<p>And unless you are completely better by now, don’t delay… the longer you wait, the worse it gets and the longer it takes to heal once treatment starts.</p>
<p>Okay okay, I promise to schedule an appointment tomorrow. Thanks all for your concern :)</p>
<p>Couldn’t get an appointment until May 12th so no news before then. I had done a cross-check of docs in my insurance plan who have sports medicine board subcertifications with a check of specialists in my state who have not paid malpractice settlements. Picked out a local guy and called for the appointment and was surprised that they answered the phone “orthopedics group.” Sure hope he won’t rush to operate :(</p>
<p>They won’t. And the problem would only get worse if you delayed further, and take more time/effort to be helped. You want to stop progression so don’t cancel the appoinment if you have a few good days or it “doesn’t seem so bad now”- you may merely be adjusting to a loss of function.</p>
<p>My d’s sports med guy is not a surgeon but works for the orthopedics group. even if the doc is a surgeon - don’t worry he won’t rush to operate.
I saw a shoulder specialist for a year and he finally said - call me when you are ready for surgery. it was a last resort. the pain went away in a couple of weeks! they have all kinds of non-surgical tricks up their sleeves nowadays.</p>
<p>Thanks all for giving me the push I needed to follow through with seeking help. I’ve got a frozen shoulder caused by capsulized something or other (paperwork is at home) and will start physical therapy three times a week. After 6 weeks if doc isn’t satisfied with restoration of range of motion, he’ll add cortisone shots to regimen. Sure hope that isn’t necessary!</p>
<p>Worrywart, what kind of Dr did you ultimately see??</p>
<p>sports medicine</p>
<p>so it is a frozen shoulder aka adhesive capsulitis
your PT will work with you to stretch and manipulate your contracted muscles. you will be taught a regimen involving possibly pulleys (easy to set up at home), stretches, core strengthening exercises. the purpose of this is to prevent further contracture and to stretch and strengthen the weakened, tight muscles. usually PT lasts a couple of months but you must continue with your home regimen until your shoulder unfreezes. the biggest misconception is that the therapy sessions will “resolve” the problem and so when people aren’t greatly improved after a couple of months they sometimes give up. DON"T! Frozen shoulders often start to unfreeze after about 9 months and don’t fully unfreeze for 18 months to 2 years. Once you reach a certain range of motion with your shoulder you are able to just do more and don’t need to do your shoulder exercises quite as religiously but the more you do them the better your end range will be. PT sessions can be painful especially in the beginning but the pain improves as the muscles stretch and the pain is nothing compared to the pain of the freezing process that you have already been through.
Frozen shoulders are more common in women and in diabetics. They almost never recur in the same shoulder, and rarely are bilateral. I was unlucky enough to have a frozen left shoulder 4 years ago and a frozen right shoulder 2 years ago. it was alot easier the second time round, because i diagnosed myself immediately, got to my doctor and started therapy without delay. Good luck and PM me if you like!</p>
<p>i should add, there is a fine balance between exercising to your limit and irritating the still frozen shoulder, especially in the beginning few months. same goes for your therapy sessions. a good therapist will understand this and work with you on it-and teach you to recognize the limits so that you can proceed without injuring yourself further. finding a therapist who really understands frozen shoulders is key. i had a good one who had a baby, her replacement was a brute and i left her for an excellent one, whom i returned to on round 2.</p>
<p>You truly speak from experience, philpoleon. I appreciate what you’ve shared with me. The doctor offered me a prescription painkiller to use at my therapy sessions (which I refused) but I’ve got to say it sure has made me apprehensive about what to expect. I begin next Monday with a therapist that a friend is currently using for her hip. I’ll be sure to find out at the first session how much he knows about frozen shoulders.</p>
<p>i don’t know much about frozen shoulder. however i’ve had to take physical therapy for tendonitis in many parts of my body. It started with the shoulder. It never completely healed but I think part of it may have been my fault. I was 15 when I started the PT. The reason I’m saying this is because PT is only as good as the instructions you follow from the Physical Therapist. This means that if the Physical Therapist tells you to do some exercises at home, you should do them. Unfortunately I got into the habit of going to PT and leaving all the work there. Isaw improvements in my shoulder for sure, but my arm was never the same as it was before the tendonitis.</p>
<p>Btw cortisone shots aren’t bad (unless you’re afraid of needles). Obviously the hope is you things get better, but keep an open mind if things don’t progress as quickly. Surgery is usually a last resort for orthopedists, at least in my experience. I’ve seen about 4 or 5 of them in the same department (they each specialized in different muscles). Depending on the extremity of the situation they’ll know what to do.</p>
<p>Good luck with the therapy.</p>
<p>my therapist recommended taking an NSAID like ibuprofen or naproxyn half an hour before the session and i did that for about a month.i didn’t want to take a prescription pain pill because i was driving myself to and from the sessions.
have you ever had a baby and learned lamaze breathing? i found that helpful at times. you need to be as relaxed as possible during the sessions and it’s hard to relax when someone is cranking on your arm :o
everyone’s pain tolerance is different and the therapist should gauge that. remember, it gets easier as time goes on. good luck and i will cheer you on!</p>
<p>and do find out if your therapist is really experienced with frozen shoulder. my last therapist specialized in shoulder problems and has treated many, many frozen shoulders. she told me my first time that i had one of the worst cases she had ever seen, a testament to my stupid ability to live with pain and dysfunction before seeking help. and she got me back to just about normal. if your therapist is not extremely experienced ask for a referral to someone who is. if you are having trouble getting that info PM me. i’ll give some tips on how to get that info, if it is not forthcoming. you really need to be your own advocate, and not be afraid to get the right help.it is SO worth it in this particular condition. of course it depends on where you live and what resources you have in your community.</p>
<p>Thanks again for the pep talks and the knowledge base.</p>
<p>worrywart,
I’ve also gone through the frozen shoulder deal within the last couple of years. I wasn’t able to lift my right arm even to shoulder level when I started PT. I had a great PT guy, but it does hurt like h*ll. I did not take any NSAID’s or anything of the sort before my sessions. I’m a bit of a “glutton for punishment.” It does take months and months of therapy, but I can now report that I can lift my arm straight up over my head. It’s a matter of breaking up the adhesions. You also should be getting home exercises to do, and you need to force yourself to do them daily.
Just so you know, I was referred to a physical therapist by a man who is considered to be the foremost shoulder surgeon in the country. He was not anxious to operate, and sees operating as a last resort.</p>
<p>hurt like h*ll, glutton for punishment, do your lamaze breathing… what about us mere mortals?</p>
<p>chin up. we’re all mere mortals! if your therapist brutalizes you, he/she is not being gentle enough. there should be brief periods of discomfort, (which may be significant )but these treatments are not supposed to be torture and they won’t be if you are working with the right person.</p>