Frozen Shoulder?

[Guardian]

I just read the "Éiriú Eolas: Beware! Stress Could Cause Serious Long-Term Effects" article
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Swain-County/SAVE-KITUWAH/288586372067#!/notes/eiriu-eolas/beware-stress-could-cause-serious-long-term-effects/111481118879418


Listed under "Short Term Effects of Stress" is something called "frozen shoulder"

Can anyone tell me exactly what this is, and how it presents?

Thax

 

[Gimpy]

I just read the "Éiriú Eolas: Beware! Stress Could Cause Serious Long-Term Effects" article
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Swain-County/SAVE-KITUWAH/288586372067#!/notes/eiriu-eolas/beware-stress-could-cause-serious-long-term-effects/111481118879418


Listed under "Short Term Effects of Stress" is something called "frozen shoulder"

Can anyone tell me exactly what this is, and how it presents?

Thax

Found a quick link with a picture here: http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/frozenshoulder/a/frozenshoulder_2.htm



What are the typical symptoms of a frozen shoulder?

o Shoulder pain; usually a dull, aching pain

o Limited movement of the shoulder

o Difficulty with activities such as brushing hair, putting on shirts/bras

o Pain when trying to sleep on the affected shoulder

What are the stages of a frozen shoulder?

* Painful/Freezing Stage
This is the most painful stage of a frozen shoulder. Motion is restricted, but the shoulder is not as stiff as the frozen stage. This painful stage typically lasts 6-12 weeks.

* Frozen Stage
During the frozen stage, the pain usually eases up, but the stiffness worsens. The frozen stage can last 4-6 months.

* Thawing Stage
The thawing stage is gradual, and motion steadily improves over a lengthy period of time. The thawing stage can last more than a year.

What tests are needed to diagnose a frozen shoulder?
Most often, a frozen shoulder can be diagnosed on examination, and no special tests are needed. An x-ray is usually obtained to ensure the shoulder joint appears normal, and there is not evidence of traumatic injury or arthritic changes to the joint. An MRI is sometimes performed if the diagnosis is in question, but this test is better at looking for other problems, rather than looking for frozen shoulder. If an MRI is done, it is best performed with an injection of contrast fluid into the shoulder joint prior to the MRI. This will help show if the capsule of the shoulder is scarred down, as would be expected in patients with a frozen shoulder.

Read on for information about the treatment of a frozen shoulder...



Are you ok Guardian? Did you throw out your shoulder arm wrestling a bear? :D

 

[Guardian]

Read on for information about the treatment of a frozen shoulder...

Thanks for the info Gimpy

Are you ok Guardian?

Oh I'm fine... but my body's seen better days

Did you throw out your shoulder arm wrestling a bear? :D

LOL...you have no idea how close you are.

Has anyone on the forum had any experience with "Frozen Shoulder?" There's a 1/2 million google hits on this thing...and most of them are supported by some money driven medical association. Is it worth allowing an MRI to see if it's a torn rotation cuff or just a frozen one?

 

[Gimpy]

Read on for information about the treatment of a frozen shoulder...

Thanks for the info Gimpy

Are you ok Guardian?

Oh I'm fine... but my body's seen better days

Did you throw out your shoulder arm wrestling a bear? :D

LOL...you have no idea how close you are.

Has anyone on the forum had any experience with "Frozen Shoulder?" There's a 1/2 million google hits on this thing...and most of them are supported by some money driven medical association. Is it worth allowing an MRI to see if it's a torn rotation cuff or just a frozen one?

I'd say it depends on pain level and how much being down to one wing hampers day to day activities. If it is a frozen shoulder, where you are in the healing spectrum of that condition would be a clue. Rotator cuff injuries can take months to heal, and rehab to keep mobility in that joint hurts like hell. My Mom fell on ice when I was a kid, and broke the ball joint in her shoulder. Years later she had to have surgery to remove scar tissue and calcium spurs in that joint, and her rehab really hurt.

Have you done the RICE thing? (Rest, Ice, Ibuprofen) If I had to see a Dr for this kind of injury, I'd go to an orthopedist...good ones are conservative about treatment.


Oh, and I'd leave the bears alone a spell too. :D

 

[Guardian]

I'd say it depends on pain level and how much being down to one wing hampers day to day activities. If it is a frozen shoulder, where you are in the healing spectrum of that condition would be a clue. Rotator cuff injuries can take months to heal, and rehab to keep mobility in that joint hurts like hell.

It's a longgggg term thing...had surgery decades ago, and it's been a bit wonky since. Recently, while bear wrestling, I did something to it. Now it's sorta stuck in the mornings, which is why the "frozen shoulder" reference pinged. I bent my thumb backwards at the same time, and it's fine now...but the shoulder is getting worse, not better. My Chiropractor suggested the MRI, but I've only been seeing her a few months, and she seems too overly fond of MRIs for my tastes.

Have you done the RICE thing? (Rest, Ice, Ibuprofen)

It makes sleeping hard, and the ibuprofen doesn't help a lick...but the DMSO has been a godsend. I'm on my second jar, I know it makes me stink.. and I truly do not care. I smell like a giant onion..which ordinarily would bother me, but I'm at the point that anyone who wants external consideration regarding my odor can just get out of my car.

