Frozen shoulder - what works ?

[gingeroots]

Have had one a couple of years ago ,now the other one is revving up .
I had little positive in way of treatmemt last time - physio recommended but waited so long for initial appointment only to be told that the weekly sessions I needed weren't available !
It was a physio attached to GP practice ,not hospital .

What has worked for other people ,apart from anti-inflams and time ... ?

And I've started Alexander Technique because I'm aware how badly I hold myself /what shocking posture I have and how incredibly tense my shoulders etc are .
Funnily enough it's only the relaxing of those muscles during the osteopath sessions ( massage and dry needling ) that has made me realise exactly how tense I am .

Cat - I have calcified tendinitis on my hip and have been in treatment for the last five months. After long weeks on anti-inflamatories, physic and now two sessions with shock wave therapy, I have almost no pain in daily life. But I want to go back to running, which is still not happening.

Look up shock wave therapy. It is the single best treatment for calcified tendinitis, with vastly improved long term results over other treatments. It breaks calcium deposits, and shocks tendons into repairing themselves.

If all else fails, you can always have a cortisone injection which apparently heals it completely in 99% of cases. They don't like to recommend this at first (like antibiotics are not given for every infection) because it slightly weakens the tendon in question.

By the way, Biofreeze is useless, as the "cool" doesn't even penetrate the skin, let alone the joint. No different than cologne. If you need to cool tropic shoulder (to help with inflammation, presumably), you should ice it.

That's interesting CotedAzur .

The osteopath I'm seeing has said that latest research on steriod injections is indeed that they can cause further damage and that tho they provide short term relief it generally isn't long term .

Who knows ?
How was your calcified tendonitis ( I dread to imagine what that must be like in a hip ) diagnosed ?
Is it visible on an xray ?

I was running 5K 3 times a week and following a strenuous training program when my hip started getting painful after each session. Tendinitis of gluteus medius with minor calcifications was diagnosed with ultrasound (not x-ray).

I'm seeing an osteopath, too. My kind of injury frequently happens to people with a significant discrepancy between their legs, and the sports doctor I saw at first found that my right leg was about 1.5 cm shorter than the other (I had noticed this after DD's pregnancy). Osteopath worked some magic which equalled my legs in a single session so now the base reason is cured but the tendinitis remains.

I have two more shock wave treatments to go. They are helping, but I am far from cured. It is looking increasingly likely at I will need the cortisone injection. This has been going on for five months and it has only gotten slightly better through all the myriad treatments I have gone through. Very probably, I will forever need to be careful with my right hip, but this inflammation needs to go.

Thanks for that cote.

Seems so unfair that a healthy runner like yourself should get this .

Wishing you better !

Thanks, ginger. It has been very hard to watch all the physical condition I slowly built up waste away

I can't imagine cote .

I find that the pain is really bringing me down , but must be worse for you being deprived of your normal stress busting ,endorphin realising running .

And as you say ,all that hard work being undone .

Maybe being fit and strong in first place has been a little helpful ?
Perhaps you'd have been worse if starting from an unfit base ?

Lots of sympathy tho .

Cotedazure I have had steroid injections in both of my shoulders it worked on the right one but only for a few months on the left one.

I also had some needling on the left shoulder before the cortisone injection to try to break up the calcium deposits.

I did ask for shock wave treatment at the hospital but they said they don't do it!

I can have another steroid injection but they will only do one more so I have been advised to wait until I can't stand the pain anymore. There is a limit as the steroid injection can cause infamation and irritate the tendons.

Ginger calcified tendonitis can be seen by ultrasound scan and on xray. Sorry to hear you are still in so much pain.

I find my Tens essential for pain relief as I can't take anti inflammatories.

I do it every evening and it is helping me sleep.

Can't you find a hospital where they do shock wave therapy? The first place I went to was a specialist sports hospital so maybe not surprising that they had a large shock wave machine, but now I'm going to a small office of one doctor and two physics, and even they have a small hand-held one.

My physio is very good (a former olympic athlete himself, no less) and he has been stretching my affected side. He has also shown me stretches to do every day. I am much better re range of movement. However, the persistent low-level sizzling pain is still there. I'm nowhere near your level of pain so feel a bit spoiled ranting about this.

Hi Cote are you paying for your shock wave therapy? If you are how much is it?

I just googled and found a sports clinic in wimbledon but it is charging £600.00 for 3 sessions. I can't afford to pay that.

My shoulder mobility has improved a bit with the osteopathy and sleeping is better. My neck pain and headaches are also improving, so I think I will continue for a few more sessions.

The pain I just live with, its funny really how you just get used to not doing certain movements. I was never very sporty but do miss swimming!

Shock wave therapy is about EUR 80 per session where I go, which would be about GBP 65. I expect to be reimbursed for about 80% of this amount through DH's insurance because I have a doctor's prescription for it.

Just to say that my shoulder dramatically improved 3 weeks ago .

Not sure what exactly caused the improvement ,the "dry needles " really hurt during the session before the big improvement . ( don't want to put any one off this procedure ,it wasn't a sharp pain ,it was that dull aching you can get when someone really digs their fingers into tight muscles ,almost a " good " pain IYSWIM )

And the ultrasound made quite a difference the week before - maybe it was all cumulative .

