| Natural healing options for frozen shoulder? | Hot Conversation |
Does anyone know of an alternative aid for easing severe frozen shoulder, to avoid resorting to cortisone?
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ReginaLove, that is SO great to hear! As for soy, it may help with menopause symptoms -- it it controversial. The best way to use soy is in the form of whole fermented soy foods (miso, tempeh, tamari and natto). Non-fermented soy foods such as soy mi
Agreed. I never thought I was vain until I had a mastectomy at age 39. I was devastated and told the doc I wanted to wake up with implants. Now at age 60, I am lopsided and wondering if I was just avoiding the inevitable. You get what you get and you
Sounds very interesting.Spike, you are awesome! Love your perspective, thanks for sharing.I will turn 53 in 6 weeks and still break out.
May I also assume that your skin is still quite oily and shows no or very few wrinkles? If so...
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!
1) Your skin doesn't look like beat-up luggage now, and probably never wi
Poor you. My suggestions are to try Bowen Therapy or Body Talk. I had something similar a few years ago and it was due to using my computer mouse too much. MY GP said it was frozen shoulder and I went to a physio who caused excrutiating pain so I stopped that. It took me a long while to get to Bowen Therapy and I was relieved in 3 sessions. I still can’t get my arm around to my back to bra-strap postion but at least I can reach up to hang out the washing and I have no pain….
Accupuncture
I have tried both of the suggested recommendations, but alas to no avail, so for years I tried acupuncture, therapy, yoga,Pilate,shots, and forceful movement to “break the cycle”. I can now recommend a sure fire way to rid your body of Frozen shoulder. Its called shoulder replacement and it defiantly works. Find a good surgeon
I’d suggest trying everything – acupuncture, etc. — the whole gamut — plus relaxation meditation tapes — and leave surgery for the final – ‘cannot live like this’ solution.
I went to my shoulder specialist after about 18 months of frozen shoulder and said “I cannot live like this”, we scheduled a surgery and the following week I started getting significantly better-never needed the surgery. I was told that the worst pain is right before the beginning of the end. I wish you the best Elky, and a pain free solution.
I can only respond from my own experience. I had frozen shoulder several years ago. I was exercising one day, and the next , wham! Frozen! I went to the doctor and was told my only treatment was physical therapy, cortisone shots, and/or surgery. I then went to a chiropractor who took an xray of my spin and saw that there was inflammation of the nerves going to and from my spine and my shoulder….But they couldn’t say how to treat it except for further chiropractor treatments that I could not afford and my insurance does not pay for….So, I took the pictures of exercises that the doctor had given me, bought myself some camis and sweats to where (since I could not put on a bra) and started doing them at home. ( didn’t want to spend my time at the physical therapy, when I could do the same at home.) I also did the cold then hot therapy over , and over again….They had said it would last for a year or more. I looked this all up on the computer, and that is what it said also….The end of my story is that after doing the hot/cold thing and slowly increasing my arm movements, my shoulder hot better and then was fine after only three months!!! I know that this isn’t everyones experience. It wasn’t easy. But I was really determined to get better without the shots (temporary) or surgery (scarey to me). The funny thing is, that they did not know why I would have frozen shoulder. I never have been an athlete, or been in an accident. I think it is because of the extra cartilage I formed from carrying around a heavy shoulder bag for years….=]
I grew up poor — we didn’t have money for anything except mundane illnesses — and most of the time — we grew out of them. One thing is certain — it’s a personal issue with personal solutions depending on how dedicated we are to our own health. Bravo you!! Had the same experience with knees — did the therapy, vitamins and minerals and now walking tall and pain free — though a bit slower!! Your key sentence — getting better without surgery — !!!
Hi Gramma. It is interesting that you think that your frozen shoulder may have been caused by carrying a heavy shoulder bag. And I put my experience down to overuse of the computer mouse. I am now starting to wonder if some of the problem may be related to ‘occupational overuse syndrome”? It would be interesting to hear what other people think the cause may have been…
I have had TWO frozen shoulders (maybe the left one got jealous? who knows!) Nobody knows what causes them, I think my first was because I used to put my full of stuff handbag behind the passenger seat of my car lifting it every time I got in and out every day – doing the Mom stuff – and I couldn’t get myself dressed without help. Went to the orthopedist – he sent me to physical therapy after giving me a steroid shot (which missed) – changed docs, got another shot (that worked) and went to a different PT practice, too. The bottom line is: do your stretching exercises with the broomstick and towel, and follow directions. Stop carrying around heavy handbags, too!
I don’t know if what I have is frozen shoulder … it’s not frozen in place, just hurts like blanking-blank. I have chalked it up to my computer. I’m a professor/novelist, so am here s lot. Not only here, but since I type with only one finger per hand (the middle finger … go figure) … my hands move sideways back and forth across the keyboard, somewhat the way an old fashioned turntable arm moved across the record (only my hands faster faster and go back-and-forth). This, I believe is what’s causing both of my shoulders to constantly ache (maybe this plus the mouse). There’s also this: as my eyes aged, I started leaning forward to see the screen. Reading contacts fixed that, but it’s still a habit. I just the other day decided to go to my doctor and get a prescription to physical therapy.
