I've not had frozen shoulder, but I have had impingement and bursitis. And the result was severely reduced range of motion. I was eventually able to heal myself through physical therapy. I found that strengthening key muscles and doing exercises over the range of motion helped. I've heard all kinds of contradictory things about frozen shoulder, including claims that for many patients it gets better if you just do nothing.
I've had freezing in both shoulders, which began about 12 years ago. Mine was called "adhesive capsulitis", where the muscles stick together. One side was so bad I coiuld not put on my coat without help.
As of today I have nearly 100% range of motion back. But, I worked very very hard doing stretching exercises every day. A physical therapist could steer you in the right direction.
Like Brian, I have also heard that you can get better with just "doing nothing".
A couple of other options might be cortisone injections (which will wreak havoc with your blood sugar) and even surgery.
Good luck - I know how annoying it can be.
Me too. I have done a lot of reading. It looks like both are in trouble the left worse than the right. I am giong to go to Physio so I can keep moving and not lose anymore function and perhaps help with nightime pain.
Thanks Kathy. I am just waiting for the hospital to call re -physio and then I will take whatever they have to offer. Sleeping is the worst part.
Thanks Judith
I have no idea if my shoulder problems are related to my T2 or if it is just age. In my early 30s (around the time I was diagnosed T2) I had rotator cuff injuries in both shoulders. It was suspected that I had overworked them between weight lifting and lap swimming. It eventually got better. About 15 years later my shoulders started to get a little creaky and made it to screaming pain. My hubs couldn't even sleep with me because the slightest movement would make me wake up screaming. I could barely move my arms. The pain became so disabling that I could barely move.
I had an mri which found "serious deterioration in the joint" and I was told surgery would do nothing. Since I had no insurance I couldn't afford PT and was handed some exercises. I forced myself to stretch and after several months the pain got better and I got a little more range. It has been about 3 years now. I still feel my shoulders but probably have about 90% range now. Stretching and weight lifting got me this far.
I have been trying to get more range since I recently started doing heavy lifting and part of my problem with squatting with a bar is the pain in my shoulders from the position.
I had this problem 15 years ago. My keyboard at work was on the top of my desk, and had been for YEARS. BAD, as the angle impacted my shoulder. I did a bit of PT, required a keyboard tray at work and no problems since.
Catfan, look at your environment. Things you may have never thought about, if changed.... Sometimes I think we look, very naturally, at diabetes as the cause of everything. It may be, but explore other avenues.
Thanks Spock. I think it might be something to do with stopping fairly regular weight training I think the inactivity for a while caught up to me after 3 X 4 times a week at the gym and then now just doing 5 k walks instead. Anyhow starting physio on wed to see about some exercises and for pain mgmt.
I am really hoping to get back to the gym for weight training again. I have drooped almost 40 lbs and really need to firm up
I don't think I have frozen shoulder but I did have bad bursitis in one shoulder a few months before D diagnosis. I had a steroid injection, which gave me instant better mobility and 3 months pt which helped tremendously. Now I'm having pain in the other shoulder and it's not clear why. I did some pt and had an mri but I don't know the results yet. I do a lot of gardening and I'm re- upholstering so this is prolly not helping. I'm doing my own treatment at home now with tens/heat/ultra sound and taking arnica and anti-inflammatories. I'm stopping that today and see how things go.
Wow have I ever been there and occasionally it comes back. It got so bad at two points I could not lift my hand to even shave or as Kathy says put on a coat. Oh it hurt. At one point while driving my hand would start shaking so violently one would think I was low.
Well it took a large amount of physical therapy to get it loosened up and this past time, about a year ago my other shoulder froze. Once again it was Physical therapy that got it loose. But since I went sooner it took less therapy. My advice is not to just go to the gym and start. It takes flex bands and specific exercises to get it get it unstuck.
Good Luck, I knwo this is so painful. Oh and yes I can shave these days. But it was close for awhile. LOL
Frozen Shoulder is very common amongst diabetics. I have had 3, even though I only have two arms. The only thing that I found that works is VERY aggressive physio. You have to take the movement to the "stop" point and slowly oscillate it beyond. The best thing to do is to get a physio therapist to show your partner how to do this correctly. It's not pleasant, but it works.
I had one that was so bad that the Doctor had to drug me and two of them abruptly rotated my arm. My wife drove me home and I saw 4 of everything.
Bernstein suggests release therapy for frozen shoulder. The most common form you will find is called Active Release Therapy (ART). Most certified providers of this technique are physical therapists or chiropractors although certification is also available for athletic trainers and massage therapists. The technique focuses on reducing the adhesion, knots and scar tissue and thereby releasing the joint.
And rick is right, you should not just go to the gym and do exercises. Actually, if your shoulder is aggressively inflamed you will be advised to reduce the inflammation before starting any physio. That being said, I do have a full set of bodylastic flex bands and a home gym that can recreate most exercises. Once we have learned the exercises in therapy, it is up to us as patients to do the exercises at home to reduce recurrence.
Thanks Brian, Believe me I won't be doing anything to make it hurt anymore than it already does except for what physio says.