Sort of OT: Frozen shoulder, anyone?

Lisa, I am not so sure that 'frozen shoulders' are always diagnosed correctly. I went through excruciating pain in the left shoulder, all the way to the fingertips, cold hand, etc. After 2 years of PT and misdiagnoses like bursitis, I finally found a neurologist who suspected a herniated disk. It turned out I had 3 of them in the upper neck from previous sports injuries-everything hits you at a later age, YUK ;~(.

He put me in the hospital did 5 days of traction, felt better, then removed one of the discs.

This is just a note to let people know that shoulder/arm/hand pain can be solely from the spine with protruding discs. My sister had the same problem, and she refused to believe me that it was spine related, her doc diagnosing bursitis or possible shoulder surgery. She was making it worse by being on the computer all day with her head down to type on her laptop.

Repetitive movements irritate this. Sometimes including PT.

Good luck to you!

So, I'm driving down the road, minding my own business..........

Right there is the very image to encapsulate (get it?) my year in the land of FS:

It's funnier now, at the end of the year...... now that the majority of the work is behind me.

Taith that is funny!!!!!!!!

Pitanga... Lisa... Glad to hear that you are feeling so much better. Tomorrow will be a week since my surgery and I feel terrific! A miracle. Really. This shoulder surgery was so much better than the shoulder surgery that I had 5 years ago. This time I had a pain pump for two days. I began aggressive physical therapy as soon as the numbness wore off and I never looked back! The doctor said the frozen shoulder was moderate to severe and he thought if ibwas going to get better .... It would have probably taken another year. He also said had it progressed there was the possibility that even with surgery, I might have never gotten back my full range of motion. I also had a tear that he fixed. My other shoulder has an ac joint issue, but I can deal with it. All I can say now is I was a glutton for punishment and am kicking myself for not agreeing to doing the surgery sooner!!!!

Just took a look in here to see how you were doing with your FS, pitanga.  Happy to read that you are doing a lot better these days.  Sure takes a lot of time and dedication to "unfreeze" it.  Sorry it means surgery for some.

Voracious- I am seing the ortho for the 3rd time on Wed. I have been doing PT for 6 weeks on left shoulder and have made progress in all but one motion. I am going to ask about manual manipulation. The pain is ridiculous- I can't sleep and am aware of it all the time. I am having my TE exchange surgery on the 28th- so it may have to wait a while. SOOOO sick of this!! Glad to hear you are doing better!!

TIFJ..Ahhh...the lack of sleep from the pain!  The worst!  On the third night, following surgery, I was able to sleep AND for the first time in close to a year, I woke up in the morning...feeling refreshed. Before the surgery, I woke up in the morning exhausted and in pain.  Getting into bed at night had felt like entering a torture chamber.

I hope you and the other sisters get the relief you deserve and need.

My ortho recommended a cortisone shot early on and I refused because I worried about lymphedema.  I ended up with two cortisone shots in the shoulder blade and had NO relief whatsoever.  By the time I needed a cortisone shot in the AC joint of the OTHER shoulder, I said to the doctor, "Give me surgery...YESTERDAY!"  My biggest regret is that I waited and waited and STILL waited to get better WITHOUT surgery.  Beforehand, the PT did nothing, the anti-inflammatories did nothing and the cortisone shots did nothing.  My biggest regret was that I was TOO patient.  If you are miserable, demand treatment so you can start feeling better soon!

Just wanted to chime in with a similar shoulder problem. I had surgery in October and mid November I suddenly couldn't move my shoulder without unbelievable pain. It came on very suddenly. I went to three PT and two doctors who all tried different things. Nothing worked and I was leaving for the winter so figured I'd see a PT in Florida  when I got there. The drive down was horrible; my shoulder kept freezing up and there was nothing I could do about it.

