Joann, I did have it and it was absolutely one of the most painful things I have ever experienced. I guess in part due to how much we use our shoulders without even realizing it. I feel for you.

I went to physical therapy and it took 3 or 4 months to really work thru it, maybe a bit longer. Yes, it was exercises, I bought a pulley system and worked on that every night in addition to the machines and manipulation at therapy.

Good luck!

I do have shoulder issues, just wondering what causes it and what are you symptoms?

Trin

I have no idea how it happen, just old age I guess.

What are the signs of adhesive capsulitis?
You should be able to move your shoulder in all directions without pain. To test yourself, do these things:

ÂReach up toward the sky with both arms.
ÂReach your arms out straight in front of you.
ÂRaise your arms out to the sides of your body.
ÂPretend that you are trying to unzip the back of your dress or pull your wallet from the back pocket of your pants.
If you have pain or stiffness in your shoulder when you do these things, you may have adhesive capsulitis. Your doctor may be able to tell you have adhesive capsulitis just by talking to you and watching you move. Your doctor may press on parts of your shoulder to see what might be causing the pain. Your doctor may also want to take an x-ray or do a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of your shoulder to look for other problems.

What causes adhesive capsulitis?
Your shoulder joint "freezes" when the connective tissue in your shoulder joint tightens and restricts your joint's movement. Often, adhesive capsulitis develops after a time when you have been less active because of another injury, such as a rotator cuff injury, broken arm, or recovering from a surgery.

People 40 years and older are at higher risk for adhesive capsulitis, especially women. Certain health conditions, including diabetes, can also put you at higher risk.

Yes I have had it and it is not fun! I still don't have a full range of motion but it is much less painfull than it was. Physio worked pretty well for me giving me a better range of motion anyway but I still notice that if I don't do my exercises it quickly gets worse again. I had it 10 years ago after a mastectomy. I had full range of motion after the mastectomy but noticed that with each radiation treatment I had, the shoulder would get worse daily making it harder and harder to lift my arm. I have lymphedema in that arm now as well. I remember taking Celebrex at the time to help relieve the inflammation.

I had it about 10 years ago. It started as a pain in my upper arm. I was surprised when the doctor said frozen shoulder, but she was right. My shoulder motion was seriously affected and I'd never noticed. My doctor and physical therapist said it was related to *not* using your shoulders enough, and particularly not stretching the whole area. Other doctors disagree, but I stretch regularly now and haven't had it again, so I'm happy.

I went to physical therapy for a couple months and used a pulley to do the exercises. I remember it was quite painful, but it fully recovered.

Good luck.

I had it in my early 50s, first the left shoulder, then the right shoulder as soon as the left one had healed up.

It was very painful. Doctor took x-rays, told me to take ibuprofen and do exercises. It took a long time to heal up both times. Fine now though.

You need physical therapy.

Were you able to work when you had it? I just got offered a job in the school cafeteria but don't know if I'll be able. I've been out of work for 2 yrs, that's probably why it started.

I couldn't have done any physical labor-type work when I had it, couldn't move my shoulders around very well at all.

Tons of physical therapy and working out on my own did not clear it up for me, but the big cortizone shot did the trick.

I have had it in both shoulders at different times. The first time was after the hurricanes here in FL in 2004. In Oct. I cleanred the soffit and trim of our house by hand. The doctor said overuse and repititive motions causes it if then when it hurts you stop using the muscles. I was also doing Pilates 4-5 times a week so that didn't help. I didn't go to the doctor until the following spring and by then I couldn't even dry my hair. I tried PT for 3 months but that made it worse as all the trigger points got inflammed. I ended up having a manipulation done when they put you to sleep and twist the shoulder, breaking the adhesions. PT for a few days afterwards and excerises at home helped me regain full motion after a few months. If you can find a massage therapist or someone to show you the excerises by Aaron L. Mattes called Active Isolated Stretching, they are the best ones for relief.

