Frozen Shoulder Advice

fishsquishy

Hi, 48F with a shoulder that seems to freeze up a lot. Probably aggravated by keyboarding. Looking for ideas for working out that won't aggravate it and help improve muscle/areas around it.. It hurts after sleeping and after long days at work. Hard to do Zumba stuff over my head and weights. Wondering if anyone has dealt with the same thing and how they handled it. I can't give up keyboarding 100%, feeling like I'm in a vicious circle where I can't build it up because of the pain, but can't not use the arm for work and other things. Original injuries are from skydiving (rough chute opening) and horseback riding fall but just iced it back both times and never got a diagnosis and now it's popping back up years later. Let me know what you have done to help. Looking for ideas on:
Chiropractor vs. Doctor
Weights vs. bands or other exercises
Ice vs heat
Sleeping positions
General advice
Thanks!

kayte660

I have a shoulder that gets locked up and it can really mess with working out. It will literally make breathing hurt. I've found once a month deep tissue massage therapy and heat really work best. If it absolutely won't loosen I sometimes have to take a muscle relaxed and rest it for a day after. Mine is really bad from repetitive motion. It also helps if I sleep in my bed in the same position... no falling asleep on the couch! Hope this helps.

rmdaly

Yoga is worth trying.

IIIIISerenityNowIIIII

I've had very little use of my right arm for the past three years. I finally got x rays and was found that I have a huge amount of calcium deposits around the rotator cuff. I got a cortisone shot and for the first time in years I haven't been in constant plain.

sdregan

I would advise you to go to your local Physical Therapist. They are the leading experts on musculoskeletal dysfunctions and injuries. I know I am biased, but I am a Physical Therapist and see at least one patient per day with similar symptoms and diagnoses. If your state is a Direct Access State (you can ask around or google it) you don't need to go to your Dr. first, however, if it is not, you need to see your PCP (Primary Care Physician) first for a referral to PT. There are lots of exercises that can be done at home, but I would advise seeing a Physical Therapist first, so they can show you what is best for your individual problem. I hope this helps you.

phantomjam

You could give this a try.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppToA1N0CgE

MicheleYobelle

If you truly have a frozen shoulder, you should see an orthopedic doc. My husband babied his for months with various complementary therapies, including massage and some kind of Chinese medicine heat packs. An ortho doc reviewed x-rays, tested his range of motion and a procedure was scheduled.

He was given a nerve block, put under light general anesthesia, and the physician was able to break the calcifications by manually manipulating it. The doc told me it was an extremely loud pop (you wouldn't want to be conscious for this). The nerve block was a godsend, as it kept the shoulder numb for a couple of days. While we were still at the hospital, he was taken to physical therapy, and a PT worked with him to get the joint moving again and showed us exercises (with a pulley apparatus) to do at home. It really worked beautifully, and 10 years later, he has no problems with that shoulder.

His original injury was just from reaching in the back seat for a briefcase. He was told "As we get older, this kind of thing is more common ... "

S1inky

I know this must sound funny, but I think I had a frozen shoulder for a couple of yrs. How I nearly fixed it was.
Lying down
I would put my arm in the position that it hurt and for as long as I could bear it within reason.
Then manouvre myself out of the position.

I am no physio - but I eventually got the idea naturally as I couldnt stand the pain and I couldnt put both my hands under my head - elbows out - well only one side without thought or difficulty. I firt noticed that I couldnt serve a tennis ball and was adapting my throw up because the arm wouldnt go in the correct position and was just painful.

My shoulder is near enough right and I regularly put my head on my hands to make sure its ok, but it is not the same as my right side.

I do this sort of thing with my hips as they are sometimes painful and wont bend properly - but you dont hear of a frozen hip!

