Frozen Shoulder Update

If you found yourself here after a google search, I am so sorry that you are living with this condition too.  It sucks, and I commiserate with you.  A little while ago I posted that I am struggling with a frozen shoulder (I am not fully frozen yet, I’m still in the freezing stage).  It’s quite debilitating and extremely painful.  After almost 2 months of very little sleep, I went back to my doctor.  I’m going to be honest here, I was a basket case when I saw her.  Tears of frustration, pain, and exhaustion were shed in her office that morning.  

She quickly referred me for a cortisone shot.  I wasn’t sure I actually wanted one, but I definitely needed some relief.  She also prescribed me something to help me sleep.  I took half a pill the first 2 nights, and it was a game changer.  It’s so much easier to cope when you are rested.  I didn’t need to take anymore than that (I always worry about narcotics and addiction/side effects).

I was very surprised when I got a call for an appt for cortisone shot a few days later.  They recommended I have someone drive me, so hubby came with me.  I was super anxious about it.  Needles don’t typically bother me, but this was something new.  Everyone I had spoken with said it hurt, and that I was in for a rough day or 2.

The doctor was great.  Explained everything well and went over all the risks and benefits.  He took his time answering my questions, and didn’t rush.  The injection itself didn’t feel much different than a tetanus shot (but into the joint, not the muscle).

My arm felt numb for a couple hours (they mix lidocaine into the steroid) and when that stopped, there was a really deep ache in my shoulder blade area. I had difficult distracting myself, so eventually I went to the basement alone and put on a show I had seen before.  I tried to sleep, but the ache kept me up.  Eventually I did fall asleep for a few hours, and when I woke the ache was gone.

My pain was about the same as normal that day, but by Saturday it was no longer constant. By Monday, it was a little less, and while I still haven’t noticed much of an improvement in my active range of motion, there has been a big change to my passive ROM when I’m using this pulley system (affiliate link).

Over the last week I have felt twinges in my other shoulder, and I am petrified it is going to start to freeze.  My doctor recommended yoga or tai chi.  I have found a few 10 minute videos that focus on the neck and shoulders, so have started to incorporate them into my morning and afternoon stretch routine.

I’m unsure how long this freezing stage is going to last, but I am eager to move past it. I don’t want to be frozen, but I know at this point there isn’t much I can do other than move through the stages, and hopefully come out with full range mod motion when it’s over, whenever that may be.