Frozen shoulder

[jmh740]

Does anyone have any advice I was diagnosed with frozen shoulder today. I'd never heard of it before but someone suggested that could be what I had and the gp agreed. I found some exercises on u tube and did them this morning will carry on with those
The gp said it could last from 1 to 3 years and its likely it will get worse before it gets better. She prescribed naproxen. Can any one offer and advice for me to deal with this?
Thank you

[1forsorrow]

I had it and had to have manipulation under general anaesthetic. That worked although it was very painful when I came round. I had to do physio afterwards to keep it moving. Mine was probably a bit extreme as it was a result of dislocating my shoulder and a neck of humerus fracture.

[Fr0thandBubble]

I’ve got one now and I’ve had it for about 5 months. Extremely painful. I had a steroid/hydrodilatation injection 2 months ago and it really helped. Getting worse again now so I’ve booked for another one.

OP - push your GO for a referral to a orthopaedic consultant. They will be able to refer you for the injection and then you can have physio (it’s almost impossible to do physio before you’ve had the injection as it’s too painful). The sooner you can get it, the better result you will have.

[Fr0thandBubble]

*GP

[TheWoollybacksWife]

I bought a tens machine today. I've used it a couple of times so far and it's really good. I was desperate after only 3 hours of sleep last night.

[reesewithoutaspoon]

I ended up having surgery on mine which did the job. Physio , injections etc didnt help
The pain if you knock it is like nothing else I have experienced.My sympathies to all who are in the freezing stage.
Sleeping was difficult, buy a load of pillows and sleep with the arm propped on them. only thing that helped.
I bought a tens machine and an ultrasound machine and the ultrasound machine really helped. Just need to do a little research about what MHZ you need for your particular reason for a frozen shoulder.

[AdaColeman]

I agree that sleeping is very difficult, as if you roll onto the painful shoulder it wakes you immediately. I found that a V shaped pillow worked best, (or 3 pillows placed in an inverted V shape.
You can't move very much, your sore shoulder is supported, so you feel more secure and your sleep improves.

[GinWithRosie]

Agree with @AdaColeman about the V shaped pillows. Sleep was impossible during the freezing stage without serious painkillers and good supporting pillows. I was so sleep deprived until I found my V pillow.

[Poppylicious1]

I've had 2 frozen shoulders for more than 3 years now. They are getting less painful but I still haven't been able to put a bra on the normal way for years .
I'm T1 diabetic and have an under active thyroid so more likely to get them

[Notwiththeseknees]

Until I I did a full body plant skiing in Feb, my sympathy for my friend with arthritis in her shoulder was wearing thin. Her constant complaining was really irritating, but oh my God! Constant pain, extending to the elbow, then the wrist, rearranging the kitchen to use my left hand instead...
So, apart from anti inflammatories, pillows, sling, massage, I started the Keto diet and cutting out sugar and alcohol cleared up the pain in a week. I am amazed and didn't really believe there was a connection, so following an experiment with Mermaid Gin and galaxy over the past few days, the pain is coming back. So try it - it may help.

[user1471590586]

My left shoulder froze about 3 years ago, and I finally have most of the movement back. You have my sympathy it was very painful at the beginning. I was sent to some physio sessions for exercises and I eventually had a steroid injection in it which helped with the pain. Exercise good to try to restore movement. I was told that my other shoulder may also freeze at some point and I have been waking up with discomfort in my other arm during the night for the last couple of months. I have to do stretching exercises to relieve the pain. Im trying to prevent it freezing up as I don't want to go through the pain again.

[MrsWicket]

My sympathies OP. I’ve had a frozen shoulder so I know how painful they can be. I was referred to a physio who gave me some exercises to do which helped - but ultimately it just went on it’s own accord. She said that they are a bit of a medical mystery, and happen in three stages. Stage one - when you realise that you can’t actually lift your arm - a few painful twinges. Stage two - actual frozen shoulder - very painful. Stage 3 - when the shoulder slowly unfreezes and you get mobility back. Took about a year from start to finish, and I still can’t raise my right arm as far as the left but am pain free.

[Nat6999]

I had a frozen shoulder, I turned over in bed, dug my elbow in the mattress to push myself over & something ripped in my shoulder. Dosed myself up with Ibuprofen & Co-Codamol, propped myself up on loads of pillows & managed to go back to sleep. By next morning I couldn't get dressed or brush my hair, went to the doctors who prescribed Diazepam, said it was a muscle spasm. Over the next six months it got worse, I couldn't bear my bra strap on my shoulder, lie on it in bed, put my arm out to empty the washer, I had a steroid injection & physio but it didn't do any good. I ended up begging my GP to refer me choose & book to see a shoulder surgeon, he Xrayed & MRI scanned my shoulder & said I had an impingement in my shoulder. Two weeks later I had an arthroscopy to open the gap where my tendons were trapped & clean out all the bits of arthritis in my joint & a nerve block, had my arm in a sling for 5 days, then started physio for 8 weeks, I was discharged 3 months later, it took about 6 months from the op for my shoulder to feel kind of normal again.

[MrsEricBana]

Oh you poor thing. I've had two frozen shoulders. Both lasted a couple of years. Restricted movement, no sleeping position was comfortable, rigid all the time in case anyone jostled me. Really horrid and no one gets it at all. I had physio (made it worse) and steroid injections (no help). They both just went on their own after a couple of years.

[TheYellowOfTheEgg]

I had it a few years ago and it took about two years from start to finish.

