FROZEN SHOULDER SHOULD I BE OFF WORK

Does anyone get back pain with their frozen shoulder, because I can't reach properly I think I put strain on my back?

Haven't used a TENS machine, someone did say they work for some people.

Yes I used a tens machine and it helped with the pain but it's a bit unwieldy if you want to use it whilst walking around. It wasn't really suitable for use at work.

Hi Lynda , sorry if this sounds trite, have you got occupational health at work ?, you need to approach your employer about making your job easier for you , they are failing to support you , when they know you have a problem

Go back to them and ask them to comply with what they suggested , your fozen shoulder spunds like it is being caused by the typing , my frozen shoulder was set off in the same way Repetitive strain basically

Good luck with your employer , try hot and cold packs everday , this can help reduce the imflamation

in the joint , are you able to do any swimming or gentle exercize in water , this will help , also a jacuzzi bath where the shoulder is massaged by the water , , dont give up , are you able to change your job ? Sounds like you may be plagued with this while ever you keep typing , hope you can find something usefull here , dont give up

Best wishes

Hi,

I decided to research my shoulder injury and came across this site...excellent. However, somewhat dismayed at the length of time this condition takes to rectify itself!

I am a hgv driver and had a fall at work (not from any height just tripped and fell onto concrete) a month ago and have been signed off since.

Having had an ultrasound which showed a torn shoulder muscle and some tendon/ligament damage I am due for an appointment with the consultant later today....

I thought that I may be off work a month at most but reading the comments on here I fear that it may be longer.

As others have stated my pain is worse at night causing me to get only about 4 hours sleep and during the day a constant nagging ache/pain in shoulder which when moved intensifies into a burning pain, only taking ibufrofen at moment.

There is no way that I could entertain going back to work with this pain as pulling trailer curtains open & closed and even climbing up into the cab of the truck I think I would find impossible.

Even though I was surfing the internet for a quick fix I don't think that's going to happen!

I am currently going through my second frozen shoulder. I've recently had a new treatment that has been pretty effective. It was a (and I'm quoting from the doctor's letter here) pulsed radio frequency to the suprascapular nerve. It was done under sedation, but I was in and out of hospital in a few hours. I've also been given lidocaine plasters to lay across the shoulder at night which help enormously. Brand name is Versatis - usually prescribed for post shingles pain I believe.

These are fairly new ways of treating FS - I don't know how widely available they are. But after the agony I went though last time I was desperate. I have a profoundly disabled teenage child, so being out of action for months on end is really problematic.

I'm not going to say that these things have been a 'cure'. But they have made the condition manageable with regular pain killers. Most importantly, I can sleep at night (with my arm propped on a pillow).

I also got prescribed Lyrica to "help dampen down nerve activity" as my doctor put it, but I'm not sure it did much. I am 2 months in to this second bout of FS and the treatments have definitely made it less intense than the first time. Having said that, I'll still be thankful when it's over. With Christmas looming, it could not come at a worse time.

are you diabetic...???

no just do some exercises...

Seen consultant and had MRI, got nearly complete severed tendon in upper arm and capsulitis in shoulder, am now awaiting possible operation.

Hi Kevin,

No, I'm not diabetic. I've had to stop working out while my shoulder heals. I have a personal trainer that I usually see twice a week. I'm 5'6" and 53 kilos so very far from overweight (actually I'm underweight). My shoulder injuries have probably been caused by trying to lift my disabled son - over time, tiny tears have added together until the capsule inflames. At least that's what my doctor thinks. You obviously think I'm just fat and lazy.

And there was me thinking this was somewhere to share info and support while I dealt with this horrible, deeply depressing condition for the second time in 2 years. Guess I was wrong.

Hi Dave,

Ouch! That sounds really painful. Ask your consultant about the nerve block (suprascapular nerve) that I had. It's the only thing that has given me any relief. The effect apparently only lasts about 8 weeks (I had mine a week ago) but when you're in agony, even 8 weeks relief seems pretty blissful. I am still in some pain, but it is manageable. Before the nerve block I was really struggling to cope with even the smallest everyday tasks.

