Painful clicking frozen shoulder, any advice anyone please

[LaVieEstBelle159]

Hi I've had a frozen shoulder which started in October. Two cortisone injections later (Jan and Mar) and it's only slightly improving.

The pain is terrible, unimaginable, but worse at night and is causing me so many sleepless nights. It hurts hurt to lie down sometimes and obviously seeing anyone for help, like physio, at the moment is impossible due to COVID.

Anyway, my shoulder has developed a clicking/grinding noise on the top.

Has anyone who has experienced FS come across this? Also, what have you done to get through this and how long has it taken? I presume I'm in the freezing stage at the moment.

Thank you to any advice you can give.

[whatsthatnow74]

I've had issues with both shoulders for a good while now. I don't think mine is FS though.
If I sit for too long I sometimes find that my shoulder sort of clicks and is then really painful and can only be moved to a certain height/position. I too get a terrible grinding noise/sensation (I believe it's called crepitus). When I get this, I too find it hard to sleep as there are limited positions in which I can rest my arm for it to be comfortable. It usually subsides within a day or so. The weird thing I've also noticed is that after the pain has gone and the stiffness has subsided, the muscle over the shoulder area gets really tender to the touch (as if it needs a really good massage).
I was sent to physio a few months ago but my appointment was at a time when nither shoulder was hurting, so hard for him to get the full idea. He said it was a tendonopathy which I gather is a catch-all term for something wrong with the tendon!
Mine started originally on one shoulder but then it was both, though never at the same time.

[LaVieEstBelle159]

Yours sounds very much like mine but they are adamant that mine is FS. However, the physio says he thinks it's more inc tendons too.

It's the pain I'm struggling with, particularly at night and not being able to just move it where I want. Mine's all the time though, no on or off days.

I've found these exercises quite helpful for the pain, not sure if they'll be any good for you when yours next flares up.

And thank you for your comments about your shoulder and crepitus, it's reassuring it's not just me. I've had a read all about it today. Thanks.

[Pilcrow]

My sympathies, OP, frozen shoulder is horrendous. Mine's pretty much fine now - after two years in total - although I still get bouts of occasional soreness/aching and I can't do anything like digging in the garden any more. I didn't experience anything like the clicking so I can't advise on that - it sounds bloody horrible.

I've banged on here about this before, but...I found that a TENS machine really helped, and I still use it occasionally when I have a flare-up. It might be worth trying for you? It doesn't exactly make the pain go away but it somehow dials it right down. It did for me, anyway.

[LaVieEstBelle159]

Hi @Pilcrow thank you for your sympathies. How did yours eventually go? Was it just a matter of time? Also, did you have pains down your arm and front of your shoulder as well?

It's got to the stage with mine now that I honestly don't know where it hurts and where it doesn't...it just hurts!!!

That's interesting about a TENS machine, I'll look into one, thanks.

[Pilcrow]

I had various interventions, LaVie - physio didn't initially do much, unfortunately...but to be honest I don't think you can do much to stop it freezing if it's going to happen.

A guided steroid injection into the shoulder plus hydrodilatation (at the same time) started to resolve it. It still took a good while after that to ease, but it definitely began to be less painful from then on. I carried on with physio just to keep it moving. Up until lockdown I was seeing an osteopath every now and then too, which I really miss now.

It's so miserable and you have my sympathies - I remember how wretched it was trying to sleep. Yes, I had pain all down my arm and around my back. Weirdly enough it was more acute in my upper arm than in my actual shoulder. My range of movement was very restricted at its worst, I couldn't move my arm very far in any direction. The other day I found a post-it note on a doorframe which I'd used for a physio exercise - I had to try and reach up to it. It was a real shock to remember that I just couldn't get my arm that far up....now my normal reach is about 10 inches higher.

I was advised to use ice packs by one physio: 15 minutes at a time, and make sure you don't put them directly on your bare skin. You can do that several times a day. But I really do recommend the TENS machine!

[barkingfly]

Be sure to continue the range of motion exercises-that is the best thing you can do for now.

[LaVieEstBelle159]

Thank you everyone. I have been researching Physio exercises as haven't had an appointment yet. Will also try TENS for pain relief.