The second shoulder happen in 07. Just came on quickly but I recognized the pain and went directly for the manipulation. Same procedure and 8 sessions of PT, full range came back quicker this time. No real reason for this one happening except that the doctor says many times once you have had on one side the other side gets it too.

I read that diabetes and hormones might have something to do with it. I don't think its from non use as I am very active and it certainly wouldn't have come from that initally although I limited my use of it once it hurt.

Cortisone shots help with the pain but are bad for the regenuvantion of the tissue. I didn't get them until the manipulation when they gave me one while I was under. Biofreeze gel is great for the pain esp. at night when you can't sleep. Deep tissue massages help once you are better to work the area loose but they feel good in a painful type of way.

If you go to the health forum, search there. Others have pposted their experiences with FS.

You asked about working - I had trouble lifting pots and pans. It affects all the muscles in your arm. I even had trouble getting a good grip on the coffeepot in the mornings.

Have you considered having acupuncture? It might give you a lot of relief.
Call a local professional and ask about it.
A local doctor of Chinese medicine had an article in our newspaper today about acupuncture and frozen shoulder.

Oh, boy, did I ever have frozen shoulder. I would forget and move that shoulder too much and it took my breath away it hurt so bad. The cortisone did nothing for me, but the physical therapy did. They had me hook up a pulley in my closet and work w/ that at home--try for a little more each day. I had to buy the bras that hook in front.

You'll live through it, but you might not think you are!! Hang in there. They told me if you didn't exercise the shoulder it would just get worse.

Holy Crap...just reading the title of your post brought tears to my eyes. I had Frozen shoulder in '06 and I will never forget it. I had never heard of such a thing but I can now tell you that it is very, very real. Just like Vannie, I would forget that I had it, move my shoulder in just the wrong way and the pain was so fast and so bad that it took my breath away...I told my husband it felt like a lightning bolt of pain. Not fun at all.

Like most of us here, I did a lot of research on the internet. One bit that I remember so well...it can take 3-6 months for it to freeze, be frozen for 3-6 months and then 3-6 months for it to thaw. That is a total of 9 - 18 months. In my case and, I remember this because I was going to Curves at the time, it started to give me some pain in November of '05. By May of '06 it was frozen. By the end of August I could take it no longer so, I FINALLY went to the Dr. He sent me for X-rays, came up with a bit of OA but most likly it was Frozen shoulder. Early that September he gave me a shot of cortisone. He said if the shot was going to work it would help with the pain for 4 - 5 weeks. It did and by the middle of October it was getting back to normal and by December it was 100%. I regained full range of motion.

So Joann, I wish you luck. As far as working, I would go ahead and take to job. You will not be able to reach up over your head for heavy stuff and you will not be able to make fast, lateral moves with that arm. You will quickly learn what you can and can not do. You won't know until you try and it will not last forever.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

sooey

Gee, this doesn't sound good at all. I don't think I'm
in the very bad stage yet. What is the frozen & thaw stages mean? Just what I need :^(

In 2001 (I guess it was then, it was on the day of 9/11) I had Planters Fasciitis, I was a waitress at the time and it was tough!!!! I had to have my foot wrapped/strapped for about 3 months so I could work or walk. I got through it, It took me almost 3 yrs. I hope this doesn't last that long since I am older now and there are so few jobs out there.
I can still lift my arms over my head but it hurts. The other shoulder doesn't feel to good either.
At this point I can't have PT, just what I get from the Chiropractor, I have a high Ins. deductible and then it just covers Major stuff.

I had frozen shoulder. It must have been in the late 80s. All I remember about it was my orthopedist said it would clear up within 12-18 months and it did. I was very active at that time and continued to play volleyball. He said it was probably caused by hormones because it only afflicts women.

Linda, the afflicting only women is not true, in fact when I had mine the orthopod that was treating me had it as well. He could not even brush his teeth with his right hand nor could he shave.

Vannie--you are so right, it is very painful! I remember lifting my arm to put my arm around a friend's shoulder and burst into tears.

