Frozen shoulder & arm aching?

ByFaith

I've been dealing with what seems to be something "like" frozen shoulder on my BC side since November.  My primary diagnosed it as rotator cuff tendinitis and this January referred me to a specialist for a shoulder x-ray and exam.  

I explained to my primary in December that the constant achiness ranged from my elbow up to my shoulder.  Is it normal to have upper arm discomfort and achiness with a frozen shoulder?  Now I'm wondering if the x-ray will even catch the entire area of discomfort.  No discomfort at the elbow or below.

 Always worse in the morning (becoming a bit easier to sleep, but not always).  I find I can now sleep on the affected side, but never could at first.  Anti-inflammatories (800 mg Advil) don't touch the aching, but Ultram 50 mg may possibly help a tiny bit, unsure.  In the morning, I put a heating pad on my upper arm and sometimes follow with ice or use ice alone.  Once it limbers up, it's followed by generalized achiness all day long. Sometimes I find myself gently massaging the arm to ? bring relief ?  Rad/onc and primary have examined and said no signs of lymphedema. 

Is is normal to have upper arm discomfort with frozen shoulder, and if so, will a shoulder x-ray visualize all the areas it needs to? 

Thanks. 

chrissyb

Hi Dawnsm, I have frozen shoulder on both sides and yes my arms ache something chronic at times.  The achiness comes from the inflamed tissue of the shoulder namely the bursar which affects the movement of muscles and tendons of the upper arm.  I use ibuprophen as the pain med of choice for this problem and while it doesn't get rid of the pain completely, it certainly makes it a bit more managable.  An x-ray is not much good as it is not the bone that is invloved but soft tissue and because it is soft tissue, and Ultra Sound is much better.  They can give a steroid injection into the bursar that will reduce swelling and inflamation and with some gentle physio, your shoulder should improve if the problem is frozen shoulder.  Hope this helps.

Peace, strength, love n hugs.  Chrissyb

Hindsfeet

Dawnnsm, I agree with chrissyb. I have had several frozen shoulders. The chortozone shots help a lot! When the frozen shoulder begins to happen, I swim a few times a week. Keep the shoulders moving. I  try to sit in the hot tub which seems to help. Massage and chiopractor treatment also helps. It takes about two years to heal a frozen shoulder.

Hope your arm and shoulder feels better soon. I know how it hurts. 

vbabey

Hi Dawnsm, although I was Stage III i found your post searching a description for my pain! Sorry I have no answers for you, but I have EXACTLY the same symtoms as you, it was like you were describing me! I dont know if it is from chemo, radiation or the masectomy.  Onco says frozen shoulder and wants me to start PT. I do not take anything yet, so far it is tolerable and I am used to it. Hope you feel better soon, feeling your pain ♥ PS Thanks for the good info chrissy and barry!

Alcie1

Just about anything we go through can trigger frozen shoulder.  X-ray doesn't show anything but hard bone.  MRI shows the soft tissues and can show bursitis and tendonitis.

If you Google "frozen shoulder" or "adhesive capsulitis" you will find lots of information you can't find under just "shoulder pain."

Steroid injection helps in some cases.  Don't let the shoulder get so bad it can't be moved or you could be in for surgery.  Do see a doctor, preferably an orthopedic specialist.

gwerfil

Dawnsm, both of my shoulders and arms are stiff and sore from my elbows on up when I wake in the morning. My physical therapist told me to "roll" my shoulders and reach straight up with my arms and make grabbing motions at the ceiling while still lying in bed. This seems to help, because once I'm up and moving, my shoulders stop hurting as much. I can't take ibuprofen, so I'm taking Curcumin, which does seem to be helping. Have you tried one of those buckwheat-filled wraps that fit around your shoulders? You microwave the wrap for two minutes and it feels wonderful.

I'm on Arimidex and the pain began soon after I started to take it, which was about 20 months ago. I fell and fractured my radial bone (elbow to wrist) in my left arm (same side as BC, but no lymphedema) in November of "09 and that has finally started to feel better. I plan to go to a good shoulder specialist who is supposed to be great for rotator cuff issues. I'm getting a dexa scan soon, since the one I had at the time of dx showed mild osteopenia. So, I find myself thinking that for me it's the Arimidex possibly aggravating a condition that I didn't know was developing. Women lose muscle strength in their upper bodiy steadily as they get older and that makes it easy to tear a rotator cuff. I'm sure my estrogen-free existence isn't helping matters. I don't mean to assume you are older, for all I know you are one of the younger ones on here.

I find opening some water bottles and jars really difficult, too. Before Arimidex, I had much more strength in my hands. I got some squidgie things to try to strengthen my grip.

 My husband is having the same problem in one shoulder and it's much more severe. He'll probably need surgery, since PT and cortisone is not helping. He is otherwise very fit for 61.

kathleenm

I had problems with my left shoulder and upper arm. My doctor thought it was a rotator cuff injury. He asked if I wanted Physical Therapy. I said no, enough doctors and treatments. I did some exercises on my own and then went back to the gym. I'm sure by now everyone has heard the news that using weights is no longer frowned upon. In fact, lifting weights is supposed to be beneficial. I haven't had any issues in a long time. Good luck. I hope you feel better.