Frozen Shoulder

[Cyborg1]

I've been battling frozen shoulder for many months now. Went through physical therapy and it helped some, but not fully. I found that deep tissue massage (trigger point therapy) also was benficial, although no doctors will recommend it and my insurance company won't cover it.

Does anyone have any diabetic related frozen shoulder experiences they would like to share? Any advice? I'm getting tired of sleeping on the couch! And the lack of mobility and the pain really stinks.

Thanks

[Harold]

Is it frozen in that you can not move it through the normal range, or that you can not move it without pain?

[notme]

I have done frozen shoulder twice. No fair! The first time it lasted about two years. The second time it lasted about a year and two months. Both times I did the cortisone shot. I did get high blood sugar after the shot, but both times it cleared it up after about five months. I know it is frustrating....make sure you keep working your shoulder and do the exercises you learning if physical therapy. The left shoulder got complete range of motion back...the right shoulder still has some residual stiffness and pain.

I wish they would come up with an answer for frozen shoulder. I pray I don't get it again. I think twice is enough. Find yourself a good orothpedic guy and if you can take the high blood sugar for a few weeks, the cortisone helps.

[Cyborg1]

It is frozen should with restricted range and some pain. I've gone through some physical therapy with improvement in both range of motion and pain. I suppose I should not have slacked off the streteches. After doing some back stretches in a chair one day out of the blue and suddenly finding a large increase in range of motion and decrease in pain I started doing research and discovered trigger point therapy. That may have inspired my decrease in stretching actually. I have not quit stretching but I have definately not been performing the routines to the extent done during physical therapy. Unfortunately my insurance company won't pay for trigger point therapy. If there are diabetics out there that have had this problem resolved with trigger point therapy I would be willing to pay myself for a LMT to get the problem resolved. It has gradually built up and has now lasted between 7-9 months. And yes, at times the pain really stinks, to put it nicely.

[DONS]

Mines been that was for about 4 months - 6 month after being DXD. I just thought mine was old age / arthritis. Now I wonder.

Don S

[Harold]

In my middle thirties I was climbing down some scaffolding and slipped loose. Had something in my left hand and caught myself with the right arm at full extension. Only hurt for 2 or 3 days after that and did not think about untill about 7 years later. That was when I noticed pain lifting it over my head. Knew not moving my arm over my head would lead to frozen shoulder so I made it a point to do it every day. The pain kept getting worse and started hurting all of the time. Had to give up bowling and I was taking 3 or 4 grams a day of Ibuprofan. Told my doctor about it and he took x-rays of my shoulder and of course that did not show anything. So he sent me to an orthopedic surgeon whom I told about falling on the scaffolding. The orthopedic surgeon looked at my x-ray asked me what I did and said I had carpal tunnel and sent me to a neurologist. The neurologist gave me one of those spring thingys with wooden handles and a gage on it to squeze and started to poke around my arm. A couple of minutes later he noticed I had squezed the handles shut and wrapped the needle on the gage around the peg. Told me that was enough and took it looked at it threw it in the trash. Then he got out the needles and made me pay for it. After my arm and hand was numb from flopping around he concluded that if I had carpal it was very very minor and he could not detect it. Went back to the surgeon and he was not happy with the results said he does not operate on test results but on symptoms. Wanted me to come in a couple of weeks to set up a date for surgery. Well this added up to bogus medicine to me so I never went back. Heard about a doc in Colorado doing deep massage with finger tips. Well I was not going to Colorado to have it done so I started doing it myself whenever it hurt. Basically just poked around to find where it hurt the most and forced my thumb or finger in and massaged the spot for a little while. Seemed to help and eventually the pain started retreating. It took time, but the constant pain went away and I can even throw overerhanded without pain if I don't throw real hard.

The biggest thing is do not stop moving your shoulder or it will freeze. Seen this happen to my father when he drove a truck. and he had to have the cortisone shots three times to get movement back without pain.

[sharon c]

i can recommend something called a pain pen, you can by it on line and it really works, i suffer a lot from musular aches and pains and have had neck and shoulder problems for years and have problems sleeping on it, i have even used a v pillow to sleep on, but when i found the pain pen i had the first goodnight sleep i had had in ages, there are no needles and fiddly bits
this is a bit i found about it.
"A safe way to control pain without the use of needles. Shaped like a pen it can be neatly carried in a bag or pocket and discreetly used anywhere. Treatments only take 30 seconds.

• Fast,effective and simple to use
• No leads, pads or batteries
• Works over clothing
• Used for chronic and acute pain"
"Jean Rhodes has been using the Pain Gone device on the advice of her naturopath. She suffers chronic pain from a herniated disc and a slight twist in her spine — a condition which causes arthritis and affects her knee and right foot.

Jean has been using Pain Gone for two months. She says she is now pain-free and has been able to throw away her heat pack, deep heat and joint supports"This is from drs report.

look at www.tower-health.co.uk

[Harold]

i can recommend something called a pain pen, you can by it on line and it really works, i suffer a lot from musular aches and pains and have had neck and shoulder problems for years and have problems sleeping on it, i have even used a v pillow to sleep on, but when i found the pain pen i had the first goodnight sleep i had had in ages, there are no needles and fiddly bits
this is a bit i found about it.
"A safe way to control pain without the use of needles. Shaped like a pen it can be neatly carried in a bag or pocket and discreetly used anywhere. Treatments only take 30 seconds.

Kind of expensive, but if it works for you go for it.

[middnite03]

I had this about 5 years ago.... I could not move my whole arm for weeks, they treid valume (get stoned and it's legal!!), lidocane patches... then my dr gave me something that cleard it up in 3 days..... VIOXX yes, I know it's a dirty word, but it workd, I still have at least 3 bottles of it, and when I my arm acts up I take it for 2 to 3 days, and i'm just fine..... besides I think the heart problems were with people that were on it for a long time and took it on a daily basis.......

[Belinda]

I had frozen shoulder...went through the physical therapy, celebrex and then opted for surgery (orthoscopic). It was 3 small incisions in the shoulder and basically they pull the arm/shoulder to full extension. After surgery..next day you go to therapy...I am so glad I did it...the pain, not sleeping etc...was a pain in the @ss. The surgery was quick..I think I was in and out in about 2 hours......

[Cyborg]

I had frozen shoulder...went through the physical therapy, celebrex and then opted for surgery (orthoscopic). It was 3 small incisions in the shoulder and basically they pull the arm/shoulder to full extension. After surgery..next day you go to therapy...I am so glad I did it...the pain, not sleeping etc...was a pain in the @ss. The surgery was quick..I think I was in and out in about 2 hours......

That's promising. The phsyical therapists tried to talk me out of surgery, saying that I'd have to go through months of painful physical therapy anyhow after the surgery.

What really stinks is that it got much better, then when I slacked off on the stretches, due to learning about the trigger point therapy (another side of the treatment debate which says not to stretch), the pain and restricted range of motion is coming back. This has been going on for at least 9 months now. I swear it's muscle related. I feel tightness in the muscles in my neck and back. It's no wonder my arm is being pulled into my shoulder socket restricting motion.

Vioxx scares me. The pen makes me think of a scam, but if it worked for you, I'm glad you found relief.

How frustrating !!!

Any more success stories?