I also had some trigger point injections at the same time which helped ease some of the surrounding muscles. And I use trigger point therapy balls which you can get on Amazon pretty cheaply. Put them on the floor and lie on them for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Ask your physio or look for videos on Youtube.

I hope some of this is of use to you.

Hi Niki,

Thanks for your comments.

I am on codeine (lovely stuff! ) and as long as I don't move shoulder too much it isn't too bad. Seeing consultant next week and, hopefully, he'll have MRI results.

I hope that he wants to proceed with operation as if not I will be worrying that whenever I'm at work whether I may damage the tendon further by completely severing it.

I am regularly seeing physiotherapist (or should that be physioTERRORIST as I'm sure they are all sadists!) to build up muscles in shoulder.

Hi Dave,

I saw my pain specialist a few days ago and he's put me on 2 new drugs - Lyrica and amytripteline. They are not pain killers - they work on the nerve activity. Since starting taking them, the spasming pain when I move my arm has almost stopped. The ache is still there but much less. These pills do have side effects (headache, dizziness, drowsiness) but I'm told this passes after a week or so.

I'm seeing my physio this afternoon. She's generally pretty gentle during the sessions, but my arm does tend to really throb afterwards.

I'm taking dihydrocodiene for pain relief, which is a bit better than codeine. If I take enough of them, I barely care about my arm at all

When I was a nurse many moons ago, Dihdrocodeine was known as DF118 and was a controlled drug kept locked in an extra-special cabinet, that had to be double checked and individually signed for, and which was addictive, so I suggest care with it's use. I tried Amytriptilline but in common with so many other FS patients I found it did absolutely nothing for the pain, but reduced me to a dozy, hardly able to move, pain ridden blob. The only thing that worked for me was (a) steroid injection and (b) time.

DF118 is Dihydorcodeine Forte - stronger than the regular dihydrocodiene you get prescribed (I know, I have been prescribred both in the past few months). DF118 comes in different strengths, starting at 40. Regular Dihydrocodiene is a much weaker formulation.

All opioid drugs (from codiene to nurofen plus) can be addictive if taken long term. But when you're in the worst of the painful stage, you'll try anything. Sorry Amytriptelline didn't work for you. It's certainly given me some relief in combination with Lyrica and lidocaine plasters. The side effects do take a while to go away. I am on day 5 now and it's starting to get manageable. The first couple of days were awful, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

We're all different. If you can get referred to a proper pain management specialist I would strongly recommend doing that. I went through my first FS with nothing but standard pain relief and it was miserable for over a year. This time I am being treated much more aggressively and it's helping. Steroid shots didn't work for me at all (actually made it worse as I had a severe steroid flare) but the nerve block did.

Good luck whatever you try.

I'm seeing my doctor later today for what I strongly suspect is a frozen shoulder. Coincidentally my husband has suffered from the same thing for 5 months now and is awaiting the results of an MRI scan before the doc decides what treatment to prescribe. (To be fair, I have been sympathetic even though I had no idea what my husband was going through. Now, unfortunately, I know.)

If I am diagnosed with it, then it is in the early stages as it only started at the beginning of January. Pain is constant but, judging by some of earlier posts, not nearly as bad as it could be; I'm sleeping badly due to the discomfort; my range of movement in the joint is slowly reducing; getting dressed (especially jumpers on or off!) and brushing my hair are starting to become more than a little difficult.

I am normally fit and active so I'm hoping that will stand me in good stead. Having read the posts here, I'm going to ask my doctor if I can try osteo before anything else and who knows, as it's not too advanced, it might help. At least having found this forum, even if it doesn't work, I'm glad to know that the pain won't last forever!

My sympathy to everyone suffering - this seems to be one thoroughly nasty condition.

I am amazed at the amount of people who are getting such prompt attention and help from their GP. I would love to be sent for an MRI! First symptoms appeared last May, took four months to freeze, and am now stuck with VERY limited movement in left arm, still in severe pain with spasms and problems sleeping. My GP won't even refer me onwards, and says it is just a case of waiting it out. Physio won't treat it, as they say their guidlines on the condition state that when it is frozen like this, therapy is of no use. They are treating my neck instead as they think this is the causative factor.