Shoulder impingement - pain!!

[Toffeewhirl]

Has anyone had this? I pulled something in my shoulder when I stretched one day. Was painful and couldn't raise my hand behind my back.

Saw physio who helped a bit and gave me exercises. Then went on a weekend break to Lisbon, slipped on the cobbles and landed on that arm.

Now the pain is worse than ever. I can barely do the physio exercises and keep my arm pinned to my side to protect it. If I move it wrong or bang it, it's so painful I feel sick.

I can't sleep properly at night because of it, so that's making me grumpy too.

I'm usually fairly stoic if I'm ill, but I'm not being stoic at all this time. I'm thoroughly fed up. Especially because the physio said if it's developing into frozen shoulder, it will take months to heal.

Has anyone had anything like this? If so, what helped?

@ThighMistress - sympathies! I stopped physio because it was costing so much money and not doing anything. I think it was just the wrong time to be doing it because I was so frozen and in so much pain. I hope it works for you.

I also gave up on the private physio - kept doing the exercises at home though and I was lucky that it resolved itself fairly quickly. I was going to try the hydrodilatation but almost passing out during the procedure put a stop to that - although by the time I’d been to the GP and the hospital date had come around it was already starting to unfreeze.

It's three days since I had the injection and I can already report a significant improvement 🙂. The morning after the op, I discovered I could raise my arm slightly up in front of me. Now I can raise it right up and also halfway up to one side. No change to any other movements yet, but it's still early days. The usual dull ache in my arm has gone, although I still feel pain if anyone knocks me (DS2 grabbed my elbow yesterday and that triggered a bit of a zinger, but it was much less painful than usual).

I went to Pilates yesterday and was able to do more of the exercises.

I have a phone appt with a physio on Monday. In the meantime, I'm using my arm as much as possible, as I know this is my window of opportunity to increase mobility.

I've also noticed I've woken up with more energy. I don't think injectable steroids give you energy, so I assume it's down to the reduction in pain. As well as the boost to my mood, I'm sure. The pain and immobility of a frozen shoulder really gets you down.

@WarningToTheCurious - you've just made me feel much better about myself because I also almost passed out during the hydrodilitation. The radiologist said we get a rise in adrenalin and then a sudden drop when the procedure stops, which makes you feel faint. Although it sounds as if your response happened before that.

She also said it's mostly the rugby players who properly faint 😄.

I don't want to put anyone off the procedure, so will say that I'd have it again if necessary. I think it's just a very weird feeling to have liquid injected into your muscles, but you get a local anaesthetic and the radiologist does it incrementally. The radiologist also let me take a couple of Diazepam beforehand, which kept me calm.

I'm glad the exercises worked for you, @WarningToTheCurious.

The Consultant managed to touch something in my shoulder whilst guiding in the needle which instantly made me feel faint. The physio had managed to do the same thing as well (using hardly any pressure) so it might just be me. Consultant was very grumpy and told me it was psychosomatic, whereas my physio friend just smiled and said isn’t the limbic system an amazing thing.

@WarningToTheCurious - what an unhelpful thing for the consultant to say. With reassurance and encouragement, you might have been able to get through it.

Also, the pain levels must depend on where in the process you are: so someone still enduring the very painful period is going to find the hydrodilitation more difficult than someone who is frozen, but not in so much pain.

I was lucky to have a very empathetic, kind nurse and an equally kind radiologist. Made all the difference.

TBF I was in the frozen rather than the v painful stage and the injection was uncomfortable rather than painful - but it was like someone had flipped a switch. The nurse said that I had gone grey. Very strange.

@Toffeewhirl amazing it's working for you!!!

I also had hydrodilation therapy just before Xmas. I saw the consultant and she said I was still in the "freezing" stage and optimum time to perform it. It was squished into her jammed schedule scheduled for a day later.

I too almost died from the pain, both during and after. I felt like my arm was going to wrench itself into new positions from inside and possibly break itself.

But within a day or two... hello range of MOTION!

It's now feb and I am back at the gym and swimming albeit with the kids (so just messing about) but I can report I put my bra on without a second thought, as it should be!

It bloody worked :)

Two weeks ago my nhs physio appt finally came though, far far too late in the game...

Big up for shoulder hydrodilation!

@Anyfeckinusername - I'm so happy to hear it worked for you! That sounds amazing. I hope my treatment proves as successful. I'm already relishing simple movements that were impossible before: such as being able to reach up and put things in cupboards. Hopefully, I'll be regaining a bit more mobility every day.

Sorry to hear the procedure was so painful for you, though.

I’ve seen a chiro for frozen shoulder a couple of times now and although he basically pushes it beyond where it wants to go which kills, it’s working and I can move it a lot more already. I also had the punched in the top of the arm feeling. But now the zingers have reduced so I’m pushing it at home as well and not avoiding movement. He’s asked my doctor to request an x ray too.

Joining your club unfortunately due to large puppy and squirrel situation.

I'm really rating CBD patches.

THanks for this thread OP. I've had pain for a month now and realised the other day that I have limited movement too. It's not frozen shoulder as I can raise it in front of me and to the side, but putting my coat on or pulling the duvet up in bed over my shoulder is a no-no. Such pain! Both the stabbing sharp pain and the unbearable aching all the time. Someone upthread says it feels like you've just had the flu jab and I agree. Like my arm is being gripped HARD around the muscle.

I wanted to know if it could be impingement as I had hip impingement that was misdiagnosed for YEARS by my gp and a really cross orthopaedic surgeon who wanted to know why he could clearly see the problem on a three year old x ray, when everyone else had told me it was fine all along. And why had no-one else noticed?

GP agreed it sounded like impingement and has prescribed naproxen and given me exercises, as well as referring me for physio.

Op, I’ve been where you are now twice! Once each side. I had hydrodilation too and it was brilliant. I couldn’t even reach my left armpit with my right hand beforehand. My physio got me swimming straight away after - I could do a weird sort of left arm crawl, right arm doggy paddle - and I think that really helped. I’m four years on and back to about 90% movement and no pain.
I got 100% movement back in the left one but I was younger then (45), am 59 now).

I believe it’s an auto immune condition which is why we menopausal women tend to get it.