Frozen shoulder

Good news this morning, phoned clinic and they have managed to fit me in on Monday 13th, which i am very happy with as it means I will be in the Dr's minor surgery loop before he goes on holiday.

Good news indeed!

I had a frozen shoulder once, - very painful, aren't they, but couldn't stand the idea of a big needle being stabbed in me, so I let it heal its own. The doctor said they always do heal eventually. Mine took ten months, and has never returned, thankfuly.
I was able to cope because I was retired, and living with a helpful partner at the time.

That is good news Wobbley and maybe in the meantime you could alternate between a hot water bottle and an ice pack to try and relieve the pain.

When my left shoulder froze, I had a steroid injection [eventually and privately at the cost of around £1000! ]. It worked, but by that stage it was so bad I had a second injection. worked a treat, not had trouble since.
When my right shoulder froze, the doctor [different surgery] tried to give me steroid injection, but then said it was something else; eventually [after 8 months of excruciating pain, was crying half the time] i had an operation which fixed it. Was a long haul though.
Both shoulders dodgy, but the pain is only occasional.
For sleeping, I found the cushion under the elbow helpful, as was a V-shaped pillow from Dunelm for a few pounds.
All the best.

Again, thank to everyone for your input, it really does help.

When you are 72, the thought of 2 years of pain is very depressing, I have too much living to do to be laid up.

Hi Wobbly frozen shoulder and depression, what a bummer, I can empathise.

As others have said recovery seems to take two years, mine did, despite having many physio appointments where many different approaches were tried including acupuncture.

That doesn't mean I was having the same level of pain all of that time though.

It's miserable, like having toothache. You're right about having a lot of living to do. I'd be a 'nuisance' at your surgery if necessary. Try everything to find what works for you to relieve the pain.

I wish I could be more helpful.

You won't be in pain for that length of time, it will probably only be a matter of weeks. It will just become a minor inconvenience, and you will find ways round doing what you want to do.

that wasn't my experience, shy. I was in constant pain for many, many months.
I think it depends on the person, on the circumstances, and whether they had any treatment. I didn't, until I went private.
I sincerely hope that you get help quite soon Wobbly and that your pain goes away. Depression might be effect of pain - it is very insidious. As I mentioned earlier, I was mostly in tears a lot of the time - dependent on DH to un/dress me, to cut up my food, to drive me around... It was horrible.

Got an appointment through to see an NHS physio at the beginning of March.

I've had two frozen shoulders, not both at once fortunately and on each side. I had to wait for a physio appointment but I found to begin with it was just too painful to do exercises anyway. The initial pain was tremendous, as bad as childbirth but lasting longer! I really felt ill with it. Once I saw the physio I found that the exercises were the same as you can get online anyway. He also said that there was no evidence they made recovery any quicker. (Cost cutting?) Both mine took at least 2 years, but it does go eventually.

I can only say how sorry I am. As I once had one as well and it was agony. I went down the steroid jab route and also phsio. What made me smile was waiting for physio,sat among a load of burly blokes like rugby players etc and no other women there. Glad to say the treatment worked and I had forgotten all about it until I saw this thread. Hope you soon recover.

wobblybits I do sympathise and hope the physio can help you even though you have to wait until March. Not quite the same but this week after blood tests and a few weeks of intense pain in all my joints, I have been diagnosed with polymyalgia. I am now on my second day of steroid tablets so no real difference yet. I don't think I realised how depressed pain can make you when nothing seems to relieve it and found myself wanting to shed tears over anything. According to GP I am the right age and sex for this complaint ☹️

Just seen this thread wobbly, so pleased you have your appointments. Constant pain is seriously debilitating, you had enough to manage without this. Hang on in there, it will come to an end. In the meantime sending hugs.

Funnygran, poor you ! I have Polymyalgia too, but fortunately fairly mildly, so have chosen to ride it out without the steroids. I mostly cope well but this damp weather doesn't suit me. I hope you will soon feel the benefit of the medication, and be able to reduce the dose soon.

