How Do You Cope Frozen Shoulder? Nerve Pain After Neck Injury
May 18, 2015
how do you cope? One year ago I fell downstairs (vertigo) fractured my neck and had severe pain in upper left arm, felt like a very bad bruise and a swollen but not broken wrist. Neck healed, pain in my upper arm remained and could move it but not do up bra etc without severe pain. Had an injection in my shoulder - made it worse. 11 months on I fell down a shorter flight of stairs (return of vertigo!) on to same bad shoulder/arm. Now frozen and pain from neck to finger tips all the time and even worse at night. Can't take oral pain relief tablets has anyone tried pain relief patches? The pain is so bad I can't do anything and I am getting seriously depressed and being driven to despair, its like being in constant childbirth labour! constantly having to massage my arm including from elbow to wrist and palm of hand into fingers. Given conflicting advice by every medical person seen so far. Seems it is likely multiple problems but still no MRI, xray shows no broken bones in shoulder. Read most of the discussions, not many triggered by injury unless I have missed those. Any support groups locally in Cornwall where we could at least cry openly!
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I have been off work since last September. when one morning I woke up and thought I was going to be paralysed as I was I the most severe pain in my neck, but actually couldn't move. I was given diazepam to relax the muscle spasms. Already on tramadol but also given cocodamol. Saw chiropractor for 6 weeks. Wasn't happy there though. Slowly regained more movement in my neck but the pain was getting worse and my shoulder and arm in excruciating pain. Can't lift arm up or behind my back. Putting certain items of clothing on causes sudden pain that makes me want to scream out and maybe faint sometimes. I hope I don't offend but going to the toilet is a feat. I feel like a fraud to others as you can't see this and it is the most painful thing ever. I have had 5 children and this is worse. I've seen a spine Physio today and being referred for MRI. She seems to think I have now developed frozen shoulder on top of neck problem too. I'm exhausted from it all. Bit nervous. I feel a fraction of the person I was 7 months ago. Thank you for listening to me wittering on about myself.
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Since having frozen shoulder, I have also suffered with neck pain and neck stiffness. It's not the same dreadful, unbearable pain that you get in your shoulders and arm, just a dull, persistent ache. Does anyone else have this? I have been told that I have a slight amount of arthritis in my neck, but that this is 'normal' for someone of my age (53). I never had this pain before I had frozen shoulder - there is probably a connection but I'm not sure if it's the frozen shoulder causing the neck pain or if the neck problem may be the cause of my frozen shoulder!
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i can't cope anymore with the pain! All my nerves hurt neck scapula biceps pain all the way down arm forearm aching hand aching does anyone else have the forearm hand aching pain.
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I have a 'Frozen Shoulder'.
This was caused by an inoperative Humerus shoulder fracture because the orthopedic surgeon found an infection in my bone during surgery. ( I fell back on 10/6/14) Doctors were baffled how I ended up with an infection since I had no cuts and was in perfect health before I fell.
Surgeon put a drain in and closed me up. I was in a sling for 2 1/2 months and on IV antibiotics for over a month.
Dec 14 I started Physical Therapy, 3xs a week. Along with exercises at home. I have little ROM. Very stiff. Extreme tightness.
I have constant pain from the back of my shoulder to my elbow, bicep. muscles. The little knots are quite painful. I push, squeeze to ease the pain. Massaging the shoulder / arm eases it just for a bit.
Due to the infection that was found in my bone during surgery, three ortho surgeons said they will not operate on my shoulder.
Intensive therapy is all they said I need.
Ortho surgeon will not prescribe pain medication.
My primary care physician prescribed 10mg oxycodone which I cut in half. I only take a full pill when I have physical therapy. Scared what will happen when I run out of pills. Doubt my Dr will refill the prescription. (sad face)
I have tried Aleve, Excedrin, Advil, which doesn't help the pain. I even mixed them with benadryl to sleep. But that didn't help either.
Do to Medicare amount allotted for physical therapy, I can only go a certain amount of times. Which now, I only have a few more visits to go.
Been going to PT for about 3 months and haven't seen any improvement. This is really horrible!
PT said he will teach me what I can do at home and that I could pay $30 a visit if I wanted to.
But personally, I feel it would be wasting my money since I would be paying him just to rub my arm for 10 minutes since I do the same exercises at home. I bought a door pulley and therabands.
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I have been treating my frozen shoulder with traditional physical therapy. About three weeks ago I started acupuncture. After the first session my calves started to ache. They do not put needles in the back of my legs. I was doing exercise in the doorway that would put stress on my calves for 2 months prior to acupuncture. At that time my calves did not hurt. I find it strange that the calves began aching with acupuncture.
