i have had a frozen shoulder for about 1 year now, i hav...

[quote:7d6d45e2ef=\"C.\"]i have had a frozen shoulder for about 1 year now, i have had 1 steroid injection, but it did not work.i have not had 1 full nights sleep since it happened, i think i injured it in my sleep as i like to sleep with my head on my arms.i would love to know what to do as i have tried gentle excercise, but the pain is so bad i feel so sickly

chris

[i:7d6d45e2ef]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:7d6d45e2ef][/quote:7d6d45e2ef]

Hi, i have had a frozen shoulder now for 3 1/2 years, i've had steroid injections, MUA & decompression & manipulation twice, but i'm still in agony....cant remember the last time i had a good night's sleep. & to make matters worse my other shoulder is also playing up as well, i wish i had the answers if only to ease to the pain....

Hi there

Now I haven't had my shoulder pain diagnosed as frozen shoulder but having read here and there, I do have the same symptoms.

Last night I finally managed to get some decent sleep lay in my normal positions, that being on my left and right side with one arm under my pillow. (Able to turn over and not wake with the pain) I have been taking naproxen, applying ice-packs and then for last couple of days I've been applying heat. I have slept (up until last night) on my left side (right shoulder causing pain) with 2 pillows under my right arm (apparantly this takes the pressure and abnormal position of the shoulder away and keeps it aligned). I have been doing light exercise of the shoulder for several days (extremely painful to do, but did it) Circular movements of the arm and shoulder, then rested it. I have done these exercises 6 times a day. This is supposed to help with the blood circulation and help with healing.

Now, as I mentioned earlier, I haven't had my shoulder diagnosed as a frozen shoulder, this is a self diagnosis going of other peoples experiences and description. I then read up on the net about it and found the above regime in helping with frozen shoulder. heat/ice/exercise/anti inflammatory and pillow for support when lay down.

It is still a little painful bt over the last couple of days the pain has started to ease and providing I don't over use my arm the pain stays manageable and I managed to sleep on my right side last night for short periods of time. I am hoping a few more days of the above treatment will ease it even further.

I bought the naproxen over the counter in the way of feminax plus. If you are going to do the same, may i suggest you mention to the pharmacist why you are buying it and they should give you some safe and sound advice about using naproxen. Also read the leaflet carefully and don't forget to tell the pharmacist o any other meds you are taking and other conditions you may be suffering from, although she/he should be asking you this anyway beore selling you the tablets. you can also get naproxen on prescription from your GP.

Wishing you all the best of luck with this terrible and excruciating pain. give the above a go and let me know how you get on.

Melbi x

Oh how this hurts! But maybe I can offer some light at the end of the tunnel. My right shoulder froze in July, anti inflamatories upset my stomach and codeine based pain killers do the same, so my only pain relief is TENS, and it does help.

I had a cortisone injection in September, which didn't hurt as much as I expected, but the pain for the rest of the day was awful, that intense ache that makes you feel sick. The following day the pain in my arm was almost gone, and within another couple of days my shoulder was only painful when I stretched it. Then the physio started, oh boy it was pure torture, and worse, I was instructed to do the excercises at home every day.

My left shoulder in the meantime was becoming increasingly painful and I knew it was freezing as well. I had an injection two weeks ago which was different to the first one, took longer and much more painful, it took almost a week to settle, but again worth it.

My right shoulder is now moving much better, and my range of movement is coming back, I can touch the back of my left shoulder now, and am just starting to be able to get it behind my back.

Am not in very much pain at all now, just on exercising. I know moving it is agony but it really is the only way, and if you can go to a swimming pool and do it under water you get more movement, I think that is what started the improvement on my right one. And now that after only a couple of months of torturing myself on a daily basis I can see an ongoing improvement, I can keep going. Once you get the movement going the pain becomes less.

The threat of MUA was what motivates me, if I can't have the strong pain relief for me it would be a last resort.I wonder if I am the only one who has used more bad language through this that I ever did before!