Good luck, as I know it is really painful and can make you cry out in pain.

fishsquishy

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all of the advice.. Mine comes and goes but I don't want it to get worse and it is inhibiting me in my fitness quest. I work around it but would rather not. I think I'll go in finally to the doctor and see if he prescribes PT but also do more stretching and other things people are recommending.. I can her it click/grind when I rotate the shoulder. It's just that sometimes things can be fixed by home remedies and I hate to be running to the doc all the time.

lisalsd1

I went to a Chiro, b/c my shoulder was incredibly sore. He said that the muscle was "locked" in the position. I saw him several times for adjustment. I put heat on it, b/c it felt better to do that than ice. The WORST was trying to sleep. I'm a side sleeper, but I toss and turn a lot. I had to put a "husband" pillow against my back to prevent me from flipping over to my bad shoulder. This did help from sleeping on my shoulder.

Eventually, it go better over time.

1_Ton_Lady

I would advise you to go to your local Physical Therapist. They are the leading experts on musculoskeletal dysfunctions and injuries. I know I am biased, but I am a Physical Therapist and see at least one patient per day with similar symptoms and diagnoses. If your state is a Direct Access State (you can ask around or google it) you don't need to go to your Dr. first, however, if it is not, you need to see your PCP (Primary Care Physician) first for a referral to PT. There are lots of exercises that can be done at home, but I would advise seeing a Physical Therapist first, so they can show you what is best for your individual problem. I hope this helps you.

Speaking from experience, this is THE best way to go. I thought I had frozen shoulder but actually was a torn rotator cuff that I ignored for several months. Anyway, after surgery when I went through PT, the therapists worked with me to get my shoulder to almost perfect. They gave me bands and exercise routines to continue at home and now my shoulder feels great!

FraggleRockerFitnessLover

And I woke up with my left shoulder acting like a complete *kitten* waffle, and on my dominant side at that. I can barely lift my arm about my shoulder height. I have been stretching it this am and am hopeful it is secondary to yesterday's workout which included chest and tri's. Who knows. Going to lay off of weight training until Monday and just simplistic cardio in some fashion. And I go to the forums to search 'frozen shoulder', not really having a clue what a frozen shoulder is. Such is life...

Kathy535

I currently have problems in both rotator cuffs (calcific tendonitis but the cortisone jab didn't work for me). My physio ha told me that as I work at a computer all day I'm exacerbating the problem by being round shouldered and having short pecs. I have exercises to do which help to stretch and lengthen the pecs and these are gradually helping. I've also been advised to strengthen the traps muscles. Hope you get it sorted.

astronut96

I started having problems with my left shoulder 10+ years ago. It was originally diagnosed as bursitis and I was given a cortisone shot and sent to physical therapy, both of which helped to a degree. Over the years I tried not to let it keep me from doing anything and worked out regularly, keeping my limitations in mind. When the pain got too bad I'd go back for another shot and round of therapy.

I went back again last June and found that I had a 90-95% tear in a rotator cuff tendon. According to my doc, tears cannot be repaired with therapy and only surgery will fix it. I think small tears can probably be prevented from worsening with therapy but once the tendon tears enough that it starts to retract from the bone, therapy will only help so much.

Anyway, I had surgery last July and after 9 weeks of total immobility (other than PT twice a day) and A LOT of therapy, I can finally do stuff without pain. I was released to start building strength in Dec, but therapist said it would take a year to get to full strength and range of motion. I still take it easy since I'm only 7 months post-surgery, but I started a regular exercise routine in Dec and strength and motion are steadily improving ... I still have pain but now it's just normal soreness from being weak in that area.

Sorry for the long story but I guess the point I wanted to make is to take shoulder issues seriously. You can look up PT stretches online and those should help. It is also important to strengthen the surrounding area, slowly and carefully if you're already having problems. Start with light weights. Movement is your friend as it helps to keep scar tissue from building. Shoulder problems are very common but the shoulder is also the most difficult joint to heal bc of the complexity and the many ways in which it moves.