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I've been dealing with FS since Fall. That's when I noticed the dull achy pain that I thought was from a new bra strap digging in. In December I started having the zinger pain that would shoot down my arm with sudden movements. I saw a Ortho doctor in February who gave me a Cortisone shot and sent me to 6 weeks of physical therapy. Very painful, still can't raise my arm all the way, but I haven't had that zinger pain in a while so I believe I might be starting to see the light at the end of this long tunnel.
What I'm experiencing now is an almost constant dull aching pain in my upper arm, like where you would get an injection. I also have a lot of tenderness in the area around my upper back behind my armpit.
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I had a capsular release and an extensive debridement for a frozen shoulder about a month ago under GA. My ROM is much better but I am still in PT for internal and external rotation. Does anyone know how long the pain will last? I thought 4 weeks post op I would start to feel some relief. I am still waking up every 2 hours in pain and taking pain medication and a muscle relaxant.
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Just been diagnosed. It hurts so bad. How doyou deal?
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i've just been diagnosed with FS. severe shoulder/neck (left side and back of neck) pain with very little arm/shoulder movement range.
however, can anyone say, if it's 'normal' for FS to cause left-sided chest . chest pain that radiates to shoulder blade, down (L) arm, elbow, wrist, palm of hand, up the left side of neck, ear & face culminating in a hemi -cranial headache?
whilst i know the scapula, elbow,wrist & palm are pretty classic of FS, however, i'm worried re the chest pain/left sided neck, ear pain & headache. it fluctuates throughout the day and is worst in the pm & at night. i did have an ambulatory ECG some 9 ago. it was considered within the normal limits. that was before to-days diagnosis. my GP made a v. quick diagnosis based on 3 arm movements this evening and wasn't interested in the chest pain aspect.
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I had a fall a year ago and ended up with a frozen shoulder. Can anyone tell me how long the pain stays for. It is still severe with limited movement and keeps me awake most nights. I would also like some ideas in relieving the pain.
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I was diagnosed with frozen shoulder yesterday and although had heard of it before but didn't really know what it was. Since researching internet and reading this forum am amazed and scared to find that it could go on for years. I am a 60 yr old woman live alone and work 4 dys a wk I'm now terrified of not being able to continue work, or manage at home., I use a keyboard all day and It came from nowhere I woke up early last mon am and couldn't move my left (non dominant) arm was also in a lot of pain my 1st thought was that I had had a stroke as it felt heavy numb (bit like when you've leaned on it and its gone numb and just coming back to life )and hurt from shoulder to finger tips. I have been to work all week and have had to grit my teeth and soldier on until I got docs app last night he tested my arm by moving it about and diagnosed frozen shoulder told me to take painkillers and put in sling for couple of weeks when I said I wasn't happy with that he offered to give me steroid injection and did so there and then said it would hurt more initially but by time i go back to work on tuesday should be lot better. I cannot reach forward neither can I lift my arm out to the side or up or back more than about 6" in each direction. The weirdest thing about is how it happened so suddenly I did ask Dr if it could be connected to a tooth infection I've just had but he said 'No' The reason I asked this as last year I had a root canal treatment and a crown was fitted all was well until couple of months ago when got toothache on that tooth was told it was an infection and given antibiotics he said if it re-occurred I'd have to have it extracted all was fine until 3 weeks ago when i got severe toothache again and was given antibiotics and made app for 2 wks later to have it extracted it cleared up only to return 4 days later was in excruciating pain from tooth got more antibiotics wanted to smash my head off the wall couldn't sleep eat or function properly my face ear neck shoulder everywhere hurt dentist said it couldn't be that bad as had no nerve there wouldn't take it out earlier than my due app although i went to surgery in tears and begged him, when it was finally taken out he apologised and said that I had a severe infection under the crown. I finished the antibiotics and neck and shoulder and face still hurt and four days later woke up with 'frozen shoulder' I can't help but think this is somehow connected having read a couple of other posts about teeth infections. Has anyone else had similiar experience? I feel sure there is some connection. What I do know is the pain is excruciating and it's odd that I cannot lie on my right side my normal sleeping side as pain in shoulder/arm is overwhelming but can sleep in snatches leaning on my left side which is the bad shoulder and it is nowhere near as painful.
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I am on my second frozen shoulder, now in my right arm. My left arm still does not have full movement.
My only relief is knowing that the pain will eventually subside.
The sleepless nights, the difficulty dressing, brushing hair, putting on seat belt, reaching for anything are all getting me down.
Every day I am hoping for it to be a little better.