Oh, and I'd leave the bears alone a spell too. :D

I'm gonna try

 

[anart]

Psyche has information on some fantastic taping techniques that will likely heal you right up. I'm sure she'll chime in as soon as she gets a chance.

The problem with wrestling bears is that they wrestle back.

 

[Laura]

Yeah, I had it AFTER my surgery and what really helped was the Taping method. I mean, like relief almost instantly, pain going away rapidly, and total relief within two or three days.

 

[Guardian]

Yeah, I had it AFTER my surgery and what really helped was the Taping method.

By "taping" do you mean immobilization with athletic or adhesive tape?

I mean, like relief almost instantly, pain going away rapidly, and total relief within two or three days.

Oh that would be LOVELY! I've got a Woman's Self Defense Class I agreed to teach starting the second week in May. I can throw men around one handed, but it's not pleasant, for them or me. My "Tori" is also a dear friend, so I'd rather not drop him on his head too much. His wife will kill me if I break any part of him. ;D

 

[Gaby]

Hi Guardian,

You'll find a useful link in the following post:

There IS a very significant method for helping with this sort of thing that has done miracles for me and it's called "Medical Taping". This has been discussed in QFS, for sure, don't remember if it has been discussed on the forum, and a pdf copy of the manual that shows how it is done was made available. I'll have to see if I can find the reference and the link.


ADDED: I found the link http://laura-knight-jadczyk.com/Taping.djvu

This method is literally miraculous for many things. I suffered from "frozen shoulder syndrome" at several points after my surgery and even heavy duty pain killers didn't help, but after taping, the pain reduce about 25% within half an hour, and 50% within a few hours, and 75% in one day, and was gone completely in three days. I retaped a couple times just to make sure, and now haven't had a minute's trouble for well over six months.

In a pinch, you can use stretchy bandaging tape but it is a good idea to try to get some of the tape that is designed for this. Just search on the net for "medical taping" and see if you can find a more or less local source for it.

See pages 8 and 9. Some kinesiology tape will do, but if you can't find any, a normal medical tape from the pharmacy might do. It is really miraculous, I have even used it for menstrual cramps.

 

[Guardian]

In a pinch, you can use stretchy bandaging tape but it is a good idea to try to get some of the tape that is designed for this. Just search on the net for "medical taping" and see if you can find a more or less local source for it.

See pages 8 and 9. Some kinesiology tape will do, but if you can't find any, a normal medical tape from the pharmacy might do. It is really miraculous, I have even used it for menstrual cramps.

Thanks Psyche! All I could find around the house is Duck Tape, so I'll go to the drug store in town tomorrow. Can/should it be worn while sleeping?

 

[Laura]

The kinesiology tape is pretty long lasting. Usually, it stays on through baths and showers for several days. If you use regular bandage tape, you may have to replace it every day. A week of being taped ought to make a real difference, but I replaced it several times so that it was at least 2.5 weeks total.

 

[Pierre]

The kinesiology tape is pretty long lasting. Usually, it stays on through baths and showers for several days. If you use regular bandage tape, you may have to replace it every day. A week of being taped ought to make a real difference, but I replaced it several times so that it was at least 2.5 weeks total.

You can have a good shower before tapping so you'll get rid af all the natural oil on your skin, then dry it throughly. This way the tape should stick longer.

 

[Guardian]

The kinesiology tape is pretty long lasting. Usually, it stays on through baths and showers for several days. If you use regular bandage tape, you may have to replace it every day. A week of being taped ought to make a real difference, but I replaced it several times so that it was at least 2.5 weeks total.

Unfortunately, my first attempt at "taping" didn't work out real well. I went to town yesterday and asked for "kinesiology tape" The pharmacist looked at me and said "You want whatology?" So I told him what it was for and he showed me two different types of non stretchy medical tape that LOOKED pretty close to what you are using.... "cloth" and "waterproof." I got one of each.

After meticulously trying to duplicate the images in the taping manual, the "cloth" tape (it's not really"cloth") gave up and let go within a few minutes. It just popped off..I wasn't even moving at the time. :(

Next we tried the "waterproof" stuff. I had high hopes for the waterproof tape, right up until I woke up this morning and realized that the only thing it was still stuck to was the hair at the back of my neck. By the time I got it out, it looked like my cat had yaked up a mummy furball. It might be a southern thing, but at this point, the Duck Tape is starting to look pretty attractive.

I'm gonna go into the city tomorrow and try to find the "kinesiology" tape. Hopefully Earthfare or some place like that will have it....or at least know what I want because I'm probably pronouncing it wrong.

 

[Guardian]

You can have a good shower before tapping so you'll get rid af all the natural oil on your skin, then dry it throughly. This way the tape should stick longer.

I did. It didn't.

 

[Laura]

You might search online and see if there is a brand name to ask for.

I just looked and found this at the top:

http://www.google.com/products?q=kinesiology+tape&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=83jeS4HsJIKD-Qa9qsyXBw&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CBsQrQQwAg

...and then on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Kinesio-Tex-Tape-Resistant-Single/dp/B000FOXZI0