<p>binx,</p>
<p>Your post brings it all back. Yup. I would wake up in a lot of pain also. Really not a trivial problem. Made driving almost impossible some days. The whole experience made me much more empathetic with those in chronic pain.</p>
<p>I think it’s incredible that a illness with such sudden almost scary pain is not more well known or fixable. Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that it mostly effects women? I mean if this happened to a carpenter or someone that did lots of lifting, it would wreck your career.</p>
<p>It happens to men too. My main tennis partner is playing left-handed because right-handed is too painful. Another guy I know that runs a construction business is recovering from his second surgery.</p>
<p>I keep telling the former to see a doctor but he hates doctor and would prefer to endure the pain.</p>
<p>Men get it, but according to this [frozen</a> shoulder - Bing Health](<a href=“http://www.bing.com/health/article/mayo-123140/Frozen-shoulder?q=frozen+shoulder]frozen”>http://www.bing.com/health/article/mayo-123140/Frozen-shoulder?q=frozen+shoulder)
</p>
<p>My doctors ( I ended up seeing 3) all told me that surgery wouldn’t help a frozen shoulder. Having not slept in about 6 months (every time I moved the pain was excruciating), endured 2 cortisone shots and thrice weekly PT the final doctor was going to go in laproscopically to see if something else was going on. Maybe it was my fear of surgery, maybe the timing was fortuitous, who knows, but after he had me try one more set of exercises it started to improve. 2 years later I still don’t have complete range of motion, but the pain is gone. This was seriously the most frustrating physical issue I have ever had.</p>
<p>Saw my PT today and asked her about frozen shoulder. She said it usually starts with some kind of trauma, might not even be that bad, but the person stops moving the impaired shoulder and scar tissue builds up. So, probably a good idea to start PT exercises as soon as you have any twinges, and do them regularly to keep the muscles around the shoulder in good shape.</p>
<p>Reading this thread the first time around scared the bejeezus out of me, as I’ve been dealing with sometimes intense shoulder pain for years that turned out to be bursitis. I can’t imagine the agony some of you describe. I also went web searching for more info on Frozen Shoulder, and boy did I get it! The horror stories out there had me nauseous with fear. I also found out that diabetics are much more prone to the disorder than non-diabetics. Guess who’s diabetic:rolleyes: I’m also 53, still apparently within the typical age range of FS sufferers. I do gentle should stretches everyday, hoping to keep that monster at bay. Why do us women always get the worst of it?:(</p>
<p>Just saw this thread…I also had frozen shoulder last summer. My ortho DR said it was b/c of my rotator but it turned out to be something completely different: diabetes related. Turns out, this is a common problem for diabetics. I went to PT 3x a week until my insurance said “Enough!!!”. I was worried I’d never have much movement, but it has cleared up almost entirely, and the pain has stopped. This too is very common.</p>
<p>I’ve never had a frozen shoulder, but I was just listening to Doctor Radio (it’s a Sirius radio call-in program with docs from NYU Langone Medical Center who answer questions–the studio is in the lobby). I heard a ortho. respond to a woman who called in about her frozen shoulder. She’d had surgery on one shoulder and felt the symptoms coming on in her other shoulder. This doctor said that a frozen shoulder has 3 phases–starting to freeze, frozen, and defrosting. He claimed that you had to wait a year to see if it would resolve itself and then, if it didn’t, it was time to consider surgery or other interventions. Said it was common for people (mostly women) to end up having it in both shoulders. It is also common in people over 50 and the Japanese name for the ailment translates to: 50-year-old shoulder! He also stated that the primary benefit of PT and massage and such is to help with the pain. I love this station–my family thinks I’m nuts!</p>
<p>My PT said it wsn’t unusual for him to see a frozen shoulder patient again a couple years later - for the other shoulder. Neither my PT nor my orthopedic surgeon felt it was trauma related. My surgeon said part of the problem in understanding the cause is that there is probably more than one cause, and not the same for everyone.</p>
<p>My understanding of the surgery - called that only because it is done by a surgeon - is that they put you to sleep, then manipulate the shoulder, breaking the bonds that have occured in the ligaments. It is non-invasive. Most of the PT exercises are also designed to break these bonds, but to a lesser extent. He said the surgery would only be considered if I continued to lose mobility despite other interventions.</p>
<p>The PT explained it as imaging spaghetti noodles (or even a lock of hair) that have started to stick together, creating a stiffness that doesn’t allow them to bend. It’s like the strands of ligaments are sticking together, and need to be unstuck so that they can move freely and independently.</p>