Wobbly, I am pleased you have a physio appointment so soon, although it probably seems like a long wait to you. In my area there is at least a 3 month waiting list, which is why I went private for my shoulder tear physio. For my two previous frozen shoulders I didn't bother.

Hi Wobbly ! sorry to hear that you are in pain ( another sufferer here) have you actually taken any painkillers? just referring to your post " unless I can get some relief " etc , Painkillers are very effective for FS and also reduce the inflammation and swelling . I believe that a small dose of Valium helps to stop the spasm in the muscles which is what causes most of the pain btw . I understand that pain makes depression worse but try not to get into a negative cycle of thinking , it WILL get better . Glad you have appointments in the pipeline but I am not an advocate of Physio and know of no one who has been helped by it , it seems to just serve to keep physios in employment and gives GPs somewhere to refer you to . Others may disagree I expect . Good luck xx

Wobbly - by March you will hopefully be feeling a lot better , I think the usual time for the severe pain from FS to subside is around 6 weeks . It always is for me , I can count the days!

I'm currently staving off frozen shoulder using painkillers & physio , I've got my full range of frontal & side movement yet but not the back. If your painkillers aren't working ask your GP for stronger ones. I ended up on Tramadol which helped enormously as it meant the pain didn't stop me from using my arm which I think helped it from turning into full blown frozen shoulder.

I practise Reiki & Seichem and have successfully treated quite a lot of frozen shoulders.

My Dh frozen shoulder responded well to physio, Hope you feel better on all fronts soon.

I had a frozen shoulder about 15 years ago, as a result of a partially slipped disc in my neck. A series of minor adjustments by a chiropractor over a period of about 10 weeks put it right. It wasn't cheap but would have been worth it at ten times the price! I believe the treatment did become available on the NHS some time later, but am not sure that is still likely to be the case. Worth an ask, though. I do hope you get it sorted out!

Hi Wobblybits and everyone else who has or has had frozen shoulders. I've had both mine frozen in the past as had my mother before me. She had the old barbaric treatment i.e. Manipulation (read ripping apart!) under anaesthetic which I believe was agony and only marginally improved the condition.
With my first I tried everything, acupuncture, tens, physio, seeing a consultant who said- we can operate and it'll take a year + to get over or you can leave it and it'll take about the same time! So, second time around I just suffered the phases , stiffness followed by agonising pain and immobility, then gradual easing of the pain but still no mobility then finally a gradual return to movement. During this last phase exercises are definitely beneficial. Some years later my shoulders are back to normal with acceptable flexibility for my age. I do think that the severity of this condition varies from person to person, the physio I saw gave up with me saying that since the joint was immobile she could do nothing for me.
The bottom line is that whether you treat it or not it takes a couple of years to recover from the condition. Patience and forbearance gransnetters!

Do you have a walk-in surgery locally, if so, try them.

For my husband it was two years. Sports physio helped. Heat, rest, anti-inflamatories (naproxen or diclofenac) from GP because the shoulder joint tissue is actually inflamed and codeine for pain. He survived, but we have never found out why adhesive capsulitis (sp) takes so long to go... it seems to come on so quickly!

You can get a support strap for it. Just saw this the other day on this site as I got OH a knee brace from them. Good prices, fast delivery. (Egads... between the two of us we are falling apart!)

www.physioroom.com/injuries/shoulder/frozen_shoulder_sum.php

I'm another ex sufferer. It wears off on its own eventually and I didn't find physio or osteopathy made any improvement, but in the later stages it wasn't as excruciating unless I suddenly knocked it or somebody banged into me. I found it was just about manageable if I rearranged my life style around it. Front fastening bras, clothing easy to get into, Biofreeze gel or spray to apply and paracetamol & codeine to allow me to sleep. Learn what painkillers suit you best and don't hesitate to use them. I managed to work through it by adapting to the condition and avoiding anything that aggravated it, but like others have said, it is a horrid condition and very wearing, but all of a sudden it starts to go and mine vanished over a few weeks. How long it lasts varies from person to person, but it will heal itself within two years. I'm so sorry you've fallen victim, but there's no miracle fast cure I'm afraid.