JoAnn, so much of that physical therapy is just common sense. You do a little of this one day and try to do a little more the next day. Knowing now what I didn't know then, I'd probably try and handle it myself. One day they were manipulating my shoulder and there was a loud pop. The PT thought it was one of those ligaments breaking. Things got better after that!!

I also had plantar fascistis and cured it myself via info on the internet--I think the Mayo clinic site had good info. It took a year, but I was religious about doing what they said and I have had no pain in several years. Good luck!

I had frozen shoulder after an injury, I was trying to catch a heavy object when it started to fall. My arm hurt the most, but as my arm recovered, my shoulder began to freeze up. I had the shoulder manipulation procedure, which include cortisone shots. Then 3 days later started with physical therapy. Went to therapy 3 days a week for 6 weeks, did the exercises on my own at home the other days. Back to my old self again. My doctor recommended the shoulder manipulation to allow the arm and shoulder to move again to reap the full benefits of physical therapy. He also said it would make the therapy less painful. I guess he was right because immediately after the manipulation and cortisone, I was no longer in pain and could sleep on that side again. It took the entire 6 weeks of therapy to get back the range of motion that I had before. Good Luck with your treatment.

I had/have that I guess, but no one called it Frozen Shoulder.

I have always slept with my head resting on my left arm, folded under my head.

Several years ago I told my Rheumatoligist about having a pain in my neck, i.e. stiff neck. On each annual visit for 2-3 years, I mentioned it again; she had me do the raise your arms, etc. and didn't consider it a problem.

Suddenly one morning about 4 months ago, I went to turn over in the bed and I couldn't even lift that arm. The pain was excruciating.

I happened to have an appointment with my GP two days later and told her about it. She checked my shoulders and the back of my neck and said my neck felt like a bag of rocks!

She wrote me a Rx for PT. We are lucky to have an excellent PT clinic nearby. She also told me to get a moist heat pad.

I went to PT twice a week. They started each treatment with a moist heat pad, (much bigger than mine.) That felt great. Next was deep muscle massage, which was really painful. That was sometimes followed by ultrasound. I was improving all along.

After 7 weeks I was dismissed to see how it was progressing without the treatments. I used my heat pad every morning and gradually it was going well enough that I decided to forgo any more treatments for a while. About 2 weeks ago I started back on Celebrex, which I take 6 months on 6 months off. A few days ago I realized I wasn't using the heat pad any more. I'm also back to sleeping on my arm.

I still have some discomfort, but nothing I can't handle.

If it gets worse, I'll go back for more PT.

I hope all of you who have this can get treatment and do as well as I have.

Good luck.

Sue

If you google Active Isolated Strteching you will find some videos of the excerises, even ones for the neck and shoulder. The difference in these and the ones that PT gives you is that you do not hold these for the 15 -20 seconds but rather for only 5 sec or so. It has to do with the muscle wanting to reflex back when held for a long time. I would do the pulley excerises and the other ones the PT gave me but also the AIS ones and I got so much more relief from them. If you google The Mattes Method you may also find more written info on them. Another thing is that you work each part of the muscle seperately so each is stretched verses working the whole muscle at once. The PT couldn't believe the progress I had made after the first few sessions (after the 2nd frozen shoulder). I told him I was doing the AIS excerises as well and he asked for info on how to get the book.

Thanks for all the info.
Can you tell me the exercises you did that helped?
I am so frustrated, it hurts when I do any of it.

If you get the book (I saw where you could order it online.) you should try to do all the excerises in the shoulder section. The Hyperextension Single Arms ones really helped in the morning. It was the one I was told to do as a warmup before the others. When I googled The Mattes Method, I saw where he is having a seminar in Sarasota on the 9th of Sept. I think he has a clinic there as well. The massage therapist that told me about the excerises was trained by him.

Where are you in FL? It might be worth contacting his office to see if you could find someone local that can show you how to do the excerises. The massage therapist I went too did them with me several times so that I knew I was doing them right.