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Frozen shoulder

It does vary from person to person.
This article gives you a rough guide of the different stages and the timeline.

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/frozen-shoulder

  • Phase one - the 'freezing', painful phase. This typically lasts 2-9 months. The first symptom is usually pain. Stiffness and limitation in movement then also gradually build up. The pain is typically worse at night and when you lie on the affected side.
  • Phase two - the 'frozen', stiff (or adhesive) phase. This typically lasts 4-12 months. Pain gradually eases but stiffness and limitation in movement remain and can get worse. All movements of the shoulder are affected. However, the movement most severely affected is usually rotation of the arm outwards. The muscles around the shoulder may waste a bit as they are not used.
  • Phase three - the 'thawing', recovery phase. This typically lasts between one and three years. The pain and stiffness gradually go and movement gradually returns to normal, or near normal.
 
I've had mine nearly 2 years, before I was diagnosed t2, have more movement now but still struggle with some things ie swimming and getting into clothes if they don't have any give in the fabric!
 
Hi I have two frozen shoulders. First one, 11 yeas ago, was the left one. I had a cortisone injection in the shoulder which was painful and didn't do a lot. I also had physio which was very helpful at the time and got more movement.
Then a few years ago the right one started as well. It all depends on the individual as to how long it will take to improve and I use my shoulders as much as possible.

Good luck RRB
 
Mine has come and gone a couple of times in the left arm, each time lasting about a years or so. My right arm, I've had 5/6 years since before I was diagnosed.
 
We'll have been to doctors and got pain killers and anti-inflamitry drugs. It's gone from a pain to ache for now.
 
Mine has been frozen for about 6 months and I hope to start physio soon.
 
mine was thought to be frozen both sides but after x rays and scans was a calcium build up and had to be cleaned up in day surgery very common problem with t2s
 
Went to see a physio ,he said that my shoulder was a superspinatus injury. He suggested I needed to expand my rib cage more as I am getting older.
I also needed to get out of breath more. If I do develop a frozen shoulder I will have enough pain killers and NSAIDs to start.
 
I have seen 3 different physios in 6 weeks and now waiting for tier 2. Opinions varied btween rotator cuff injury, shoulder impingement and adhesive capsulitis which is a lesser version of frozen shoulder according to physio. Does an injection make much of a difference to the stiffness or does it just deal with the pain? Although physio is helping a bit, my external rotation is very fixed.
 
Diabetic Chef said:
What is the realistic timescale fo this to clear up.
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I have 2 frozen shoulders and have been for about 20 years now. I have had physio and private accupuncture. The pain was awfull at first but eventually after many years the pain goes away but now have limited movement. My leg sideways movement is also not good. Been type 1 for 50years
 
I've had mine, left shoulder for the last year, awful.
 
2 techniques I've found to be helpful when I've had frozen shoulders (thankfully not both at the same time) are to walk the fingers up the wall and back down again, repeat. Also get a towel and use it as though you are drying your back in an alternate pulling up/down motion. Do not strain the painful shoulder on either of these, just use as gentle exercise.
Good luck for a full recovery.
 
I was given this as starting exercise after I had Manipulation under anasthetic for my right shoulder. Advice in my case was that frozen shoulder gets worse for 2-3 years then improves over next 2. My experience of the MUA was that it took over a year to really regain full mobility in the right shoulder, for my left shoulder I decided to let it run its course.
 
My left shoulder froze about six years ago but with physio and cortisone injections it recovered. My right has been getting progressively worse to the stage where I need keyhole surgery to sort it.
Hope the physio route works for you, it hurts like hell but it's the best way.
 
Mine started to "freeze" back in August when I was in hospital, I thought I had been lying funny but its gradually getting worse so off to see the GP on Wednesday. I will probably just let it run its course
 
doolallylady said:
2 techniques I've found to be helpful when I've had frozen shoulders (thankfully not both at the same time) are to walk the fingers up the wall and back down again, repeat. Also get a towel and use it as though you are drying your back in an alternate pulling up/down motion. Do not strain the painful shoulder on either of these, just use as gentle exercise.
Good luck for a full recovery.
Click to expand...
i was given loads of exersizes to do by my physio but little improvement. Even had chinese accupuncture privately who eventually told me she could do no more for me as there is little gap in my shoulders.
 
I had it for 2.5 years and after 4 years 90 percent healed. Your looking at 2 years. I had a steroid injection to relieve the pain during the first occurrence that helped. You just have to wait it out I guess. Now I have my right shoulder impingement or that's what I have been told not good. I guess mostly happens to us diabetics.
 
Diabetic Chef said:
What is the realistic timescale fo this to clear up.
Click to expand...
I'm not sur as to how long it takes I have had mine for about a year . I was given steroid injections into the joint which helped with the pain,and gave me some movement. It's at least easier to dress etc etc now I have some movement but it's still very painful. I was told by a consultant that every patient is different and some clear up in about six months others years. Just be aware if you have steroid injections it will play havoc with your blood results. That's why I'm on this site ,I had the injections for my shoulder , soon after I had my six monthly spinal steroid injection for pain. Then on top of all that I had a severe chest infection which required large doses of steroids basically to save my life. It left me with steroid induced diabetis. So just bear it in mind if you decide to get the steroid injections check it out with your GP. I can say that the difference after the injections was incredible it greatly reduced the pain and gave me back some mobility in the joint.
 
Mine's been a problem for a little over a year now, but about 11 months in it turned the corner and started to seem like it stopped getting worse. I did have a cortisone injection not long before that, which might have helped or might have just been coincidental timing. My physio said that nothing they can do has been shown to improve things faster, and most of it hurts, so just keep moving it as much as possible FWIW. Over a year after I first noticed problems (it took about 6 months to realise it was frozen shoulder and not just an infraspinatus injury) I'm finally starting to regain some range of motion. Sloooowly, though. I'm just hoping the other one doesn't go right away too!
 
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