I tried physio and cortisone injections with my first shoulder, but eventually gave up with it as there was no improvement. I have decided to let it run its course this time.
Have been suffering only 5 months so far and I remember the pain lasted for about 18 months before, so have a long way to go yet!
No one seems to sympathise and you look like you are making a fuss about nothing. But it is very painful, sometimes if I catch it funny it is such agony I cannot move for a few seconds while the pain subsides.
Sometimes the pain also travels down my arm and into my hand.
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I'd like to know if others share some of my symptoms and which ones?
1) Days of constant pain, even at rest?
2) Pain in the upper arm, often in the inner upper arm?
3) Pain in the back of the shoulder?
4) Pain when laying on the scapula of the affected shoulder?
5) No increase in pain while doing therapy exercises? But, an increase sometimes afterwards?
6) Mostly bad days, but some random low-pain days? And, often no clear reason why I have those low-pain days.
7) Pain that seems to move around. Sometimes arm pain, then back of shoulder pain, then arm pain again?
8) Typically either arm pain or back of the shoulder pain, but typically not both at the same time.
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About 9 months ago I suffered severe bilateral frozen shoulders. With Physio and various medicaments, 7 months on, it finally came back to 95% FRM and hardly any pain to speak of. Since then, the hips have gradually become very stiff and painful with similar symptoms as the shoulders...especially the muscles supporting the legs becoming painful as did the muscles of the mid-lower arms. Also the back muscles seem more affected than before. Has anyone any idea if the frozen shoulders affect the hips? I understand thyroid problems can be a predisposition...I have an underactive thyroid.
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In 2007 I had true frozen shoulder in my left (non-dominant shoulder). After freezing and while waiting for arthroscopic release I spent five months on dihydrocodeine and tramadol and didn't sleep. Nosleep. None. I don't really remember much about 2007, I was 42. I continued working, but like a zombie.
I had the arthroscopic release and was off all pain meds within 2 days – was magic.
Surgery performed by Mr Cameron Hatrick in Sussex on the NHS.
However I had severe muscle wastage and was very unfit, so months and months of physio followed before I regained full movement and fitness.
Exercises I found particularly useful was being able to windmill my arm – simulating swimming movements in addition to the other recommended exercises.
In October 2014 I suspected the onset of frozen shoulder in my right arm. I completed as many of the exercises I did post op last time, as possible and went to gp and physiotherapist.
I maintained mobility much longer but had pain when sleeping and lying down, so disrupted sleep.
In late January I lost all mobility within 2 weeks, much more rapidly than last time, but I assumed it was because I had been keeping the strength and mobility exercises up. Up till this point I was coping with just paracetamol.
I was referred to Mr Hatrick again. In the meantime, while waiting, I was back on the dihydrocodeine, then back on the tramadol too. I also used heat patches – the kind that last 12 hours and you wear on clothing, not skin. Still managing sleep in 2 and 3 hour spells to add up to 6-8 hours a night.
However I felt my whole health was deteriorating with the use of the dihydrocodeine and tramadol, as they made me an idiot and I was in a new job and trying to impress. (Well at least look professional).
When they recruited me in February I explained about my condition and that I was waiting for keyhole surgery and would expect to be back at work in a few days. The new job was great because I could go by train as I had given up driving as could open and close the driver's door or use reverse gear.
Before seeing the consultant, I returned to my GP and he wrote a letter to point out how this was adversely affecting my mental health, recommending the procedure be done quickly. I saw Mr Hatrick on March 30th and had the op on April 1st in Brighton.
However, this time the discharge included notes and graphic images and explained the complications encountered. I did not only have arthroscopic release and manipulation under anaesthetic. As I had inflammation ++, impingement ++ and a thickened bursa, I was given a nerve block and had bone shaved.
I went home, tried the dihydrocodeine and tramadol and suffered. Went to the gp twice, spoke to the gp twice, saw the nurse to have my stitches removed and returned to the hospital for examination by a duty registrar. I saw the physiotherapist for an assessment who looked at my discharge notes and said I had had two real extremes of experiences of easy and complicated. I then had a follow up with Mr Hatrick on day 17, who said in 14 years he had never recommended a steroid injection any sooner than 4-6 months post op as there was a risk of infection. However, he recommended it as urgent and on day 20 I had a steroid injection under x-ray.
Now it is day 22 and I am still suffering and am still off work.
Since day 5 I have been on Morphine, Naproxen and Paracetamol. Since day 17 I have also been on Gabapentin. This cocktail will sometimes mean I get 3 or 4 hours sleep. I certainly have better mobility since the release, but pain is still awful, despite the meds and plenty of ice.
Given up taking one day at a time, I now take every 4-6 hours at a time.
