Frozen Shoulder - how do I deal with the pain till I see a Dr?

[tumbleweedblowing]

I am in agony. I managed three natural births, but I am struggling badly with this. I had to ask dh to help me get dressed this morning, which was a disaster - he couldn't fasten my bra, which would have been funny if he hadn't tugged my shoulder and hurt me.

I can't get an appointment with the doctor till Tuesday, and the cocodamol I was prescribed over the phone to do me till then made me throw up so badly it was hurting my shoulder worse.

So I'm taking paracetomol and naxopren (which was prescribed with the cocodamol). I've tried frozen peas, which makes it feel better, but it seems ti seize up again straight away, and heat, which seemed to make it worse, and me light headed.

Any hints or tips - please?

Try volterol tablets from the chemist. I have an arthritic shoulder and they work for me as a stopgap when i get an attack and don't have my normal meds in

shoulder pain is the pits

are you using heat pads for direct heat after the cold compress at all?

and ibruprofen mihgt help with swelling

Agree, very painful indeed. I had one a few years ago. You can alternate paracetamol and ibuprofen so that you can keep yourself dosed up. Just get hold of whatever painkiller you can! You have my great sympathy.

thank you all, I'm feeling so pathetic that even just knowing that other people appreciate how sore it is helps. DH just keeps saying how he hates seeing me like this - which makes me feel I should cover it up, and I really can't.

and I have learnt I can type with one hand, which is good, because I have a 2.5k word assignment due on wednesday!

Oh yes ,another sufferer here .

I'm taking 400mg ibroprufen 3 times a day and 1000 mg paracetomal 4 times a day because that's what I got from Gp .
But I'm going to go back and ask for diclonfenac because when I had it before I found it more helpful.
Although the paracetomal seems slightly more effective than the ibroprufen .

And I've added zantac because the painkillers give me heartburn etc .

And 90% of the time ,even with painkillers it hurts .
And of course 100% of the time the wrong movement or jolt is agony .

I cold compress it a lot and you might try alternating between cold and hot ,finishing on cold helpful .

And I find a pull on bra is the only way to go .
www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=crop+bra+top&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=12608872140&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5445358341673988683&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_9h1frlbn1_b

It's miserable isn't it ?

Oh ,and don't take the painkillers as and when you can't bear it any longer .
Stick to taking them every 4 or 6 hours .

I feel your pain...literally

I dislocated my shoulder a few months ago and it's been a loooong recovery.
Was it the cocodamol 30/500 gp gave you? If so you can buy cocodamol 8/500 which may not make you sick. Or ask gp for tramadol.

I took paracetamol x4 a day, diclofenac x3 a day and tramadol x4 a day to start with. Physio told me to use cold compress for acute injuries.
DM had to dress me everyday

Do you definitely know its a frozen shoulder? How long have you had it?

Hi fellow sufferer I use a tens machine for my shoulder and weekly visits to the oseopath.

The osteopathy is working well and I am now able to sleep with just a few disturbances. My osteopath advised me to use a bag of frozen peas NEVER heat for the pain.

Hello Ginger still suffering I see, seems no quick fixes with these shoulder problems.

cat ,I've had it before and it's a long haul !

and guess what ,after a bad night with the shoulder ,having to get up and ice it , I've now got toothache back !
Dentist keeps telling me it's sinusitis and has referred me to dental hospital for more x rays .
Dental hospital says no referral received ,dentist says sent .

Am really today .

Yes fartypants, it is 30/500. I'm going to have a hunt for a lower dosage today, but might try the 30/500 at bedtime.

A bit more movement today, in as much as I can touch my knee when I am sitting down, which I could not do yesterday.

oh and OP ,you can buy voltarol OTC - diclonfenac .
Which is what I did yesterday .

Oh, so much better today. Still can't lift my arm, but took the cocodamol at bedtime, and stupidly realised I could take one, with paracetamol, halving the codeine dose.

I don't know for certain it's frozen purplewithred but I had a similar problem last year with my other shoulder, and the physio then spoke about the possibility of it happening again in the future, and what it would be like. Unfortunately it is exactly as she described.

So pleased that the drugs are helping, and I am so now really optimistic I'll be able to handle physio, when I get the promised "emergency" appointment - which should mean I get it in the next month, rather than 3 months. Yey!

