Frozen shoulder.

LadyA

LadyA

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Does anyone know of a speedy way to resolve this? It's the second time I've had a "frozen" shoulder. Thankfully, not the same shoulder! I damaged the rotator cuff on the right shoulder about ten years ago, and in all, with regular physio, it took over a year before it was ok. Never got full movement back, but got to about 97/98%, and learned to compensate.

A few months ago, I stupidly reached behind my head to turn on a lamp with my left hand, and felt a bit of a "twang" over the shoulder. It was fine for several weeks, sore when I'd move suddenly, but gradually, it stiffened, and the absolute agony of moving it "wrong" is unbelievable! Of course, it being over the Summer, I've had to be starting the lawnmower, the strimmer, and now I'm looking at a 100Ft hornbeam hedge that needs cutting, which I have to do by hand. So far, I've done about five feet! :(

I'm lucky enough to have a cousin who's a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, and she tells me I'm doing all I can. Keeping it warm (stick on heat patches!) lots of anti inflam gel and Deep Heat cream, and gentle physio exercises. And in fairness, it's not as bad as it was. It's my left arm, my "changing gear" arm! At one stage, I was just balancing the steering wheel with my left hand at the bottom, and reaching across to change gear with my right hand! :o :o And, I can now lie down to sleep, albeit I can't lie on my side (either side) yet. But still, lying down is much better than trying to sleep propped into almost sitting position!

So, Oh Wise Ones! Anyone got any further ideas of anything I can do to hurry healing along??
 
Hi LadyA.
Bend over forwards, letting the affected arm hang down towards the floor. Gently swing it backwards and forwards a few times within the limit of pain. Repeat several times per day.

Next time you hurt your shoulder, if you start doing this within a day or two, it shouldn't freeze up. Immobilising a shoulder with a rotator cuff injury is asking for trouble- I learned that the hard way :-(
 
Bag of frozen peas slapped on the sore shoulder part for 5 minutes. Then apply "heat" ointment

Have you tried the "walking your arm up the wall" exercise? That all worked for me
 
I had forgotten to "subscribe" to this, and lost it!

Yes, I'm doing the gentle swinging, now that I can, without agony. And I've done the ice/heat. It's now not as painful as it was, but movement wise, there's not a budge, and there's no power in that arm at all. So, my hedge is uncut, my wilderness needs the strimmer but I can't start it, the veg garden is a riot of weeds and needs clearing and covering....the list goes on! Oh well!

Icemaiden!! "Next time"??!!! :-)11 :-)11 :o :o :shock:
 
To be fair, there's been a 24 year gap between my shoulder injuries, but having done it before, it never got back to 100%. This spring I came in through the back door in my chicken run wellies & stepped across the doormat as usual onto some newspaper. The paper went skidding across the kitchen floor like a snowboard & I put my hand out to stop me from headbutting the breakfast bar. Wrenched shoulder; four warm & sunny months unable to go kayaking. :cry:
 
I only got a ten year gap! My cousin says that if you have had one frozen shoulder, the chances of you damaging the other within ten years or so are way higher, because normally, you never regain full strength or 100% movement in the damaged shoulder, so you compensate with the other shoulder. Which of course, puts more strain on that one. And I can see she is right, because now that what was my "good" shoulder is frozen and painful, the one I damaged before but had recovered, has been doing most of the work. And it's starting to let me know that it's not 100% :( So, I'm trying to be really careful, and not over work it, because can you just imagine if you had both shoulders frozen at the same time?! Wouldn't be able to get dressed, brush your hair, wipe your......! :o :o :o
 
Thinking of you to Lady A. Hope Ophelia leaves you unscathed.
 
Ah no, Minorcafan! Hope it doesn't last very long. Heat, heat and more heat! Keeping it warm I think is key to helping it along. I've been using stick on heat patches, the ones that are shaped to go over your shoulder work really well. And a plug in heat pad in the evenings. And tube after tube of Deep Heat cream. Thank God, suddenly, the shoulder isn't nearly as painful. And I'm not sure, but I think there's a tiny bit more movement. Time to keep up the physio now! And my cousin told me to always warm up before doing any work like starting the lawnmower or strimmer, doing any cutting etc.
 
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