There are three stages - painful (lasted about 4 months), freezing (about 16 months) and then unfreezing. I was initially told it was tendonitis and then I went back when it was frozen and was told it was frozen shoulder. I had a few sessions of NHS physio and did other exercises I found on YouTube. I did treadmill/cross trainer type exercise at the gym during the painful phase and then went back to classes for aerobics/weights when it was less painful (but frozen).

The GP wouldn't refer me for injections or the manipulation operation, because I'm an SAHM and didn't need my arms for work. I do an office based voluntary job and was able to carry that on, because I'm right handed and the frozen shoulder was my left.

I worry about getting it in my other arm. I know it's just started for you, but it was a pretty awful experience. I took ibuprofen every night before going to bed. I found the best way to sleep was on my side with my arm along my side.

The day I was able to lift my arm over my head was amazing.

[LoafingLiz]

My GP diagnosed frozen shoulder and sent me for physio.

Hospital correctly diagnosed rotator cuff and I was fine after several months of physio.

[SpiderPlant1]

I've had mine for about 14 months now so this thread has given me hope that it will eventually go. It gets so bad that every now and then I have to use my right hand to move my left arm about. It seems to have moved down to my elbow so hopefully mine won't move down to my wrist as a pp experienced. I'm on Co-Cocadamol and constipated :( :(

[peoniesandfreesias]

Today -via a phone call - my doctor diagnosed a shoulder impingement. I searched on here and found this thread. I've been in agony since early lockdown (cheers Joe Wicks - not sure what I did but it's his fault). Months of agony, blinding pain and feeling like puking whenever I jerk my arm. The doctor said "oh you can't get physio or steroid injections just now - here's a script for Tramadol" 😒

I hate Tramadol - had it for prolapse discs before and took a leftover one last night in despair. I've fibromyalgia and on HRT too, this is just the last straw.

Any pointers towards useful exercises etc to help would be much appreciated. Off to drink to help the numb the pain and hopefully help me sleep tonight.

[Hulututu]

@peoniesandfreesias recontact your doctor and ask for either an ultrasound and X-ray or an mri. Mine started off as you describe and over the course of two months I lost all mobility. I had mine operated on last week to remove the impingement, do a capsular release to get movement back and repair a torn tendon. It’s still painful because of the operation but already so much better and a different pain than before. I’ve now got weeks of physio to regain movement and strength. I had loads of physio when it first started too but couldn’t do it or move at all two weeks before my op. If you google nhs shoulder pain it redirects you to a leaflet of exercises you can try. My best advice though is don’t leave it or just think physio will fix it. It only gets worse. Hope you get sorted because it’s the most painful awful injury I’ve ever had.

[Allthebestusernameshavegone]

I had this a few years ago. I was in work one morning and my shoulder was in agony. I was almost crying in pain. By lunch time the pain had completely gone but my shoulder stopped moving.
It’s never been right since. I think this was around 2013?
The movement came back within a few months but it never fully returned. I still don’t have full movement in it now and sometimes it can get quite uncomfortable.
Just keep doing the exercises and go for physio. I had a cortisone injection back in December and that helped a bit too x

[Nat6999]

Ask for a different doctor & ask for an NHS choices appointment to see a consultant shoulder surgeon, you have a right to a second opinion. Mine was NHS but at a private hospital, I saw the consultant & had all the Xrays the same day, saw the consultant the week after who booked me in for surgery 2 weeks later. Tell them the tramodol doesn't suit you & you are in danger of not being able to work/ care for your family & need it sorting ASAP.

[Plastictattoo]

So glad I found this thread. A private physio diagnosed my frozen shoulder about 6 weeks ago and I have been following his advice and exercises but pain has been getting worse and restricting my normal life and sleep! Loads of useful advice here. After reading this thread, I called the doctor and had a phone consultation on Wednesday. She prescribed some Naproxen for pain and said she would refer me on.
Yesterday someone called from the doctors to say the GP had written two letters - one to the pain management clinic and another for an ultrasound. All sounded good. I've just had a call (not sure from where actually!) to say they had received the GP's letter and which hospitals in my area could I attend as the letter was marked Urgent. Is this normal as I'm a bit worried now?
I didn't think to mention it to the doctor when I spoke to her but it will be on my records that I had a lot of pain in my armpit and breasts last September. I saw a doctor then and she examined my breasts and armpits and said she was happy it was just hormonal and possible I was peri.
Now my mind is working overtime because of the word 'urgent'!

[DoloresOnTheDottedLine]

My Granny had this and found acupuncture extremely helpful.

[EdwardCullensBiteOnTheSide]

Dh has had this twice, he's also diabetic. He had naproxen and cocodamol but rarely took them tbh as he is a big tough man you know 🙄. He had the steroid injection the first time and it did seem to get better slightly then slowly hurt less and less. The second time he didn't have the injection and it went away quite quickly. He read that the flu jab can cause it and since refuses to have it. Can't make him change his mind.

[Itscoldouthere]

Wow just found this thread and realise that a have a frozen shoulder. The pain started mid July, we were moving house and I assumed I'd pulled something, but it just hasn't improved. I've seen an osteopath a few times and have been doing exercises but I have a constant dull pain and my sleep is very disrupted.
Interesting I changed my HRT just prior to this and I have seen some links to hormone s and frozen shoulder.
I've just moved to Canada so now have to nevigate the health system here to see how to get some help.

[Imakemistakeseveryday]

Physio and, as soon as you can get it, Hydrodilatation. I was in so much pain for months before I had this. The results were amazing and I have absolutely no problems with my shoulder now, although I do the physio regularly still to prevent the problem recurring