Frozen shoulders - help

[Happyher]

Hi. I have 2 frozen shoulders and the pain is wearing me down. I’ve just put a new duvet cover on and I could cry. I’ve tried paracetamol and co-codamol. Paracetamol eases it slightly but co-codamol does nothing for the pain but makes me feel sick. Ibuprofen works but it makes my right leg swell which I’m not happy about.

I have a physio appt Friday and I’m hoping as well as exercises she will give me a steroid injection in at least one of my shoulders

Does anyone have any advice on the meantime as I’m struggling to wash hair and face, reach for things in the cupboard, turn over in bed etc. I’m struggling to sleep too. Any exercises or medication suggestions welcome

Thanks for reading

I would just add - I know most medication will require a prescription. Just interested in what might help so I can discuss with GP if necessary

Are you sure it’s a frozen shoulder. Sounds like it could be a Rotator Cuff injury. Have you seen GP?

Dr Mandell on YouTube has a few helpful videos.

This is one

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He's also on Facebook.

I've had 3 overall. I didn't find any painkillers that helped. First one, right side, trying to get comfortable in bed was impossible. I went to an osteopath I'd been going to for many many years. Saw a different one who diagnosed a dislocated shoulder, said he would re set, I drove home screaming! Saw another one,who said not to lift my arm above head height. I had just started working on a stroke ward.... then I realised frozen shoulder. Probably took a year.left one went,saw GP got diazepam for muscle relaxant (this was over 20 years ago, I had physio... which didn't help, and gym sessions weekly,which were difficult with young dc to collect from school. I bought dymo bands and light dumbbells did the excercises daily at home.right shoulder went again. My eldest dad is a qualified masseuse and aromatherapist, she moved and was living about 15 miles away. I bought a book by a Swedish osteopath called Treat your own frozen shoulder.you can't realistically because it relies on pressure points behind the shoulder. We bought a new bed, slept on a mattress on the floor waiting for delivery. I found I could get comfortable. DD had this one sorted in 6 weeks. Happy to supply details of book, and add I am NOT affiliated with the author in any respects.

Time was the only thing that helped me... I tried so many things... I cried too at times... everyone said 18 mths to get better...and almost 18 mths I realised I wasn't in so much pain!
(I then broke it a month later but that's a different thread!)

I was assuming that frozen shoulder had been medically diagnosed. DH had a rotator cuff injury, after slipping coming down a wet grassy hill with the dogs, completely different pain and loss of movement. The back pocket test didnt hurt him at all. He had a couple of years of physio, and had to give up work.... motor trade, heavy lifting.

I’m on my second now about 12 months in , first one took at least 18 months . I tired everything from osteopath , a puncture , 3 steroid injections at the Dr ,physio , exercises , ultimately it was just time. But it really gets me down at times .

I saw my GP last week. He prescribed the Co-codamol. I’ve just checked his report and he’s just called it bi-lateral shoulder pain. I use ‘frozen shoulder’ generically as I had the same problem about 15 year ago. I can reach up my back with the left arm. Not so much the right arm. Most pain involves lifting arms from the front and sides

Sending you sympathy OP. I’’ve only had a single frozen shoulder and that was bad enough. I can’t imagine how you are managing with 2. You don’t realise just how much movement you take for granted until you can’t do the things you usually do without thinking - even fastening a bra or even putting on a coat is virtually impossible.
The first time mine occurred about 15 years ago I was given a steroid injection which was enough to resolve the problem virtually straightaway but when it recurred about 12 months later I was sent for physiotheraphy.
This didn’t do anything to ease the stiffness and pain and I was eventually referred for a manipulation under anaesthetic which I never got round to having as when my appointment came through I wasn’t well enough to attend, and by the time I had recovered sufficiently my frozen shoulder had gone of its own accord
At my first appointment with the physiotherapist she did say that whilst the exercises and heat treatments could help all the evidence showed that frozen shoulders would eventually resolve without any intervention within 2 years. The thought that I could be suffering with that much pain and discomfort for so long didn’t exactly fill me with pleasure and I would have preferred not to know at the time, but in my case it was proved right and (touching wood here) I’ve not suffered since.

If you are saying that a book you read helped would you please give me the details? Thanks

You can get it on Amazon. Niel Asher,Treat your own frozen shoulder. You need someone who knows anatomy or physiology ideally.You can't literally do it yourself,there are pressure points behind your shoulder,you can't access yourself. I was just really lucky that my DD moved, from 70 miles away to 15, she was a qualified masseuse and aromatherapist (although she was in banking at the time) she had it sorted in 6 weeks.

I empathise I've got the same terrible pain in both shoulders. In the past I've had a frozen shoulder and got 9 months physiotherapy which hurt my shoulder even more the day after and never really worked. I've had the injection into shoulder site which did help but only for about 3 months then it came back worse. One shoulder is worse but I have excruciating pain in both shoulders. I can't lift even a coffee cup in worse shoulder hurts. Yesterday I had x-ray even though I don't think it's bone. Consultant said he must rule out fractures first. I'm on Codeine sulphate 30 mg tablets 3 x a day which does help the pain and I take an occasional one in the night too. Paracetamol or Ibuprofen don't help it at all. My electric cushion does help (heat). I'm waiting for an MRI scan but you have to wear a helmet over your face to go in the scan machine and I'm claustrophobic but I'm hoping I can do it with sedation.

Thanks for everyone’s sympathy, support and suggestions. I’m sorry so many of you are suffering too. I saw the NHS physio today. She’s reluctant to give a steroid injection at the moment as she says I have a lot of movement despite the pain and as you can only have so many steroid injections she wants to hold off for a month. I have been attending a gym for the last 6 months because of knee arthritis so maybe that’s why I have good movement. She has given me some exercises to do. Happy to post the link if anyone wants it.

I do have faith in exercise as attending the gym has vastly improved my knee arthritis, so I’m going to give them a go. Good luck to fellow sufferers

Osteopath.
I was in agony for nearly a decade.
Tried everything .
GP useless, just cocodamol ( which I couldn't take as it made me feel odd).
MRI : nothing
NHS Xray, nothing.
I spent thousands on acupuncture, needle therapy things etc got very good at yoga then went to an Osteopath on a masseuses recommendation and turned out I had a dislocated C3 vertebrae in my neck.
No idea how it happened.
Untrained people (like massage therapists would touch the bump in my neck and say it was muscle tension and a knot.
Nope. It was a dislocated bone.
Osteopathy is not available on the NHS I believe.
It changed my life as I never realised how living in constant pain destroyed so much of me

If it's frozen shoulder then an early cortisone injection will help, your physio was wrong! You are being left for a month with this terrible pain when it could be alleviated.

I was told not to exercise in the freezing stage as it increases inflammation. Stretching should only be done when thawing.

Sleep with a pillow under your shoulder to support it. Use a wheat bag at night. Glycerol helped me a little.

Hydrodilation worked for me - immediate relief. Some physios can do it or a doctor

I had one after the other - probably 5 years in total. Had physio, steroid injections, nothing helped except time which my elderly mother told me!
I look back now as to how I struggled to get dressed, stretch or lift anything above my head. I’ve got no pain in either shoulder now and full range of movement.

Steroid injections helped me, plus resting it rather than forcibly stretching it. I don't know why your physio refused this, it was the only thing that helped me