Frozen shoulder and who we are??
Posted , 19 users are following.
Hi all just thought I would try and get us all together; to see who we are how we got here, how many there are of us; our ages , jobs lifestyle etc to try and find any plausible link to what we are going through..
I am Cindy, (as some of you already know), I have just turned 48, i live in Norfolk, UK.
I think I am starting to go through the change in life with the dreaded hot flushes😳.and lack of menstral cycle. I have had frozen shoulder since Oct 15, although I believe my first diagnosis was rotar cuff injury ? I had not had any injury to my shoulder, just a bucket load of stress prior to the onset ??
I would consider myself healthy, with a good diet, I drink occasionally and do not smoke. I am a senior support worker, I do use a computer daily...., and I probably did not exercise as much as I should have.
There is history of FS in my family and arthritis?
This forum has kept me sane (thank you all).. I believe I am now FROZEN, movement is restricted and the pain;although still there is more bearable. I still need the comfort of my heat mat and I have found a TENS machine works well , I have also started Trigger Point Therapy which is helping: I am also sleeping a little better although 8 hours sleep is a very distant memory !! Any way I'm rambling now my idea for this discussion was bullet points to try and find a connection ; so I've blown that already😊 anyway if you want to respond; thank you x
3 likes, 53 replies
kim18826 cindy_45475
Posted
Good idea. I am Kim, i am 50 and had frozen left shulder since August 2014, following 2 operations on my left shoulder i now have a pretty good ROM and feel quite good...Howver, i now have a frozen right shoulder, so yes all the pain that is still very much alive in my head is now in my other shoulder, i am totally fed up as i'm sure everyone is and cannot believe i have to go through all this again, i have been referred back to my srgeon so im praying i do not have to wait too long.... not sleeping, tens machine and a handful of pills whilst maintaining my job as a recruitment manager, its very difficult as i am right handed so this time tasks are proving even more difficult. I spent 10 years in the Army and was extremely fit but now as you, i could benefit from exercise, i am not overweight, i very rarely drink, i dont smoke and there is not history in my family of FS. I have had no injury and im not diabetic.....
Wish someone would come up with a reason why this happens, i was just moving on from my left shoulder nd now going through it all again.........oh well on the brightside maybe only another 2 years of pain!!!! (if i'm lucky)
cindy_45475 kim18826
Posted
And Im glad to hear that your operations were successful , there appears to be many on this site that have not had the same success; and the thought of going under the knife feels me with dread!!
Let's hope someone finds a cure for this soon. Take care and good luck x
kim18826 cindy_45475
Posted
Dont be worried about going under the knife, its quick, the scars are tiny and most of the time it works!!! gets you out of pain quicker......
Good luck x
claire50742 cindy_45475
Posted
I too do not smoke although I probably drink too much as in - 3 glasses of white wine a night.
I exercised every day having 2 PT sessions a week and extra gym when I could. So, I have no idea why I have this. I do however have memories of my mother having a FS when Iwas a kid.
that's my story -
karen25221 cindy_45475
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claire50742 karen25221
Posted
maria58274 cindy_45475
Posted
This didn't start with a specific injury for me. Hard to pinpoint but I first noticed twinges in my right (dominant) shoulder late spring last year. Thought I may have pulled something lifting my grandson or something like that but couldn't think of anything specific. It gradually got worse over the summer and I started to wonder if it was anything to do with the increased use of a telephoto lens with my camera. It also felt worse if I spent too much time on the PC. I've always been a bit round shouldered and tended to slouch forward - I've since got a more supportive PC chair and tried to maintain a better posture.
Eventually it became obvious that this wasn't going to get better on it's own. My shoulder was aching all the time most days, my movement were severely restricted and sleeping was very difficult. I finally went to the doctor in September and after checking my lack of movement, he diagnosed frozen shoulder. All he could offer was a sheet of excercises, a bag of pain-killers and a 3 month wait for NHS physio. I was lucky enough to be able to get an appointment quicker through my hubbies Bupa membership. One of the physiotherapists recommended hydrodilatation and a consultant who could do this and I had it done in December. I think by this time I was probably in the frozen stage, as though very still, the pain was reducing, at least during the day. The procedure was painless for me and wiithin 2 days I was out of pain. I can sleep on my good side and no longer need to be propped up. I am am still gradually regaining my movements and hoping that the odd twinges I felt in my other shoulder don't develop into a second frozen shoulder. I'm continuing excercises at home, stopping if it hurts - physio certainly felt like it set me back, if they pushed too hard. The remaining lack of movement is no longer causing me major problems and I can cope with getting the rest back gradually.
Things I've considered that might have some bearing - you do a lot of thinking at 3am when you can't sleep! Firstly, lack of hormones - not sure if it is a cause but I think there is some contribution. The shoulder capsule is largely collagen and estrogen has a role to play in maintaining this. Bad posture - may not help - I did spend a lot of time at my PC and tended to slouch forward with the mouse. Lack of movement - we hear about people being imobilised in slings, etc, having issues but I started to think about this. When I'm walking about, my lefty arm swings freely but my right arn is generally imobile, clutching my shoulder bag or my camera bag. I also wondered about spending a lot of time hand-holding a (relaively) heavy camera and telephoto lens. All just guesses of course but worth considering.
Lets hope someone does some proper research and finds a cause - and a cure - for this awful condition soon!
teri17216 cindy_45475
Posted
I did not have an injury or anything, just started noticing pain and increasingly restricted movement. I purchased a tens machine and it has really helped.
I will come back and post more, have to do some work now!
cindy_45475
Posted
We all seem to be ( or have been ) relatively fit, obviously our ages are a factor, and I'm assuming we all carry handbags? and we know we are hormonal creatures, and the majority of us as not sustained an injury? However it does effect men too ; all all be it a small proportion ...and it effects us no matter where we live in the world. 😳. Ok I'm none the wiser really but good to talk. I'm off to my trigger point therapy this morning , so bye for now, wishing you all well x
maria58274 cindy_45475
Posted
There are lots of theories out there and though we do seem to become more of an expert than many GPs, it can be difficult to sort out fact from conjecture - and certainly best to avoid some of the more cranky theories and treatments. I just hope that someone gets to the bottom of it.
Good luck with your therapy - let us know how you go on.
claire50742 cindy_45475
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maria58274 claire50742
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https://patient.info/forums/discuss/it-does-get-better--484855
Theory is, it generally takes 1-3 years to get better on it's own, depending on the individual - and I suppose it depends if there are other issues involved. It's impossible to say whether those who have had various treatments would have got on without it - and how much it speeded their recovery. Mine started sometime in spring last year, was most painfull in summer to early autumn and I think I was reaching the frozen state from around late October - but there seem to be a lot of different experiences on here, as well as additional problems involved. I wish you all the best and hope you find some relief soon!
cindy_45475 maria58274
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teresa59318 cindy_45475
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cindy_45475 teresa59318
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I wish you the same x