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Pain and limited mobility in shoulder joint

hollyvoodoo

hollyvoodoo

Member
Messages
12
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
Insulin
20150313_144417[1].jpg Hello everyone,

i hope this finds you well. I have a question about my mom. She's been having pain in her left shoulder for a few months. Nothing seems to bring relief. We've tried all kinds of ointments, including a homeopathic German remedy Zeel-T. There is also a gap in the muscle (as can be seen in attached photos). Started out looking different, but this is what it looks like now. Picture in the thumbnail was taken today. Anyone has any idea what this is called and what to do about it? Is this type 2 diabetes related?

I thank you all in advance for your kind attention.

Greetings from Baku, Azerbaijan
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Holly

Does your mother inject in her arms? The image you posted looks a bit like Lipoatrophy which can happen if you inject in the same place too often.

The pain and limited mobility could be Frozen Shoulder (more common in diabetics). I had this about 20 years ago and it's very painful.

It's best to see a doctor for a proper diagnosis.
 
Frozen shoulder I would say. A common side effect of diabetes. As Robert says.
 
hollyvoodoo said:
View attachment 12397 Hello everyone,

i hope this finds you well. I have a question about my mom. She's been having pain in her left shoulder for a few months. Nothing seems to bring relief. We've tried all kinds of ointments, including a homeopathic German remedy Zeel-T. There is also a gap in the muscle (as can be seen in attached photos). Started out looking different, but this is what it looks like now. Picture in the thumbnail was taken today. Anyone has any idea what this is called and what to do about it? Is this type 2 diabetes related?

I thank you all in advance for your kind attention.

Greetings from Baku, Azerbaijan
Click to expand...
Hi warm welcome to us all .

@robert72 post above is a great one .
Best to let your mom's doctor take a look and let the GP diagnose what this is .
 
Hi Holly,

Fortunately I've never suffered a frozen shoulder but my father was diabetic too and he suffered quite badly with one. It was treated with a steroid injection which appeared to do the job.

Follow the advice above and get your mum to check it out with her GP.
 
If it's true frozen shoulder (adhesive encapsulits) in which the shoulder capsule contracts and locks the joint, steroids will be of no help and there is no real treatment other than time. If it's one of the many other problems with the shoulder muscles etc (fibromyalgia) then various treatments including steroids may help.
 
A very good osteopath sorted out my frozen shoulder after various physiotherapists had gotten nowhere. If frozen shoulder doesn't resolve itself in physiotherapy all the NHS will do is surgery and inject steroids right into the capsule. This is risky and can make it worse. My physio begged me not to go down that route and give him time to sort it. I got noticeable improvements in just a few sessions. But osteopathy is not cheap.
 
hollyvoodoo said:
View attachment 12397 Hello everyone,

i hope this finds you well. I have a question about my mom. She's been having pain in her left shoulder for a few months. Nothing seems to bring relief. We've tried all kinds of ointments, including a homeopathic German remedy Zeel-T. There is also a gap in the muscle (as can be seen in attached photos). Started out looking different, but this is what it looks like now. Picture in the thumbnail was taken today. Anyone has any idea what this is called and what to do about it? Is this type 2 diabetes related?

I thank you all in advance for your kind attention.

Greetings from Baku, Azerbaijan
Click to expand...

Hello aand welcome to the forum. I have two frozen shoulders the shoulders don;t actually cause me pain bu I do have pain at the back, on the right at chest level. Frozen shoulder is more common in females too. Your mum's arm could possibly be lipoatrophy, by looking at it, It looks like it. I have this on my left leg, sore and bumpy and indented, so I do not inject there.
But the best advice is to seek medical help from your mums diabetes team or her doctor. I hope your mum can get some relief with help and the proper support. Please pass on my very best wishes.

Best wishes RRB
 
Spiker said:
A very good osteopath sorted out my frozen shoulder after various physiotherapists had gotten nowhere. If frozen shoulder doesn't resolve itself in physiotherapy all the NHS will do is surgery and inject steroids right into the capsule. This is risky and can make it worse. My physio begged me not to go down that route and give him time to sort it. I got noticeable improvements in just a few sessions. But osteopathy is not cheap.
Click to expand...
My wife had three frozen shoulders and each time it took 1 to 2 years to fade. Her excellent consultant said when he was referred patients when steroids hadn't worked he new it would be true frozen shoulder; it was his way of separating it out so my advice to anyone with a clamped shoulder capsule is just wait and don't have steroids or surgery. For the pain he prescribed a low dose of amitriptylin, which was an excellent pain killer. It is used as an anti-depressant at much higher dose levels. It was far superior to co-codamol.
 
robert72 said:
Hi Holly

Does your mother inject in her arms? The image you posted looks a bit like Lipoatrophy which can happen if you inject in the same place too often.

The pain and limited mobility could be Frozen Shoulder (more common in diabetics). I had this about 20 years ago and it's very painful.

It's best to see a doctor for a proper diagnosis.
Click to expand...
No, about 9 months ago we maybe injected Mixtard once or twice in each arm?.. she prefers insulin injections in her belly where there is a lot of fat. We live in Azerbaijan and my mom does not have a doctor. There is the language barrier. We don't speak Azerbaijani well enough to communicate with local medical people. Plus on her two hundred US dollars a month pension (about that, i converted from local currency), she can't afford anything extra. We have to pay electric, gas, water, and cable TV with it, and then we both have to eat... The sad thing is that my mother hardly ever leaves the house, although as a diabetic she is in need of exercise :( So even if she had the money, she would not go see a doctor. She says that if you can walk to the doctor's office then you are not really ill.
 
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