No idea when I will be able to return to work.
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I was in a rollover car accident about 4 months ago and my shoulder hurt pretty bad right afterwards due to the seat belt. The docs took x rays but nothing on it. I had several weeks off from work and thought the pain was getting better. Ever since returning, the pain has come back and has not gone away. I finally went back to the doctor about a month ago and they prescribed me some ibuprofen and muscle relaxer and also referred me to physical therapy. Well, a month into physical therapy, the shoulder really still hurts. It's hard to lift my arm and do overhead activities. It's also hard to reach in the back and put on my coat for example. Any kind of pressure on it makes it sore and it feels pretty weak now. I was told from worker's comp to possibly ask a referral to see an orthopedic surgeon but I am not sure I want to go down that road. I am thinking of asking the doc to order an MRI.
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I have winged scapula and it hasn't really affected me in 20 years however I've noticed now that I get pain in my left shoulder blade and I get pins and needles in my left arm as well as muscle soreness but only on my left side! Could this be a symptom of the winged scapula or a trapped nerve?
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I have been suffering from nerve pain that ran down my left arm and shoulder and fingers from a bulging disc in the C-5- C-6 so i had been taking oxycodone 10-325 but when we decided to do surgery we cut that down to oxycodone 5/325 since that is what the surgeon would be giving me after surgery so i said okay no problem. I had surgery on 2/26 of this year, But after surgery come to find out he dropped me to a hydrocodone 7.5/325 and can't understand why the 7.5 hydro's weren't working to take away the pain. I had been having a lil bit of pain on the right shoulder before surgery, but nothing like what i had been having in the left so the surgeon side well "let's hope this will fix this side too" well it didn't. In fact it made the right side worse, I now feel like i have a hot knife twisting at the base of my neck whenever i turn my neck to the right or left, which in turn runs down into my shoulder blades and into my right shoulder which makes my shoulder feel like someone it trying to tear my shoulder off at the cuff along with weakness in my right arm which i never had before .. I have also started to notice a tingling in my right pinky finger and ring finger. I have told him over and over about this but all he does is get the X-rays and says the fusion is looking fine. and my primary can't do anything since he told her he would treat my pain for 6 weeks and he is refusing to do anything about the pain what so ever. i am to my wits end and any advice would be welcomed.
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I'm not on any meds for my MAV, first because the ENt wanted me to take topamax and it scared me to death to try it, when I saw him 2 weeks ago he said he wasn't going to give me any meds cause I seem to be doing better. I started with this headache on saturday night and still have it today, its like a tension type headache with pain in the shoulders and neck, but the pain is mostly in the front across the forehead going to each side, but with it comes the feeling of moving when I'm sitting or standing. Is this indicative of MAV? I feel like a buoy in the water and sometimes a sinking feeling, yesterday it was a falling feeling. I'm now wondering if I should try some meds. I also told the ENT I was seeing a psychologist this week and maybe he thought because of my anxiety about all this she might want to start meds. She works with a psychiatrist I believe so could probably get meds. she was also I physicians assistant for 20 years at a neurologist office, so I'm hoping she will understand all this.
So my question is, do you have headaches with neck pain and shoulder pain on both sides? Is this part of MAV? Does the dizziness sensations feel different or changing? Do everyone here take meds for this? Is there any meds that help with dizziness, headache and anxiety at the same time? Do you have headache and dizziness for days at time?
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I have had shaky hands for years and has recently got worse. I woke up with pain in my shoulder which spread to my elbow, wrist and hand. I went to the gp and was given a splint, pain killers and referred to a hand specialist for nerve conduction studies for carpal tunnel. I was also told to go for a massage as the muscles on the right side of my back and shoulder were solid. However, when I went for a massage it only made things worse- I went into a healing crisis (apparently this is a real thing!) and was in agony. I saw an orthopaedic physio privately who thought i may have nerve damage in my thoracic spine, but when I went back to the GP I was told to continue with carpal tunnel diagnosis. The nerve conduction studies came back negative and now I'm being sent for an MRI and referred to neurology. 6 months later I am no closer to knowing what is wrong or how to tackle the impact it is having on my life.
I am an occupational therapy student too and using dragon software to write my assignments as it is difficult for me to handwrite or type. I am also a painter and crafter and have not been able to do any of the things I enjoy. I am currently on a health and design placement and am looking at spinal injuries and neurological conditions. I thought it would be a great opportunity to look into ways I can help myself as well as other people- Is any one else having issues using their hands? Is anyone using adaptive equipment- its not attractive stuff! ? Maybe there is an element of a task that other people would like a product to help with?
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