costs about £350 privately but i had it done under NHS because my hospital agreed to do it after seeing Mark Curtis's letter.

      The earlier you seek hydrodilation treatment, the better chance  it will be successful. I had it done under ultra sound guided injection and it was painless. It is important to do rehab exercises at home a few days after the hydrodilation. Trust me i didn't believe it would work for me but it was 100% cure!!!

  • Posted

    Hi ursine,

    Your reply was very helpful, thank you. I looked at his website and he explains everything about hydrodilatation. 

    I will be off to my GP today to find out if I can do it locally. Otherwise I will contact him.

    i have lived with frozen shoulders for almost 20 months now, first one and then the other and I am quite annoyed at the ignorance and reluctance of my GP to do anything to help me. Thanks again. 

  • Posted

    Hi there

    I'm waiting for hydrodilitation at the moment.  Pain is not as bad as it was but thats because i had a steriod injection. But i still cannot move my arm and feel its worse now. So im waiting for the appointment.  I work in an office and use of the 'mouse' is getting more painful every day. By the end of the day i cannot wait to get home so i can take my painkiller.  Then i sleep on and off all night!   No social life at all right now.  And i feel im going to be off work soon as driving and using the computer is getting more and more painful each day.

     

  • Posted

    I am seriously interested in hydrodilatation. Where can this be done in the UK?

    I am going through those feelings of hopelessness and facing a third steroidal injection after shoulder surgery two months ago

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