[besson3c]

I've been diagnosed with Frozen Shoulder, and man, does it suck! It's an extremely frustrating condition that requires a long and unpredictable recovery time, a fair amount of discomfort due to stiffness and related secondary effects, and a ton of physical therapy and stretching.

Does anybody have any experience with this condition they could share with me? I'd really love to hear from you.


One thing I wish is that in my state, deep massage would be covered under insurance (which would likely require certifications for massage therapists, which as of now are not required at all), as being relaxed helps with the stretches a great deal!

[turtle777]

How did you get that ?

-t

[besson3c]

The causes of frozen shoulder are not understood, but I suspect that it was the direct or secondary effect of some heavy lifting in our data center.

[turtle777]

So does not have anything to do with exposure to cold.

Yeah. I can't lift heavy stuff, I have some back condition. I gotta be real careful.

-t

[galarneau]

Frozen Shoulder is a relatively non-specific diagnosis, sort of like shin-splints.

Your doctor is possibly diagnosing you with adhesive capsulitis, which the mainstay of treatment is physical therapy/mobilization exercises. You will possibly need corticosteroid injections into the joint space to reduce inflammation before PT.

Good luck with it. Recovery can take many months.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

One thing I wish is that in my state, deep massage would be covered under insurance (which would likely require certifications for massage therapists, which as of now are not required at all), as being relaxed helps with the stretches a great deal!

Are you sure it's a state thing and not a specific insurance thing? My insurance covers rehabilitation massages. Hell, my insurance covers relaxation massages. Too tense and affecting your health? Get a massage at a "certified" massage therapist.

A friend of mine is a certified massage therapist at Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by galarneau 

Frozen Shoulder is a relatively non-specific diagnosis, sort of like shin-splints.

Your doctor is possibly diagnosing you with adhesive capsulitis, which the mainstay of treatment is physical therapy/mobilization exercises. You will possibly need corticosteroid injections into the joint space to reduce inflammation before PT.

Good luck with it. Recovery can take many months.

Yeah, it is adhesive capsulitis.

I'm already doing physical therapy and have been showing slow but steady progress. I haven't needed the injections yet.

How long have recoveries taken among the people you've known that have been inflicted with this?

Thanks for your kind words!

[lunaticbunny]

Wow, I've been hearing this happen to people more and more often. My mom went through it about a year ago, I think it took her almost 2 years to recover from it. Now my dad is going through it. He's had it for about 6 months now. Both their doctors have said it can take anywhere from 6 month up to 2 years or even more to fully recover from frozen shoulder.

In their cases, they both found physical therapy to be of little, to no help. You'll need to find someone who has a lot of experience dealing with froze shoulder. It requires really heavy and deep massages, lots of stretching and you need to get it as often as you can, ideally 3-5 times a week. Finding a good accuptunturist will further help the recovery time. But you'll need to find one that know's where to stick those needles for the best results. My dad tried a few different ones before finding one that showed results and ease the pain.

Good luck.

[cszar2001]

I am a physical therapist and adhesive capsulitis is the worst condition to treat because you're getting nowhere.
The best treatment available is (forced) mobilisation under general anaesthesia. That's all you can do really.