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Type 1.5 Frozen Shoulder Pain

Shari68

Well-Known Member
Messages
47
Hi, I had a frozen shoulder on my left one which lasted about 2 years. I got a cortisone injection which did seem to take the pain away, but I don't know if it really worked or it was just coincidental, that I was passing the painful stage. I still don't have 100% movement. I now have it on my right side, but whilst on my left one the pain was in the shoulder and upper arm, on my right the pain goes right up to my neck and right down into my hand. It's agony. I'm booked in for another cortisone injection on 19th August.
Is this normal, has anyone else had pain in the whole arm from the neck?
 
Acupuncture really helped my frozen shoulder. Hope you can get some relief soon, as it's so painful.
 
You need to determine if it's real Frozen Shoulder i.e. Adhesive Capsulitis where the should capsule clamps down. Steroids won't normally work and few GPs seem to understand that. There is little treatment possible other than some invasive surgery. My wife's consultant prescribed Amitriptyline for pain relief which was very successful. There are other shoulder conditions which can be helped by steroids etc but not AC.
 
Yes I had enormous amounts of pain hand to neck.

Sometimes dull and painful like really bad toothache and sometimes sharp and shooting on certain minor movements and so bad it literally made fall to the ground incapable of anything for a minute or two totally taking my breath away. Xrays, physio, ultrasound, misdiagnosis, 2 cortisone shots (one by a specialist) many painkillers, an allergic reaction and zombie status later I had capsular release surgery (not the manipulation) and bone shaving for impingement done. After an initial awful few days post op had passed I was so glad I’d done it as movement was instantly improved and pain substantially resolved within a couple of weeks. 3 yrs later I have full movement but still a little discomfort in certain movements. However I am awaiting an mri on some nerve issues in that limb that may be from this event or maybe a newer issue.
 
The pain you described is what I'm getting exactly. I also am hardly able to move it. It feels like a frozen shoulder and nerve impingement.
 
Shari68 said:
the pain goes right up to my neck and right down into my hand.
Click to expand...
Hi @Shari68 just from your description it sounds like a slipped disk in your neck which is not the same a s frozen shoulder.

If the picture below matches you experience it would be worth discussing with your Dr.
Quick test....
  • Raise your right arm up straight with your right bicep against your right ear.
  • Drape you arm over your head till you right hand is able to touch you left ear.
  • Gently pull down on your right wrist with your left hand.
THIS takes the pressure of the disk in your neck, if its pushing against the nerve, if you notice a difference it is possible its a slipped disk in your neck. In many cases this is much easier to treat.

 
Alternatively if it is a frozen shoulder there’s a good chance there’s no way you can lift your arm even horizontally, let alone vertically. This diagram does however conveniently highlight my current pain at c6/7 so thanks for posting.
 
HSSS said:
Alternatively if it is a frozen shoulder there’s a good chance there’s no way you can lift your arm even horizontally, let alone vertically
Click to expand...
That works too.

@HSSS try to make sure you sleep on your back at night and not on your side it takes pressure of your neck and can help reduce the symptoms.
 
I think if you leave frozen shoulder for too long you end up needing Keyhole Capsular release surgery. There are videos on youtube on this. My consultant told me this the other day. I broke my humerus at the shoulder 5 weeks ago and asked him. He said I need physio in few weeks when the break has healed before it's too late. I think @HSSS mentioned this above.
 
My sympathies to you as I am post pain but still can't wash my own hair! I had pain near the top of my arm but the surrounding muscles can still give pain according to my physio because they are working hard to counteract the problem. Hope they get the steroid into the right place today and that you can access some physio too. I have had to go private as the NHS isn't able to catch up on itself post lockdown!
 
Not sure it’s about leaving it too long, more the severity of it in the first place. My surgery was at 11months. The surgeon was quite excited showing me the pics afterwards saying it was the best (worst) one he’d had in sometime. With current shoulder issues I’m taking great care to keep it moving even when uncomfortable. Lack of use on top of some other initial injury is the most common precipitator apparently.
 
HSSS said:
Alternatively if it is a frozen shoulder there’s a good chance there’s no way you can lift your arm even horizontally, let alone vertically. This diagram does however conveniently highlight my current pain at c6/7 so thanks for posting.
Click to expand...
Yes I can hardly touch my right ear never mind my left lol. It is definitely a frozen shoulder. I got a cortisone injection last week and it has helped with the pain I was getting right down my arm and hand and up to the neck. My gp thinks I have frozen shoulder and nerve impingement which is why the injection has helped me the way it has. Its still painful if I suddenly move it in different directions, which is the frozen shoulder part. I just have to wait it out until that pain subsides.
 
I've had a couple, both arms, completely useless and intense pain. Initially GP just threw painkillers, which did nothing. After an awful X-ray session, which showed nothing, went to a physio. She introduced me to deep massage!!! and stretching exercises, which I've done every day since the last one, 4 years plus. Just awful experience.
Wish you well
 
@Shari68 Please keep us updated. I am in a similar situation and just waiting for my break to heel, but also hopefully the pain to subside. It's such a dull dragging pain with me down to my elbow from shoulder along the humerus, but also sharp pain in shoulder if I move too quickly in certain directions.
 
I recently suffered from a really bad frozen shoulder. The MRI showed not only frozen shoulder but also bursitis, a torn rotator cuff and impingement syndrome!! I'm now 90% back to normal thanks to two things that go together: physiotherapy sessions with daily stretching exercises and two rounds of shoulder distension arthrography. Like you I had pain from the shoulder to the tip of the fingers. Worst, my arm had stopped moving when I walked. I was scared that I had developed Parkinson's. The arthrography will not give any result if you do not do daily stretching exercises for weeks afterwards. Having a physio manipulate my shoulder gave me also more ROM. It's a long journey but the good news is that with time it goes away almost entirely. I still have a bit of restriction but really not much
 
My frozen shoulder was solved by two rounds of distensive arthrography and a lot of Physiotherapy. And my ROM was severely restricted. The doctor who did the arthrography was quite impressed by the severity of the restriction. Where I live nobody would operate on you for a frozen shoulder, or at least not before spending many months of Physio + arthrography.
 
Hi - are you T1 ?
Did the cortisone impact on your BS ?
If it did when did the impact on BS start ? Immediately or after a few weeks.
Sorry for the list of Qs - I am T1 had cortisone 7 weeks ago didn’t help my Fs at all blood sugars have just recently gone haywire and am wondering if there is a connection or given timespan it’s unrelated.
Ps - yes I get pain down shoulder to elbow.
 
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