Good luck!

sunfirelynn

I went to a Chiro, b/c my shoulder was incredibly sore. He said that the muscle was "locked" in the position. I saw him several times for adjustment. I put heat on it, b/c it felt better to do that than ice. The WORST was trying to sleep. I'm a side sleeper, but I toss and turn a lot. I had to put a "husband" pillow against my back to prevent me from flipping over to my bad shoulder. This did help from sleeping on my shoulder.

Eventually, it go better over time.

Same for me, I had slept on my shoulder wrong I guess last week, I had to go see my back doc she cracked my neck and upper back, It still hurts a lot and still cant lay on that side, but I been using the heating pad, and she told me a exercise to do, just move your shoulders up and down, It feels better but think it may take a few more weeks or more before I can sleep on that side again.

rubisliprz

Just adding to good comments already posted... and from the point of view of a therapist (me!). In general, heat is good prior to stretching or exercises as it increases the blood flow to the area. Ice is good after exercise or after activities that irritate the area (keyboarding). The cold helps contract the blood vessels and decrease swelling and cramping. If you can tolerate the cold long enough, the cold sensation interferes with the transmission of the pain sensations as well. Cold before sleeping is better than heat before sleeping. Just not as pleasant! Please get it looked at, and best wishes as you move forward.

Docpremie

See a doctor first to make sure it is only a frozen shoulder & not a more serious injury. Once evaluated ask for a referral to physical therapist. They can help you work through an exercise program to slowly loosen the shoulder & work up the strength of surrounding muscles. I went through this about 5 years ago after a bad fall. The ortho put me a short course of steroids to reduce inflammation (FYI, I'm allergic to all non steroidal anti-inflammatories, so steroids were the only option), then referred me to a physical therapist. I was doubtful of the course of action, as I thought surgery was the best course. Did I mention, I'm a physician (?), we can be a difficult bunch to treat! I couldn't lift my arm above waist level without support from the opposite arm due to severe pain & restriction of movement. The physical therapy lasted 2-3 months & started with very simple exercises to increase mobility, but eventually increased to resistance training with elastic bands. The therapy really worked! I now only occasional have pain after really prolonged heavy lifting (i.e. moving 5 yards of topsoil in 1 day!) or if I sleep on it wrong all night.

D_squareG

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all of the advice.. Mine comes and goes but I don't want it to get worse and it is inhibiting me in my fitness quest. I work around it but would rather not. I think I'll go in finally to the doctor and see if he prescribes PT but also do more stretching and other things people are recommending.. I can her it click/grind when I rotate the shoulder. It's just that sometimes things can be fixed by home remedies and I hate to be running to the doc all the time.

Go to the doctor. He can do all kinds of things including tell you if it is arthritis, torn rotator, and possibly cortisone shots with PT. that's what got me through 10 years. Finally had surgery. Full movement now!

212019156

A couple of points:
- cortizone shots are usually given as a diagnostic tool to determine if there is a structural issue.
- Sleeping on your arm on a regular basis can place your rotator muscles that originate in your back in an overstretched position for an extended period of time which can cause them to be irritated.
- frozen shoulder is usually caused by inflammation and adhesisions in the shoulder capsule.

You probably need physical therapy and manipulation to get rid of it.

fishsquishy

Hi, OP here. Went to the sports doctor, he diagnosed it as bursitis, not frozen shoulder. However we didn't do xrays, he would have if I insisted but I think/hope this is what it is and want to try the PT route for sure before going deeper. I also opted not to do the cortisone shot but he will schedule one if it gets worse. Starting PT tomorrow and he recommends Tylenol over Ibuprofen and icing it. I'll post again once i figure out what the exercises will be but we will be focusing on rebuilding strength as I have been avoiding that side and then also probably stretching and most of all working on better posture and eliminating keyboarding (so signing off!). Take care everyone.

212019156

I would have gotten the cortizone shot. It would have saved you lots of time.