2 shots, no relief yet!
Posted , 8 users are following.
I am brand new to this forum and have never participated in a forum before! I was diagnosed with frozen shoulder about a month ago after waiting about 4 months to go to see a Dr/orthopedist. Long story short: I happened to ask my OB/GYN if there was some connection between what seemed to be some perimenopause symptoms and the fact that I had been having back pain and shoulder pain at the same time. (Now my hip hurts too...) I wondered aloud if maybe it was all hormonal somehow and she gave me a funny look and a meandering answer that ended with "we really just don't know." I didn't think much of this until I told a friend that I was going to a Dr to see about my shoulder. She proceeded to tell me that she had rotator cuff surgery and while in PT for that, she developed frozen shoulder. She discovered that her estrogen levels were very low, she went on HRT and "within a few days" felt more movement and relief for her shoulder.
I am upset and amazed that SO many women have had these experiences, yet there is very little information out there and the recommended course of treatment is always Physical therapy.
I completely understand what others on this forum have been sharing related to pain etc. I am a yoga instructor and need to be able to move my arms!!!
I have some appointments in the future with some recommended health care folks and will post again if I get some helpful ideas/meds etc. I have some additional issues that may make taking hormones an issue, so I am hoping for some ideas related to diet, supplements and herbal remedies that might help me out.
2 likes, 35 replies
beverly52803 karenus
Posted
karen, I experienced FS at menopause as well. Was highly suspicious & asked my GP if there was any connection. (It seemed my body was doing peculair things in general.) He said there wasn't, but I saw a 2nd orthopedist who was in sports medicine (the 1st orthopedist immediately suggested surgery) and he gave me an article from a medical journal (I nearly kissed him!) which stated that FS was experienced more frequently by menopausal women. (I made a copy and left it with my GP).
I had had blood tests around the same time to check hormone levels because of vaginal issues and my levels were fine. So in my case estrogen didn't appear to be the problem. Prior to the onset of the FS I had been doing a tremendous amount of physical work ( just bought an old house). Lots of snow shoveling on top of that (I'm single).The FS, however, was immediately precipitated by my elevating my body on one elbow to straighten robe while in bed when I felt in incredible stabbing pain in the shoulder. From that point on the shoulder was too sore to move. When I told the doctors this all dismissed it as the possible cause, which I couldn't understand. Didn't fit into the rule book, I guess.
The medical journal article explained the 3 stages including thawing, ultimately saying there was no apparent advantage to having any invasive procedures. In my case it took 3 extremely uncomfortable years. I was not offered steroid injections; the doctor felt I was too young and they can actually cause problems. Tried PT but could not tolerate the pain.
When I finally thawed I had residual neck, shoulder and back problems for many years till having acupuncture. The result was nothing short of miraculous. I am now totally pain free and have full ROM. Cannot recommend it highly enough. Some of it was very painful, but I didn't care because I felt it was getting at the root of the problem..which it DID.
I had a slight FS start on the other side, but acupuncture seemed to nip it in the bud. As a yoga person I assume you will be open to the acupuncture idea and perhaps you can even barter with a practitioner.
Re taking hormones, I'm sure you know there are problems associated with that as well, but I don't know if there are if your levels are low. I avoided them as I had a sister with estrogen receptive breast cancer.
Be grateful that there are forums such as these. There weren't any when it happened to me and I was all but asking strangers in the street! I just knew answers and info were out there, but there was no access. Now there is! Best of luck to finding your way through the FS quagmire!
karenus beverly52803
Posted
I will let everyone know if I stumble upon something that proves helpful!
karenus
Posted
grahame87245 karenus
Posted
It's not only women who suffer this pretty bloody awful condition. I've had it twice. Different things for different people but I had surgery. Not the mua but arthroscopic capsular release. Blooming brilliant. If you are going under the knife then consider it. The gut wrenching pain when you knock your arm went immediately. A couple of months of physio and I was back to normal. In fact I had surgery on the Friday and was back at work driving lorries on the following Monday. Maybe I pushed a bit hard but I had to work. The operation left no visible scars. As I said different things for different people but it's worth a thought. Good luck and welcome to the club.
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karenus grahame87245
Posted
Thanks for your reply! I do know that men also suffer from frozen shoulder. I think that is partly why the potential for hormones to be the culprit (in some cases) gets dismissed. Did you have an injury or surgery that brought yours on? A couple of the men I have talked to have all had some other shoulder injury first and then developed frozen shoulder afterward. Obviously a couple of people doesn't prove a thing! I hope to avoid surgery, but I will not rule it out. Because I am having some other orthopedic aches and pains along with frozen shoulder, I am looking more broadly at what is at the root of all of this. Thanks again for your response.
jull karenus
Posted
Don't mean to be negative but there was a previous thread where the discussion focused on how acupuncture didn't help many people who tried it. See if you can search and find it
beverly52803 grahame87245
Posted
grahame, if I remember correctly I was told it was most common with men who golfed. My father (an avid golfer) said he had had it. When mine took hold I was told by a male friend 15 years my senior that what I had could not possibly be as bad as what his had been(!) A rather hilariously sexist sentiment if there ever was one, but he was completely serious.
I don't know if the procedure you had was what my 1st orthopedist wanted to perform, but the 2nd doctor felt it was expensive and ultimately pointless as the "connections" would re-form and PT would be required to break them. I was willing to take his word as I have a strong wish to avoid any surgeries if I can.
I will put the you tube clip of your procedure in another post in case it is verboten...although it is clearly not an ad.
beverly52803 karenus
Posted
this shows the arthroscopic capsular release in all it's gory detail! Actually it isn't bloody, I just don't know one part from another and I wince at the thought of how tender all that is. I believe you will have to copy & paste into your search box.
Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the link as users can easily find the information searching Youtube for the procedure rather than linking to a specific website. If users want the specific link use the Private Message service to exchange.
http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398331-private-messages
karenus jull
Posted
karenus
Posted
I promised an update after my Dr visit: pleased to hear that this Dr indeed agrees that I have an "inflammatory process" going on. She stated it is not uncommon for women entering menopause to develop some kind of inflammatory process such as new allergies etc. I also have some peri-menopause specific issues, but it was nice to hear her say that she thought that all of it was connected to this "change of life." She suggested accupuncture for the pain associated with frozen shoulder and 1,000 omega fish oil as a supplement that addresses inflammation. I am also going to incorporate an "anti-inflammation' diet. Of course, none of this will be miraculous overnight, but if nothing else, it gives me something healthy to focus on while I do my PT and work through this frozen shoulder nonsense!
I'm pleased to be working with an "intergrative health" MD who focuses not just on the next pill/procedure but overall wellbeing. I will provide the forum with an update after a couple of weeks! Wish me luck!