It still really does bloody hurt though. Told DH I was tempted to wet myself rather than try to get my jeans off earlier. Fortunately he saw the funny side.

tumbleweed - that's good you managed to sort out something in the way of painrelief .

As far as the pain goes I'm not sure it's relevant whether it's a frozen shoulder ,bursitis ,tendonitis ,calcified tendonitis etc,etc .

But ...I think with FS that they come on slowly and sneakily ,hit a really painful patch where it's agony to move ,then the pain lessens and you have limited mobility ( if you don't exercise ) .

I think a "typical " cycle is 18 months to 2 years ,and that was my experience with my first encounter . So it would be unusual to have a FS last year which is now better ,and if your current one has come on suddenly and sort of out of the blue ,maybe it's not a FS .

Just saying all this so that you can get your thoughts straight for GP tomorrow . They seem/are so busy that I think their diagnosis is often a bit rushed .
Apologies if you know all this and I'm being bossy !

hi all i had frozen shoulder on my right shoulder about 4 years ago and had manipulation under anaesthetic to fix it. the next day, intensive physio started and it was hell. it took about 6 months of physio and my shoulder regained about 90% of its pre frozen shoulder mobility and flexibility.

my surgeon said that it is very unlikely that the other shoulder will go the same way...

fast forward to sept last year...

shoulder started hurting and would make clicking sounds whenever i rotated my arm. went to physio etc, waste of money. about 2 months ago, had xray and ultrasound to make sure there is no tear or any damage. sure enough my shoulder is all ok but the pain is killing me. frozen shoulder again. could not believe my luck!

now i cant do up my bra strap anymore. from previous experience, i reckon it will be totally frozen in another couple of months.

i have 2 active boys and am a stay at home mum. i went through a few weeks of self pity and crying. could not believe it is happening again. the pain is very bad now. i have tried taking naproxen 1000mg. does not help. the only thing that makes the slightest difference is norgesic. and at night, i take 2 paracetamol codeine (500/30mg).

cannot take tramadol as i am on antidepressants! diclofenac did not help.

i saw a chiropractor out of desperation. all he did was make my shoulder and arm even more painful!

it is painful all the time and i sometimes wake at night, unable to get back to sleep.

i have made an appt to see ortho surgeon in june this year. most likely, i will have manipulation done again and then intensive physio.

driving is becoming difficult too.

i keep saying that luckily i only have 2 arms and shoulders!!!

both boys were delivered by cs and this is way more painful.

tumble i hope that ur pain is under control.

ginger how did you recover from your FS? did you wait for it to thaw and then physio? or did you have surgery?

oz that sounds dreadful .

With my first one it was just time really - couple of years .
Not actuely painful whole time .

Saw someone privately for osteopathy - very gentle .

With my current one I'm finding endless ( well 4 to 6 times a day ) icing helps and thinking of ditching cold packs for frozen peas .
Research is leading me to believe that ice massage ( keep moving the ice around on shoulder ) rather than sitting with a cold pack on shoulder is best .
One suggestion is freezing paper cups of water ,cutting top inch of cup off to expose ice and really pressing it into sore bits ,keep moving to avoid frost bite .
But drips so only poss over a sink stripped down - so..... only just b4 bed ?

With the pain I'm religiously taking tablets at the specified 4 or 6 hours ,if you let the timings slip because you're busy ( hello RL ) it makes it worse .

I find diclonfenac + 1000 paracetamol helps .

But the biggest problem I think is diagnosis ....think FS sort of becomes an umbrella term to cover all shoulder pain and restricted movement .
I think sometimes its not too critical ( like whether mine is tendonitis and/or frozen shoulder ) as maybe treatment similar .
Not sure really as also think that if true FS ( adhesive capsultis ) that it's recommended to wait for acute pain to subside b4 exercise .

But .... presumably if you've got for example a torn rotator cuff or calcified tendonitis then I think treatment may vary and go on to surgery .

In my own case I have a lot of muscles throughout my torso that are very tight and go into spasm and very bad way I hold myself and my neck .
I'm trying to address this with Alexander Technique ,magnesium and vit D supplements ( apparently they help muscles stop going into spasm ) .