I don't think anyone can appreciate the excruitiating pain of this condition, when I used to get the the 'one false move' pain as I called it I almost felt like I would pass out, I havn't had that since the cortisone and recommend people to have it, the difference in pain relief in a couple of days is worth the discomfort of the treatment.

Hi Everyone i have read through everyones experience of the frozen shoulder and feel so much better knowing that it does improve all be it a slow process.

My frozen shoulder started about 6 months ago just shortly after putting in new kitchen units, these were the type that have the adjustable legs so i had to stretch underneath them to get to the height i needed . It was about a month after this that the pain was so bad i had to see the doctor, he said it wasn't a frozen shoulder that i had just sprained it ! Two weeks later and the pain was worse i couldn't get a full nights sleep as everytime i moved my arm and tried to roll over the pain was unbearable i actually cried and woke my daughter up .( I haven't slept in my bed for 5 months as it gives me too much room to move about in and i find the settee restricts me and i get a better sleep) Went back to the doctor and he admitted it was a frozen shoulder, gave me ibruprofen 400mg which did not help so was referred to the physiotherapist .

I have had 3 sessions which i find is helping a bit but they keep telling me i might have to have the injection if this doesn't work ! I am so determined not to have this so i am working really hard at home doing excercises with a walking stick which she recommended and using a bag of frozen peas on my shoulder up to 3 times a day. My son is very supportive and helps me move my arm a bit higher with measuring my distance, and making me aim a bit higher to reach a target i feel like im the kid and he is the adult lol

Tuesday past i slipped on the stairs outside my back door and as you do i put my hands out save myself ! I have never felt pain like it before in my life as my frozen shoulder arm was bent behind me further than it has been for a long time, i had a hot pain rush all the way up my arm and my shoulder . I was so worried that i had done some other damage as it didnt feel right at all , took me about half an hout to pull myself together and stop crying to phone my mum to come up, she called my brother who suggested going to hospital to have it checked out which i did to find out i had sprained it and made the inflamation worse . I was angry with myself as i felt i was back at stage one with my shoulder.

Later on that evening the pain eased off and i tried to do my excercises

i found that i could actually lift my arm higher after my fall ! Went to physio yesterday and she told me the fall had actually done me some good as it forced the movement in my shoulder ! I wouldn't want to do that again but as she said it did help.

Laney x

[quote=\"Ben Ambler \"]Being a nurse I knew what I had as soon as the pain and the limitation of movement came on. I started to take Ibuprofen 400mg three times aday, with some success but I will go to my GP for the injection as I find the pain inhibiting for my job. I sleep fine but it does wake me up if I place my arm in awkward position. The idea of having this for the next couple of years fills me with dread.[/quote

]

Ben

Could you tell me longit took for you shoulder to heal?

I'm on my 2nd frozen shoulder & have had it now for 13 mths & had 2 injections but no success.

Am now considering surgery as I feel under pressure to return to work.

hello

great forum. I 4 months ago had SAD Subcromial Artriscopic Decompression to scrape extensive arthirits from my shoulder. After 10 days I had fantastic movement and my consultant was very pleased with my recovery.... now 4 months down the line I am still in a lot of pain, and my movement seemes to be getting worse and not better.

I have had extensive physio almost forcing my arm up my back, this was sooooooo painful and would make me cry out! But I bekieved it was doing me good in the long run.

I had my 4 months check up with my consultant last Friday to be told that I have a frozen shoulder a complication of the surgery. that i must now stop all physio and work at the level I can resting it as necessary!!

I am relieved in one way as I was begining to think I was a wuss and wasnt complaining any more as I thought people must think I am a cry baby! but now I know I have a good reason to be in so much pain.

He is now talking about surgery in around 5 months time should I still be the same and advised me that I will probably get worse into the 2nd stage.

