I am in the frozen stage of Frozen Shoulder & have had 16 PT visits, any one had any luck with PT?

hi sorry to hear that you are going through this awful condition. I am a survivor of x2 frozen shoulders. with the first I was sent to physio... come out crying and decided it was of little use after 3 sessions. it actually made the pain worse! The second FS I pretty much let it take its course. I used a heat pad (life saver) ; a TENS machine and over the counter pain relief. Both shoulders took exactly the same time to heal ; the first I tried EVERYTHING to get rid of the pain; speed up the process etc but nothing worked. I now have full ROM back in both arms. I hope this helps a bit.

I just had my surgery for frozen shoulder but I also had impingement I am just out of one week from surgery already in therapy very painful and a long ways to go. Only time will tell if anything gone right.

Hey, Patricia -

Go through these forums, and you'll find folks who have been successful with PT. Of course, you'll find folks who swear that it made them worse. But you've been frozen for a really long time, so you might want to look into other options -- all of which you'll find discussions on this forum. Acupuncture, dry needling, MUA, arthroscopic release, OAT procedure, hydrodilation, PT, massage, and just leavin' it alone. There's a lot of misinformation and disagreement -- even within the medical community -- so it's up to us to do the research, find what's best for our individual situation, and be our own advocates. The doctors are just workin' blokes who want to get home for dinner like the rest of us. 5 months frozen is a long time. Bless your heart and good luck.

I had a frozen shoulder for all of 2017. it was not diagnosed for almost the first 6 months. I then did 16 weeks of PT with no relieve. The biggest problem there is the physical therapist had no idea what a frozen shoulder was so he was no help to me at all.Finally, had ortho take a look at it and only thing left was for him to go in and manipulate the shoulder to start the thawing process. Had very intense Physical Therapy. These people what was going on. Pain I am talking painful therapy sessions but well worth it. That really helped but since I have been dealing with a rotator cuff issue in same shoulder. Reason for it is I was frozen for so long the rotator cuff forgot how to work. it is now May 2019 and it is finally starting to feel better. Thought this time would never come. it has been a long road. Hope this helps

CBD oil helps me a bit. I Take it orally.

FAB CBD. oil.

I got it online.

*The frozen shoulder for me seems to finally over but the bulging discs in the L1-L5 region is really getting the best of me. I have had PT, 2 injections with no relief. Today I went to our PCM and found out she does Battlefield Acupuncture. She applied these little pins in my ear. Sounds weird but it gave me immediate relief. Could not believe the difference. I have an appointment in 4 weeks and she plans on doing more acupuncture. With the way I feel now I can hardly wait to get more relief.

Physiotherapy can work absolute wonders for frozen shoulder, but everyone is different and like with most forms of treatment it is not 100% successful. Are you living in England? NHS guidelines advise 6 sessions with a physio, which can be spread out over as much time as needed. After 6 sessions, if things are improving then you would usually be discharged, however if they're not improving or getting worse you would usually be referred on to someone else. Even if you're not in the UK, i'd say 14 sessions into physiotherapy and feeling no better, it's time to explore other avenues. Go back to your GP and ask to be referred to a shoulder specialist, or explain to your physio that you dont feel like it is helping and you'd like to be referred for further assessment.

Hi!! (SORRY THIS IS A LONG POST)

In 2017, mine started out as a "soreness" in shoulder due to overuse while shoveling rock and bark for a few days. I tried to stop using the arm for awhile to see if it would heal, but it increased in pain and decreased in ROM the following couple of months. I went to see doctor. They thought it was rotator cuff tear and referred me to orthopedic doc. That doc said I had an impingement/bursitis for the over usage, gave me a Cortisone shots (didn't help) and referred me to PT. Confirmed it was not a RC tear. I went to PT for about 5 visits and left in tears just about every time. The pain was increasing and the ROM was decreasing. I stopped PT because it was unbearable. I waited it out for a few more months, praying it would heal on its own. It didn't. It then went into full adhesive capsulitis. Once I was completely frozen, the pain subsided, except for the occasional ZINGERS --- If I jerked my arm back too suddenly (i.e. I was pulling a dish out of oven and accidentally touched the rack. Reaction was to yank my hand back). Those zingers (I couldn't come up with another word LOL) LITERALLY TOOK MY BREATH AWAY, I'D DROP TO MY KNEES AND BUST INTO TEARS. I've never felt pain like that before, even when it was in the "freezing" stage. Those zingers only lasted 60-90 seconds, subsiding in intensity with each passing second.

Once my ROM was blocked at shoulder-length, I returned to Orthopedic doc. They scheduled MRI. Confirmed it was FS. They said FS can heal on its own but it could take up to a year. Because this condition is so debilitating, I told her I couldn't wait another year. I wanted an aggressive approach. She then suggested an MUA (manipulation under anesthesia). I had it done immediately. Very aggressive PT following the procedure for about 10 weeks..... And then it was a slow process to build up strength in that arm again. I couldn't even lift a 3 lb dumbbell for at least a few months... BUT I'M HAPPY TO REPORT, I'M TOTALLY HEALED IN THAT SHOULDER. I wish I had done the MUA a lot sooner instead of suffering for so many months. ...... BAD NEWS is, is that I'm in initial stages of same issue in my other arm. This one didn't start out from any isolated incident...it was just a weird twinge of pain in my tricep when I was at the gym. Started last Sept. I completely stopped working out in Dec to try and heal, but it has progressively gotten worse. I'm in my 2nd week of PT to deal with the pain. I can only describe it that I feel like my arm (from shoulder to elbow) is in a vice and being twisted beyond limits each time I stretch my arm out or pass my arm across my body (like to shave my other armpit, put on deodorant, etc). ROM is deteriorating but I'm hoping PT will help keep it from freezing up.

FS is a mysterious thing. Once you get it in one, sometimes you will unexpectedly get it in the other. There is also some link between FS and women with thyroid issues.... Good luck, my friend. I WOULDN'T WISH THIS ON ANY ENEMY!