But your shoulder problem is probably unique to you ....but I think hard to find a good expert professional who can unpick the problem and find correct soloution .

Thanks for reminding me about "getting my story straight" gingerroots. I realise from above that it might sound like it was sudden, but the reason I had the conversation with the physio was because I was starting to have problems with this shoulder, as we fixed the other one. I've been doing exercises as and when, and thought it would sort itself out. It hasn't obviously, but suddenly became unbearable, rather than just a reminder to move it.

My other shoulder isn't properly fixed - I still can't swim as much as I'd like, and cycling for any length of time is painful, but on a day to day level, it is fine, so I ignore it - foolish me.

Our GPs here are fab, but very very busy, I'll make sure I know exactly what I need to say before I go in, and not assume the poor lad (he's about 12, but very nice) will just "know"!!

How did it go tumble ?

Well. Firstly he said tendonitis/frozen shoulder/impingement, much of a muchness, the upshot is still that you are in a lot of pain. Then he got out his little model of a shoulder and illustrated what was going on - and why I can twist my arm backwards, but not move it from my side. All good. But....

You know how sometimes you have those conversations that go round in circles?

me: the cocodamol made me really sick, so I am only taking them at bedtime.
GP: you really need to take the cocodamol
me: I can't function if I am throwing up, and the process of throwing up hurts my shoulder.
GP: if you could just keep going with the cocodamol for another week.......

Eventually he saw the light, and I'm sticking with what I am doing. If it is still as sore this time next week, he wants to do a steroid injection. Today, I am so much better that I don't think that will be necessary. I am able to get my arm up the the keyboard! I have enough movement that I can move it in the right way to get some stuff done, iyswim. Hopefully by next week I will be able to start the exercises I got from the physio for my other shoulder.

I realise it is going to take months to get full movement back, but at least I am not crying in pain anymore. It doesn't hurt when DD3 tries to hold my hand which is a very big deal for both of us. Hopefully by tomorrow she'll be able to snuggle on my lap the way she wants to.

Thanks for asking, and good luck to anyone else going through this.

I know exactly what you mean .

Wonder why he thinks cocodamol is a magic bullet ,it's not even an anti inflammatory ( is it ) ?

Don't forget to ice it !

Good luck .
( mines my left arm this time ,so keyboard not too bad ,gear changing however .... )

Good morning - nice to stumble across this thread but sorry to find other sufferers.

I'm currently battling with shoulder pain. Based on a problem I had with my other shoulder a couple of years ago I think it's a rotator cuff problem - that settled with physio and ultrasound (and a shed load of Diclofenic) Now it's back in my right shoulder and being right-handed I'm finding it quite difficult.

Currently taking the tablets again - I can't stomach codeine either tumble - I'm going have to go back to the GP and see if I can get a physio referral. I also have some lower back issues too.

Gingeroots - I'm also a victim of poor posture - I hold my head forward and I'm trying to constantly correct myself but lifelong habits are hard to undo aren't they. Even if you know they're the root of the pain.

Fed up now ,wondering how long the acutely painful stage lasts .
Seem to have blocked out the memory from the last time .

I was just waiting for the minutes to tick away until time for my next painkillers and I did one of those involuntary jerks ( touched something hot ) that had me wanting to throw up with pain .

Osteopath used ultrasound last visit ,which I think helped for a good few hours ...most of the day .

saggar head forward ,yes snap .
Can't quite recall what Alexander lovely lady said about correcting this - she doeasn't use terms like "correcting " or "don't " it's all positive stuff ,but ...I've not had enough sessions to have the hang of it yet !

ginger how did you recover from frozen shoulder last time?
i hear you, i am totally fed up too. yesterday i had a nap and just sat on sofa watching tv all afternoon and into the evening. did not lift a finger. and hardly moved my frozen left shoulder and arm. it was really good to have total rest.
mind you, husband did not get dinner and kids had heat ups!
sadly had to do loads of washing today plus ironing. and the pain is just too awful. but i look normal to my family, and i dont want to be a wet rag all the time! it is not easy at all.
does anyone throwup cos of the pain?

the diagnosis i had was ultrasound and xray of shoulder showed all is normal. no torn rotator cuff or anything like that.
plus the gradual loss of range of motion.