Frozen shoulder

**martybabe** · 10th July 2009, 13:09

Oh dear, that's a bugger. My Doc reckoned Frozen shoulder has a life span in that it will get better on it's own in time. It took about three months for mine to bugger off, in the mean time I had acupuncture, anti inflams, physio,nothing worked.

If it is frozen shoulder, pain killers and time is all I can offer you but the good news is I had it once and it never came back, touch wood, it's darn well debilitating.

I feel for you Princess, speedy recovery lady. x

**PrincessBandit** · 10th July 2009, 13:22

Originally Posted by howdamnhard

Avoid sleeping on that side/shoulder. I had problems with my shoulder a while back and changed which side I slept on. That made a bigger difference than the physio. Dress warm and avoid movements which aggravate it, ie give it time to heal. google about.com , has quiet a bit of useful info. The problem with the shoulder joint is that nerves and muscles run through narrow spaces and when you hurt it they become inflamed and larger thus pinching it even more and thus the cycle continues. Sometimes it may require surgery to open the space up.

Thanks for that. It's really annoying that I haven't actually been able to sleep properly since the accident (mid March) - can't lie on my right side at all, the side I usually sleep on, and sleeping on my back or left side is still not comfortable either. Lying on my front can be comfortable for a short time, but if I fall asleep like that the pain in my back is almost as bad as my shoulder!!

Reading that I sound like such a baby, but the lack of sleep is really getting to me. Oh well, big lesson - don't fall off bike! Um, yeah.
Will see what the ultrasound reveals this afternoon.

**F5 Dave** · 10th July 2009, 13:23

Good luck & speed to getting that knitted & associated working.

**Winter** · 10th July 2009, 13:54

I got out of hospital yesserday, had My shoulder cut open and some sort of arthroscopic repair done to stop the damn thing dislocating every time I'm out in a stiff breeze.

But now I have to wear a sling for 6 weeks and take up to 6 months off work to let it heal. stupid shoulders!

Hope you get it sorted quicksmart

**Icemaestro** · 10th July 2009, 17:24

Hi, sorry coming in halfway through - In last year or physio training, seen a couple of people with idiopathic (no known cause) frozen shoulder, and did a lit review on it last year...I gather from a brief mention about non-union of bone that you've fractured something...may I ask what and how and how long it has been since the #, and what is being done to manage it?

Often with secondary AH (adhesive capsulitis, the other name for frozen shoulder), it's due to a lack of mobility - a patient I have at the moment started developing it following a rotator cuff injury, and can often be resolved with lots of passive range of movement exercises, mobilisations etc...please do reply - there seems to be a few injured people asking stuff at the moment, it's quite interesting :-) always like to help...

**PrincessBandit** · 11th August 2009, 15:21

Buuuump.

Saw the shoulder specialist this morning. Gave me the steroid injection into the back of my shoulder. Far-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ark my arm is sore! The jab itself was fine although he did move my arm a bit as he did it, all was good then 1/2 an hour later I felt like I'd been kicked by a clydesdale!

He did warn me that the first day or so my arm might feel quite a bit worse, but then it should start to come right. Will wait and see! His suggested plan of attack, after seeing all my xrays etc., was to try to rectify the frozen shoulder as see if the freedom of movement allows the bone to still rejoin. Apparently it is not unknown that even after this long (5 months) for it to still knit if the bones are allowed to move closely enough together.

Will keep posting progress on here for anyone interested.

**PrincessBandit** · 11th August 2009, 15:22

p.s. he also said that Voltaren and other anti inflammatories such as Neurofen Plus have an ingredient which can impact significantly (in a negative way) on bone repair!! I didn't know that!

**gijoe1313** · 11th August 2009, 16:25

Crikey girl! Still in the wars huh?

Ah well, good to see you are being pro-active and still getting out on the bike! (I saw you and Balu heading off to parts unknown heh)

**Icemaestro** · 11th August 2009, 16:35

Yeha antiflams do just that...decrease inflammation, which is the body's response to healing.
Did he do the injection under ultrasound guidence?
It's not unknown for it to take up to a week - the crystals slowly release themselves over about a week though it should start feeling better relatively soon. Bear in mind cortisone won't fix the clavicle :-P

**ready4whatever** · 11th August 2009, 16:55

i hear infra-red heat lamp helps?

**Mom** · 11th August 2009, 16:56

Ouchy! I hope that settles down really soon for you. Pain is such a subversive thing. You probably operate on a reasonably high tolerance for pain and the bit more that has been added to your burden has made it feel really bad! Get into some magnesium suppliments.

**PrincessBandit** · 11th August 2009, 17:10

Originally Posted by gijoe1313

Crikey girl! Still in the wars huh?

Ah well, good to see you are being pro-active and still getting out on the bike! (I saw you and Balu heading off to parts unknown heh)

Lol. I did wonder if you'd recognise me in my lovely baby-blue M2R jacket! But then I realised you'd probably have seen Rik just up ahead and put 2 and 2 together, or you recognised my beautiful steed.... (the bandit, that is

)

We did the ride down to Ngatea and back. By the time we got there I was ready to clamber off and give my arm a rest. Yacked to a couple of riders at the Copper Kettle who were heading back to Aucks from the Mount. Then by the time I got back to Manurewa I was definitely ready to stay off the bike for a decent amount of time! The pain in my muscles between the elbow and wrist were telling me that my endurance was spent.

Fantastic ride though, and even better, the specialist has said that continuing to ride is fine! Woo hoo

Have to see him again in 5 weeks...

**Icemaestro** · 11th August 2009, 18:39

Originally Posted by ready4whatever

i hear infra-red heat lamp helps?

No. evidence is about as good for it as therapeutic ultrasound.

**chanceyy** · 12th August 2009, 06:48

Hey PB I hear you on the pain factor .. I have ultrasound n stuff to confirm I have a rotator cuff injury .. the pain factor is right up there and I totally hear you on the no sleep, can not get comfortable either, so do not look forward to getting to bed ..

Apparently I may have done this injury about 6 months ago as I had wicked pins n needles in my arm, which would have been the start .. over the last two months have completely aggravated it (torn - ultrasound to confirm)

As its my right arm I can not ride my bike as I can not maintain pressure on the throttle and even though I have high pain tolerance, at the moment the pain is certainly doing me in .. but not being able to ride my bike, work my horses or get out in the garden which are the 3 things that relax me is by far worse

good luck in getting yours sorted .. I really feel your pain