<p>And they explained that inflammation that occurs as the body tries to deal with it can cause swelling that hinders the movement even more. So the cortisone shot attacks the inflammation first. (Repeated shots, though, are apparently ineffective after the first one.) The exercises are to first, loosen things up, and thereafter, to keep them loose. Increasing and maintaining range of motion. The strength training is to decrease injury, especially as other muscles move in to compensate for the ones that aren’t working. The massage is akin to wringing out a sponge; simple rubbing just moves the accumulated blood around, so the deep massage is to attempt to push it elsewhere. Heat promotes healing by bringing blood to the source. Ice decreases swelling by not allowing blood to settle.</p>
<p>Frozen shoulder truly is excruciating! I had a few bad experiences with PTs that, in retrospect, did not treat it intensively enough. During that period I bought a book on trigger point massage. I worked through the book very carefully and was able to really bring the pain under control with it. Then I found a great PT, who used a combination of manipulation, massage, and exercises and I regained all my range of motion. It took less than a year (about 6 months) and I really feel the PT was critical. I still do some of the exercises on both shoulders to prevent a relapse and I have added more shoulder type exercises (such as yoga) to my routine. My deepest sympathy to everyone going through this.</p>
<p>I had this happen about 5 years ago. Reaching for something in the back seat of the car was excruciating, and I could only shampoo with my right hand. I did physical therapy for 6 months, and I’m not sure if this helped or not but I know that nothing miraculous happened within a few months of doing the therapy. Eventually, because of time constraints and work obligations I stopped going to the sessions but I did do the exercises at home. The pain eventually went away–but yes–I think I had the pain for about 2 years.</p>
<p>This thread is most timely for me, because I have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor next week. I’ve been suffering since April, and I believe that this might be my problem.I’m the right age, and my symptoms are just what all of you have been describing. I’d never heard of this condition before, and now I’m stumbling over references to it everywhere, including a mystery novel I was reading!</p>
<p>What are you reading hotcanary?</p>
<p>kathiep, it’s one of those culinary mysteries by Diana Mott Davidson. It’s not a big part of the plot, but a character has a shoulder injury that becomes a frozen shoulder. I thought that perhaps the author had experienced it herself, because she’s the right age for it.</p>
<p>Sorry for the short derail …Which one Hotcanary? I read the first four of five that she wrote but they seemed too much alike. I’d be willing to read this one for fun. I work in a library so easy-peasy to get!</p>
<p>Culinary mystery??</p>
<p>Had frozen shoulder 2 yrs ago. Never got around to seeing anyone about it. Excruciating, drive-thrus were really hard to use with right hand.</p>
<p>At about the 6 month point, started taking baby aspirin a few times a day for some other issues. Pain actually got tolerable. Started moving shoulder more. Resolved itself; 10 months total to get “okay,” maybe 15 months total to be gone.</p>
<p>Guess it’s time for the other one.</p>
<p>kathiep, it was “Fatally Flaky.” Now I’m embarrassed, because those books are pretty terrible, although I did get some good recipes from them. Did you ever stick with a series, even though you don’t really like it? For some reason,I take a perverse pleasure in reading these books, then reading the scathing reviews on Amazon.</p>
<p>Thanks for taking my mind off my shoulder, though. It’s been kind of horrifying to read that this might last for two years, yet comforting to know that it does go away eventually. If frozen shoulder is, in fact, what I have. I guess I’ll know better on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Well, it’s officially frozen shoulder. I had the cortisone shot today, but all I feel is achy right now. The doctor told me it might take a couple of days for the pain to subside. He also wrote me a prescription for physical therapy. Luckily, there is a good facility within walking distance of my home. It’s very difficult to get dressed, showered,etc., and I’ve had to be very creative when putting on deodorant. Wish me luck, all you frozen shoulder heroes!</p>
<p>Good luck, HotCanary! Yes, I remember the deodorant challenge! And reaching in the backseat of the car. And putting on my seatbelt. </p>
<p>My cortison shot was on a Thursday, and on Friday, it was more achy than ever, but by that Monday I was feeling a lot better. </p>
<p>Picked up a bag of library books yesterday - after nearly 2 years, you’d think I’d know enough to remember to use my left arm! As I lay whimpering across the kitchen counter, my S picked up the books and carried them upstairs for me. But my arm really feels fine most of the time. And now when it does “pop”, I can usually manipulate it a bit and get it to stop hurting. Almost like it’s a pinched nerve or something.</p>