Anyway I have loads more movement ,much less of the specific agony type pain I get when I use that arm suddenly in an accidental/reflex way /jar it .

I've still got pain in the arm ( mostly ) and shoulder but I think that is the tendonitis .

Cote - do you know whether shockwave is different from ultrasound ?

Pain Clinic recommended having Tens machine strong enough to still be comfortable, and run for about an hour.
It did help my shoulder, which hurt too much for any exercise at all, and have avoided osteopaths since one made me scream with pressure on spine. Agree that acupuncture can often be effective, and after years of trying alternative remedies, this is the only one I'd repeat.

Hi all my left shoulder is totally frozen. Can't reach back pocket even. My right shoulder was frozen about 5 years ago and had surgery to release it. Had lots of Physio straight after surgery. The same day. It was horrendous. Have appt to see surgeon in June. Want surgery again.
I found that in my case nothing helps. Just wait till it's all frozen then release it.
My right shoulder got back to at least 90% of previous flexibility and movement.
I agree with others who said that the daily pain is really awful. My left arm has lost most of its strength. I get shooting pains down my arm and even to back of left hand.
I try to keep positive. But it's very hard sometimes. Driving is difficult so I drive slowly with one hand.
I do use a hot wheat bag placed over my left shoulder. It offers relief.
For me, having frozen shoulder is one of the worse things I have ever experienced..

I have seen Physio and chiropractor at the start of frozen shoulder. Didn't help. Shoulder still froze. Plus the manipulation only made shoulder more painful.

ozmum it took about 10 sessions before the oestopath sessions moved from your experience of not doing anything and making it hurt more .

I thought this
It sounds to me as if the physio was using a technique called 'transverse frictions', where the fingertips are pressed deeply into the flesh and moved side-to-side rapidly across the muscle/tendon perpendicular to the muscle/tendon fibres (imagine the fibres as lots of guitar strings being strummed). No oil is used in this technique as the physio doesn't want to slide over the surface but to friction it, dragging the surface (and anything attached to that surface) with his fingertips. This will irritate/inflame the underlying muscle/tendon because the frictions break some of the fibres, particularly the more inflexible fibres (the ones with the scar tissue attached). As it heals, if the muscle is stretched properly during the healing process, the new collagen can be encouraged to align alongside the muscle fibres and the muscle regains its stretchyness; so the joint moves properly again. The redness and swelling are part of normal healing.

was a really good explanation ( from another thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/1451453-Any-physios-who-could-maybe-answer-this

I would ice ,ice ,ice after the sessions .

I think you have to strike lucky with the proffesional and that it takes time for them to get to grips with your body .

Hi OP, most people tend to get referred to a physiotherapist and/or have a steroid injection in addition to anti inflammatory tablets.

My mum had a pretty awful physiotherapist who did more harm than good, so she won't go back there again. She does Pilates exercises for her shoulder and sees a chiropractor for her shoulder, she also has acupuncture which really helps her. Glucosamine tablets have also helped my mums shoulder too.

Hope things improve soon for you

Oh yes those Glucosamine and ...?chronditin something .

Apparently they are the supplement most recommended by health professionals .

And yes acupuncture - I have dry needling which apparently is different but has helped .

Having had a FS before I wanted to take more control ,not repeat the previous experience .

I went to oesteopath more in hope than expectation - feel almost surprised that it's working !
What am I like !

Hi all
Five days ago I woke up with no pain down my forearm and onto back of hand. I had the best day and to my surprise it was the same the next day. Today is the 6th day and it's still like this. Pain on neck shoulder and upper arm only. It is such an improvement!!
My shoulder is so frozen now. I can live with it until surgery time. Not long to go now. Waiting for school hols so can have surgery (no school run)
Wil keep u all posted.
Hope ur frozen shoulders are getting better or on the way!!

gingeroots - Sorry I didn't realise this thread picked up.

Shock wave therapy is very different than ultrasound - You can't feel ultrasound (think scans when pregnant) but shock wave therapy is actually quite painful and goes bang bang bang.

By the way, my hip is also much better and this improvement came suddenly, when I accidentally gave myself frostbite! I was icing the area and didn't realise that the cover has come off the ice, which was touching my skin for God knows how long.

Either I killed the nerve there, or discovered a revolutionary treatment

I am reading this thread again. I am actually in discomfort and a bit tearful.
I got diagnosed last week by physio. I've had it for 2-3 years and I've feel I've been severely let down.

The physio was dismissive. Said nothing could be done and I'd have to learn to live with it.

He said I was doing everything I could heat, exercises etc. I actually asked him, is that IT?

I've asked numerous GP's, for years, I keep being sent to different people. Apparently now they can find any records of the 4 people I've previously been sent to.

Latest physio prior to this said it'd all been mishandled and done 'ass about tit'. Great.

I'm so fed up.

A hot water bottle, or a warm scarf helps.

My mum had frozen shoulder for last 1 year. She did physio but it didn't help much. Recently she changed her doctor and she was prescribed Etoricoxib (60 mg) + Thiocolchicoside (4 mg) in morning and Thiocolchicoside (4 mg) at night with some exercises. She got relief in 10 days. May be talk to your GP for a prescription.