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Frozen shoulder at a younger age...

Posted , 7 users are following.

Shaina
Shaina

Hi everyone-

I am a 27-year-old used-to-be very active person who has recently been diagnosed with frozen shoulder sad . I am a whitewater kayaker and climber ... so very much an overhead athlete. I injured my shoulder and partially tore my supraspinatus (in the rotator cuff) about a year and a half ago. Surgeons and doctors say it's not torn enough to have surgery, so I did months and months of PT. About a month ago, I tweaked my shoulder when I lost my balance and threw my arm up instinctually for balance. Since then, my shoulder has gotten more and more painful and more and more stiff until they finally diagnosed me with frozen shoulder. It seems to be still in the 'Freezing' stage as my ROM is getting worse. My doctors keep recommending that I get a cortisone shot, but I haven't really had any proof that those work very well for anything but relieving the pain for a little while. They also recommend taking something like Advil on a daily basis...but that just makes me sick. I am seeing my Network Care Provider again (Google Network Spinal Analysis if you don't know what that is) who has successfully helped me get over back and neck pain in the past. I'm also doing stretches and ROM exercises and planning on improving my diet and taking some natual anti-inflammatory pills...we'll see how it goes. Has anybody ever heard of someone in their 20s getting Frozen Shoulder? It'd be nice to hear from anyone who has had success overcoming this (any age!).

Good luck everyone,

~Shaina

0 likes, 24 replies

24 Replies

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  • james80413
    james80413

    Posted

    Terry,

    Surely the PT who has spent 4 or 5 years to get a masters degree or even a doctorate should be able to give you a diagnosis and the correct treatment. Mind you at Rushcliffe hospital the PTs can't touch patients, only give them advice on where to look up their condition on the net. See the recent Guardian newspaper. Stranger still the NHS wants to have Chinese medicine made available soon.

    For any musculoskeletal condition it is all about the anatomy.

    • purplepalmtree
      purplepalmtree james80413

      Posted

      it's not strange at all, I actually wrote a paper of the efficacy of traditional medicines in western medicine, the WHO a few years ago wrote a proposal for governments to recognise traditonal/alternative medicines inconjuction with modern medicine. theres are hundreds of medications on the shelf that are a result of exploration into the bio active fractions of "traditional" plants and herbs eg quinine which was long used in china and has become an essential treatment in combination therapy in malaria. opiates too come from traditional medicine as well as digoxin used in heart meds if I'm not mistaken.

    • ColdShoulder
      ColdShoulder james80413

      Posted

      If FS is an autoimmune disease then it is not about the anatomy. RA would be a good example of an autoimmune disease affecting joints.

    • ColdShoulder
      ColdShoulder purplepalmtree

      Posted

      Placebo effects are powerful with the right patient. I have to laugh when PTs or Docs say take ibuprofen or naproxen. Both work well for garden variety headaches but for myself, 0 relief for FS (even upping the dosage.

      I wish I was susceptible to the placebo effect. I could just rub some butter on the shoulder and all would be well.

  • lindsay37048
    lindsay37048 Shaina

    Posted

    Shaina,

    I'm currently 21, but just before my 19th birthday I started showing symptoms of frozen shoulder. Thinking I just slept on it wrong, I never went to the doctor. Fast forward 10 months later and many unfortunate personal losses later, the death of my grandmother convinced me to see a doctor. My family doctor ridiculed me for not seeing anyone and recommended I see a specialist. I was diagnosed about 6 months ago. Like you I kayaked and I worked manual labor as a farm hand. When I was speaking to my orthopedics shoulder specialist, he mentioned a second demographic that I fall under: Red Hair with family history of diabetes, arthritis, basically all the associated diseases. Considering I am SIGNIFICANTLY younger than most people with it, we didnt believe them until I went in for an MRI. You could clearly see the adhesion. My doctor admitted I was the youngest patient hes ever had with frozen shoulder, and recomended I see a physical therapist. The therapist didn't believe the diagnosis, because of age, and had several conversations with the doctor to confirm the diagnosis. While in therapy, many other elderly people came in with frozen shoulder, they were interesting to talk to. Like you I never got cortisone because of a very bad misdiagnosed injury my dad had in his shoulder. I'd rather feel the pain, know it's there, and know when it's getting better or worse. I was wondering how your shoulder is now and if you fall under that "new" demographic.

    Lindsay

  • virginia_03090
    virginia_03090 Shaina

    Posted

    Inaccurate! Frozen Shoulder Or (AC) is more common in the elderly or diabetics. but you most certainly can have it at a young age. I was 28 when mine was diagnosed. Working in the medical field I knew what it was immediately and received treatment quickly. Usually with younger people there is an underlying cause like RA.  MRI with contrast between the joints confirmed capsular adhesions. Treated with awesome deep steroid injections and lots of PT. Lost no range and recovered fairly quick compared to most. Waiting is the enemy!
    • purplepalmtree
      purplepalmtree virginia_03090

      Posted

      its shocking the amount of people on here that are giving out such inaccurate info, I said the very same thing that theres is no such a thing as being too young to have frozen shoulder, I suggested the cortisol I injections aswell, and I have science background glad to hear someone giving great advice and info

  • virginia_03090
    virginia_03090 Shaina

    Posted

    No proof steroids work for an inflammatory disease? Hit the books because steroids and NSAIDS are all

    We have, and you want a steroid if you indeed have a frozen shoulder. It  decreased my pain level by about 75% in  3 days. Much better option than suffering, taking addictive pain medications, and dragging out the recovery process for months. Do some research on what are “adhesions” and why they cause a frozen shoulder. We 

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