I am very concerned now that if I do need further surgery via arthrisopic again I may still end up with a frozen shoulder

Any advice would be very much appreciated

Hi

I've had frozen shoulder 3 times, twice in one shoulder and once the other. It's always followed the same pattern i.e. it set in because of some movement I made stretching too far...the first 2/3 months were fairly intense, especially regarding sleeping, lying down etc.....then it gradually eased off over next few months and finally dissappeared after 10/11 months. All I took for it was painkillers to help with sleeping in the first months (had to sleep in armchair or on sofa when most intense). I'm always a bit concerned when doctors advise surgery for a problem which is well known to ease off naturally over 10/12 months. Sometimes think that the surgery and injections they advise can prolong the problem by aggravating what is essentially a cycle of muscle spasms which must run it's course. A combination of good rest and minimal exercising of the arm/shoulder is, in my opinion, the best way to treat a frozen shoulder. And, of course, a lot of patience !

Gerry

Hello fellow sufferers

I have had a Frozen Shoulder for 6 months now following arthriscopic surgery, as if having artriscopic surgery 7 months ago for arthritis wasnt bad enough, I am now left with a frozen shoulder.

I am due for possible surgery in February 2012 if the pain and stiffness hasnt subsided some.

I wake around 4/5 times a night and wake up feeling so stiff and sore and so tired, I find it hard to concentrate fully at work.

I am also finding I have pins and needles down my arm into my hand and also have a constant dragging feeling. The pain when I have a sudden movement makes me feel so sick.

I take anti inflamataries and use a tens machine, but to be honest I dont think anything really works.

I am not happy with a cortizone injection as I have had several into elbows and shoulder over the last 5 years, as I have in the past suffered with tennis elbow which has now eventually subsided with Nutridur patches

I know the frozen shoulder can last up to 3 years; I dont think I can cope that long.

:cry:

I have frozen shoulder symptoms since 3 years now. It started gradually. Last summer, my shoulder just stopped moving and I had to stretch and to make exercises found on youtube so I could move it again. Then it went away after my obgyn put me on hormones therapy. I'm 52 years old and had an hysterectomy. I have also arthritis, but I'm treated with humira which is excellent. Until the inflammation happened to be so bad in my neck, and that I started feeling numbness (and tingling) in my left arm (same side then my shoulder), I didn't think to go see a chiropractor until last month. My family doctor, my rheumatologist were useless, prescribing drugs or speculating on my condition not really knowing. I was told I had bursitis, tendonitis...but never "frozen shoulder".

Three weeks ago, I decided to go to a chiropractor. I couldn't sleep because of the pain. Not a posture was comfortable when I was sleeping. This chiropractor was and is still excellent, First, he did some xrays. Before he did so, he suggested that I had a nerve (the median nerve) trapped or inflammed between two of my disks in my lower neck. I was skeptical. Then I saw the xrays and we could see the distortion of my spine exactly where he suspected the injury. The median nerve is the one that goes in the thoraxic outlet, in the shoulder rotator cuff (front and behind) and in the arm. Because I had inflammation, he started to treat me with ice packs, stretches of my neck and a TENS. After 4 times, my conditions has improved 50%.

e told me to put ice pack every 2 hours on the base of the neck and to rub with a menthol gel 3 to 4 times a day, for the first week. I took tylenol 2 times a day to reduce the swelling. After a week of treatment, I was able to sleep 5 hours in a row. When I was waking up in the night, if I had pain, I turned on my "good side" and put a pillow behind my back to not squish the inflammed nerve. The pain has decreased tremendously. I'm still stiff and I still do my stretches and apply ice packs to prevent more damage. This week, he's going to start some manipulations.

Traditional medecine has been useless in my case. So if you work on a computer had a job that was stressing your neck, you might want to check the condition of your spine. Running or tough training hit the spine not only in the back but in the neck. If you are desperate and need some sleep, look for a good chiropractor. I went in PT last summer, they stretched me so badly that they hurt my sciatica. A chiropractor was the only option left. I don't regret that I went to see him. I was lucky to find a good one.

If you have frozen shoulder but it hurts in front (near the clavicle -- junction clavicle and shoulder, what they call the thoracix outlet) it is probably an inflamed nerve or an entrapped nerve in your neck. Sorry for my english, it is my second language.

Good luck to all and don't lose hope!