I had seen this PT in Florida before for other issues. To make a long story short, he loosened up and adjusted the scapula (sp ??) and son of a gun . .. . after two appointments the pain was gone. He said he believes there was nothing really wrong with the actual shoulder but after having a mastectomy and implants, the muscles try and compensate and viola . . . very tight scapula and frozen shoulder symptoms. The next day I went kyaking and I thought it might have been a stupid move but instead it just loosened things up even more. So after all the treatments I had back home and nothing working, this guy fixed me in two sessions.  

So perhaps this is something to consider.  

Hi shoulder sisters. I developed bursitis/tendonitis in my left (dominant) arm last fall. It seemed to come on after accidentally over-lifting at the gym (darn metric weights). Sometime in April, after my lumpectomy and before BMX, the ongoing injury developed into full-blown frozen shoulder. Between the sharp, shooting pain and the constant dull ache, I've been suffering pretty much 24/7 for nearly a year. My left arm and shoulder have dramatically atrophied and it's hard to use the computer, brush my hair, drive, or do just about anything else with that arm. I'm 45 now (was 44 at DX) and was physically fit with good arm/shoulder strength.

The bummer about this (aside from occasional paranoia that I have bone mets) is that nothing seems to help: ibuprofen, Tylenol, even Percoset from surgery, pain patches and ointments all have little to no affect. Ice helps a little, as does heat, but  the benefit is gone as soon as it's removed. I had one cortisone shot that didn't help at all. I've done sporadic PT, interrupted several times by multiple surgeries and reconstruction, but that had no big effect either. (Once I did hear a rip, accompanied by blinding pain, and the therapist got all excited that he'd torn up one of the adhesions but it didn't make an ongoing difference in pain or mobility.)

Last time I saw the orthopedist, he suggested a "do nothing approach" for several months until the major part of my breast reconstruction was complete. He also said that he thought frozen shoulder in cancer patients was about toxins released in our bodies by abnormal cell growth, but I've seen no evidence in the literature to support this and think he might be making it up. I asked him for a second cortisone shot and he said he didn't think that was a good idea. He's recommended no x-rays, tests or scans and suggested no plan other than I should come back sometime if I'm still in pain. Why? So I can pay him to 'do nothing' again? I think I need a new orthopedist, but I live in an area that's not known for its stellar medical care and, after asking around, I haven't heard good things about anyone.

Sorry others are suffering with this too, but it helps to know I'm not the only one in this crazy boat and to hear from others who have eventually come through this ordeal.

Thanks, voraciousreader! What kind of surgery did you have? How did you figure out what to do for at-home PT? (Please share exercises that have helped you.) Congrats on making big improvements! You are an inspiration!!

I know, I know...I need to deal with this. I'm not usually a procrastinator when it comes to my health, but in dealing with BC I've had enough of doctors, procedures, hospitals, etc. to last a while. (Hard to consider a 4th surgery within a 6 month period.)

Thanks again, voraciousreader. You've been a big help and you motivated me to read online reviews and find a potentially decent orthopedist in my area. The old one wanted to do that operation where they just wrench the person's arm around under anesthesia in hopes of breaking up the adhesions. I might prefer something a tad more precise, thanks. As in BC treatment, the people we choose as our doctors make all the difference in our experience. Best to you! May you continue to improve daily. -jade

I have had the same symtoms for 5 years(since the day I woke from my BC surgery) told it was bursistis, frozen shoulder and torn rotator cuff did PT for months that made it worse, now they say DDD of cervical spine so maybe thats been the cause all along.

Good luck

It's very common, unfortunately.  

Mine is 75% better, one year later.  I still can't put on a bra normally and I still can't sleep on my stomach with my arms under my pillow - my goals.  I was dx'd stage IV pretty soon after my frozen shoulder and just didn't have time to go to PT.  It's 30 minutes from my work and I had to take enough time off for other tests and things.  I am hoping I'll get that 25% back soon - I have exercises I do at home.

I honestly believe PT should be offered to every single mastectomy/reconstruction patient as part of treatment. How they believe they can cut off your breast, cut through your muscles to make a pocket and stick and implant in there and you won't have body functioning changes that need to be counteracted is beyond me.