Hydrostatic distension - hydrodilation?

Thanks FSresearcher. Do you know how long (waiting list) it will be for you to receive the procedure?

I've been told it's a month wait. We will see! I expect I might need to chase them up 😀

Hi there I have this procedure scheduled for tomorrow morning and feel a little freaked out at the thought of it. Could you talk me through what happened and was the pain tolerable? I'm having mine privately st spires

I documented my experience more fully on another thread - you'll find that if you click on my name.  This is what happened to me:

I was told not to drive, so my daughter drove me to the hospital where I was to have the procedure.  I was very nervous but the procedure itself went well and took 15-20 minutes in total.  I'd worn a vest top, which meant I didn't need to wear a gown and just dropped my straps off my bad shoulder.  I was asked to lie on my front, with a pillow for support.  I'd thought the procedure was done via x-ray guidance but it was in fact ultrasound guided.  The doctor explained what was about to happen and did an initial scan of my shoulder area before giving me a local anaesthetic.  He then put in the needle for the hydrodilatation, which administered first some cortisone and then saline.  He said I might feel some pushing and to let him know if it became painful.  There was some discomfort but I wouldn't describe it as painful and within a few minutes, he said the saline had started to leak out of the joint and the procedure was over.  He did another scan and checked my movement before and after - there was perhaps a couple of degrees improvement but nothing drastic.  I left the hospital with a plaster on my shoulder and feeling fine.  He said I might experience a bit of aching once the local anaesthetic wears off but the cortisone should kick in within a day or two and should improve things pain-wise.

 I had some aching when the local anaesthetic wore off but nothing too drastic, just a mild ache.  This has gradually worn off over the next couple of days.  After that I had just an odd slight twinge on certain movements and if I tried to push too far beyond my range but it didn't hurt at all at rest and I could even lie on that side - for a short time at least.

The physio (visited a few days later) seemed to think I had gained a bit more movement since my previous visit.  I told him that from my perspective, lack of pain was most important and I was happy to regain my movement slowly. He checked me out and did a bit of minor manipulation but basically said it was up to me from now.  He was happy for me to carry on with the excercises at home and only need to go back to him if I had problems - which I haven't.

That was back in December - I would say my movement is now about 90% normal and I remained pain free.  It isn't restricting me at all in my daily life now and I don't really think about it.  Though there was no instant release of the capsule (it can happen to some) it was still a success from my point of view to get rid of the pain.  Good luck with your procedure and don't panic.  Let us know how you get on.

Thank you so much for your reply. Not sure why I am so anxious guess it's reading up on others experiences. I will take my codeine phosphate which I normally only gave in the evening as they knock me a bit but hubby driving me so at least I'll be less anxious. I have had the cortisone shot which I did not feel was painful at all so fingers crossed

Good to hear of your success Maria.  To provide some more reassurance to dpa, my experience was very similar but less painful.  I felt a small prick from the initial injection, but the anaesthetic took effect pretty much instantly.  The dilation itself felt a bit weird but not painful.  I could feel the pressure building in the capsule as the injection was administered but it was odd rather than unpleasant.  I did feel the capsule release, a sharp "popping" sensation, and I think some noise but I'm not sure of that.  It was a slight shock but not at all painful (I did jump slightly on the gurney!).  After the procedure I got the train home, and my shoulder just felt numb.

when I got off the train, as I stepped down I jarred my body as my foot hit the floor.  This kind of jarring would have caused agony two hours earlier, but this time I felt only the very slightest twinge.  That night was my first pain free sleep in I don't know how long, and as I said, within six days I was hammering golf balls again with all my strength.  My playing partners could not believe it.  After the first treatment the pain never returned.  My second treatment was similar, but no further capsule release (which I found oddly disappointing at the time...).  The shoulder was more numb after the second treatment (higher dose maybe?) but nothing unpleasant, it just made it tricky to eat a plate of beans as my arm would go so far towards my mouth and then kind of flop??  Definitely a good idea not to drive after the procedure.  My range of motion came back quickly, I would say close to 100% within 2-3 weeks.

Thank you terry for sharing, certainly does ease my stress. Think I'm a bit loopy to be honest almost eight months of agony, one would imagine twenty minutes of potential pain would be a walk in the park ??. Will post my experience after. Scheduled 9.30 am tomorrow x

Don't be silly, you're not loopy.  It's completely natural to be anxious.  Do let us know how it goes.

oh and it wasn't 20 minutes for me, it was five minutes tops!

It's only natural to be nervous - I was.  It was not painful for me - slighly uncomfortable for a very short time but no pain. The 15-20 minutes included the whole time I was in there, including scans and checks before and after - the actual procedure was probably about 5 minutes. Good luck!

To Maria and terry just back from hydrodilatation and honestly can say the worst part was the discomfort holding my arm next to my body palm up and weighted down. Only word to describe the procedure is weird. He heard a pop but I didn't. Not painful at all and so happy I didn't chicken out. Onwards and upwards now hoping for positive results but either way so pleased I have had this done xx

Glad to hear it went OK - let us know how you get on after a few days and if you have any movement back.  All the best!

Will do was panicky as thought the result should be immediate. They did say increased pain possibly for a few days. How were you just after, is it normal to be achy?

Yes, I had a mild ache when the local anaesthetic wore off and that went away after a couple of days when the cortisone kicked in.  Some people get more instantaneous release of the capsule, mine got better over a period of months - but for me the biggest immediate benefit was to be without pain.

Thank you relieved I'm on track with someone's experience that ended positively ??