Post Punk Kitchen Forum

my shoulder has been killing me. nevermind that we just moved, that i have been lifting huge boxes for a month, am painting walls, floors, moving furniture, picking figs, etc. my doctor thought i had tendinitis and sent me to physical therapy today. the PT smart lady says it is frozen shoulder.

good news--it should resolve itself 100%, but i will take from 6 months-2 years. please tell me about your positive experiences recovering from this. i already have other chronic pain shiitake to deal with, so this makes me sad.

xo
kittee

Oh, boo! I feel like my dad had this same thing (and has since recovered). I remember he went to physical therapy a few times and I think even tried acupuncture. I hope it's closer to the six month side of things for you. Or even faster!

i think i am in for it.

A friend of mine has frozen shoulder, and she is still able to do everything she was doing before (which is coding as a career, biking everywhere when she lives 6 miles out of the city, running parcour as a hobby, and sewing amazing projects that take dozens of hours), she just needs to take more breaks and do stretches she learned whens he did physical therapy. It's been I think about a year, and her shoulder feels almost back to normal.

I know it was hard for her at first, because she couldn't do things she loved, like bike and work out, as intensely as she used to, but she's not restricted from any of those things.

I'm sorry for your injury! You'll be fine in the long run, and even after the first month or so (after you figure out how to adjust your routine). And it makes you slow down, take breaks, and think about how important certain activities are. Maybe think of it as bodily-enforced zen?

I had frozen shoulder about three years ago and it was the most difficult physical experience of my life; much worse than childbirth.

It lasted about for about 8-9 months of the worst pain. ever. I could not move my arm/shoulder, couldn't get dressed properly, couldn't reach for things, sneezing caused severe sharp pain, you name it. I cried a lot

I went to get a scan just to make sure nothing was torn and after being told that I needed a cortison shot, and that they wouldn't give me a referral to a chiropractor, I ditched all "regular" doctors and went my own route. I did accuptuncture, massage ( Myofascial Release) and chiropractic (activator method, not manual) and they all helped. But the thing that really gave me a breakthrough and started me healing was trigger point therapy (similar to myofascial). I bought the books and the massage cane and did it myself and it worked beautifully. I would highly recommend trying it. The materials are very cheap (and available on amazon) and in general you learn a lot about the meridian points on your body, referred pain and the treatments very effective.

I am definitely better and the day to day agony is long gone but I don't think my shoulder will ever really be the same. I could never go bowling, for example and I often can't lift things or carry luggage. but I adjust to that.

good luck!
I know from experience how difficult and trying this condition can be

Oh I'm sorry to hear this. My mum had a frozen shoulder, it did go away but I hate to say it took a year. I hope yours goes quicker!

thanks! the pain is still pretty good, but much better than two days ago. i someone managed to get my own hair up today, and just now i was able to unhook my bra all by myself!

xo
kittee

Aw, sorry! Frozen shoulder sucks. My bf has it. It affects both his shoulders, but he said dominant side hurt exponentially worse.
My bf's mom had it before and was treated by an ayurveda doctor who said she needed to take herbs that helped regulate blood sugar. After much experimentation, my boyfriend and I realized that the ayurveda doc was right about the blood sugar because the pain is directly related to how much refined sugar he eats. I think that only applies to people who are at risk for or who have type 2 diabetes (it runs in my bf's family)... Most websites with info about frozen shoulder never mention that, but it might also be some rare thing that frozen shoulder is worse with high blood sugar.
I help him do arm stretches and give him massages, and now that we know what triggers those super painful bouts, he pretty much has the pain under control now.

Hope you feel better!

Oh I'm so sorry you have this! I haven't had it personally but I remember as a teen it was the only time I saw my dad in real pain. I can't remember how long it took for his to clear up, it wasn't helped by him working on building sites and not able to take time off. I really feel for you, I know what it's like to have to cope with new pain on top of all the usual pain.

I found proper Chinese acupuncture really helped my body cope with pain better. I do hope you make a fast recovery xxx

i am now off of sugar, fatty stuff and nightshades. hello rice bowls, hi. hi hi hi.
gah.

I was going to make some kind of "safe space" smart asparagus comment, but, you know, not today. Instead:

Ow, that sucks. I hope it improves quickly.

Very lame...My mom had a friend with that as well and she claimed some herbal stuff helped her. Some quick googling says that turmeric, ginger, pineapple and willow bark may help...

Sorry your shoulder is still bothering you, kittee. Sending good range of motion juju your way!

Does no fatty foods mean no oil or no avocado, nuts etc.? And also does no sugar mean no added sugar or can you eat bananas?

no bananas, no sweets, no baked goods, no nightshades. i am eating a little good oil like omega three stuff and olive oil and some nuts and avocado. just nothing deep fried or greasy. also nothing spicy. on top of the xgfx, that is.

sucks.

so frustrating!!! :(

Has eliminating the night shades helped? I have some pain issues and I do much better when I avoid the night shades.

not yet. the only thing helping seems to be getting tortured at acupuncture a few times a week. the pain is more manageable, and i can twist it a bit more, but the range is still really limited.

xo
kittee

Oh, kittee, I have this too. I wish you all the best in healing. XOXO

I have Type II diabetes, which is how I got it. I haven't yet found anything to help it, either---but maybe you and I gotta keep trying different things.

i'm sorry for you, bub. i hope your pain goes away soon. mine is much much better, but my range is still so limited.
xo
kittee

Thanks loads---someday perhaps mine will improve. I'm glad to hear yours is getting better!

This is going on three months. It is making me so sad.

just checking in 8 months later! still frozen, but range of motion is slowly coming back a little. at least it stopped hurting in time for my other shoulder to start seizing up. good times!

oh kittee i can't believe this is ongoing. i'm so sorry! has anything helped? acupuncture? massage? anything? how are you doing your hair??

Sorry Kittee, that sucks!! I remember how in pain my mum was with her frozen shoulder.