Yes that is agood reason to get the extra cartlidge it makes movemtn harder ad we age as it get hard and not so pliable when we move the shoulder and even our neck at times
DLB
l have never experienced frozen shoulder and until today never heard of it. Have you considered energy work? Something like Reiki, Pranic Healing or Quantum-Touch.
I hope you find a pain free solution soon. All the best.
I’ve had frozen shoulder for the better part of 5 years now. I’ve realized that it gets better or worse according to how much stress is going on in my life at the time. I haven’t been able to get rid of it but specific shoulder exercises were given to me by my trainer at the gym and they really help to keep the joint supple. If I don’t do them, my shoulder seizes up and then it takes a long time to get it ‘unjammed’.
I’ve also refused cortisone. I talked to several people who succumbed and every single one of them regretted it saying that it helped for a while but then the symptoms came back, often even worse. Cortisone is also very hard on your adrenal glands which, if you have frozen shoulder, are probably already overworked!
For pain, I use ice packs, acetominophen with codeine (prescription) as well as anti-inflammatories when it gets bad. I’ve tried several natural remedies but none seems to be enough on its own.
I truly believe regular the stretching and stress-relieving effects of yoga would help. It’s just really hard to integrate on a regular basis! I’m making the attempt come September when life quietens down a little… Good luck!!
I had similar problems with my shoulder 3 years ago, and since I am a massage therapist, I did NOT want to have surgery, and felt that I should be able to take care of this myself. I grew up with Chiropractic since I was a baby, so decided to try that again. I found an Upper Cervical Chiropractor that only adjusts the cervical spine, and everything I had wrong with me left after 2 months. Even occasional low back pain. It was amazing, and I was even sceptical going into it as I was used to having a total body adjustment. If you remove the pinch on the nerve, your body will heal itself on it’s own. Just google Upper Cervical Chiropractor’s in your area, and best of luck to you!!
Exercises specific for treating the problem and ice. I had the same thing several years back and the options were physical therapy or surgery which would be followed up by PT. When they explained that the surgery is one of the most painful surgeries you can have and that I still had to do PT after, well I got serious. I admit that I did not have much faith in it. It was painful but little by little it improved. Seems to me it was about 2 months of that and I have never had a problem since. I could not bend my arm back past my side and never could hook a bra very easily. Now it is better than it was before the problem.
Bellydance! I still have numbness but the natural movements help to keep me strong, flexible and reduce swelling. I had surgery and the nurse told me to keep it moving.
I could not lift my arm above my shoulder and they scheduled me for surgery….at the last minute, the dr said have you had a cortisone shot? While I’d always wanted to avoid that…I did it and for 3 years I could play tennis and move with no pain at all. I did have to get another about three years after, but that’s been a couple of years ago and I am pain free. I am interested in all the comments you have elicted and will try some other things if I start to have pain in the future, but for me the cortisone shot was a miracle!
I had frozen shoulder several years ago. Woke up in the middle of the night and could not move my arm. Frustrated because I couldn’t continue my gym routine I read an article on-line that indicated that movement was really the best treatment. Ouch! But I started slowly, only lifting my arm, straight out from my side (not in front of me), a few inches several times a day. What I found is that each day the pain was slightly less and I could move my arm straight up another inch or two. I continued this daily for several months. I added 2lb weight when I was able to move my arm to a position where it was parallel with the ground and started over again only being able to raise it an inch or two. All the while the pain decreased ever so slightly each day. As I built up strength again with the weight, the pain eventually disappeared and has not returned. Patience and perseverence finally got me through it with nothing stronger than ice, ibuprofen, gentle movement.
Inexpensive, easy and effective self treatment in three books. Recommend they be done in the order shown.
1. Unique movements to restore your muscle awarenesss:
RELAXERCISE The Easy New Way To Health & Fitness by David and Kaethe Zemach-Bersin
2. Movements to restore function once awareness is achieved:
SOMATICS by Thomas Hanna
3. Specific exercises to restore symmetry, strengthen and prevent future problems:
THE EGOSCUE METHOD OF HEALTH THROUGH MOTION by Pete Egoscue
My experience with the movements and exercises in all three books has been excellent.
My chinese accupuncturist says in China it’s called “50 year old shoulder” …
I had had it for about 6 months – and my chiropractor said that maybe I should consult a surgeon –
NOT!! I opened the telephone book, looked at all the ads, saw a picture of a woman Chinese Dr. that sort of jumped out at me — and marched into her office –
Within the first couple of treatments I could move my arm more than I had in a long time … and within 5 months, I had no symptoms at all.
She suggested that people come at the first signs of pain & problems with movement … if handled right away, it takes less time to heal.
I’ve used accupunture for many other things – including menopause! I’m a believer!!
I swear by Watkins Menthol Camphor ointment, rubbed liberally onto the affected area. I suffered from extremely painful shoulder and joint issues. Physical Therapy helped, as did the cortisone shot (1), but the pain returned. Then, on a fluke, I stopped eating gluten. I’m Scandinavian, one of the 80% who are gluten intolerant. The pain went away. My doctor explained that the bursa sacs in my shoulder and knees were retaining water. Cutting out gluten eliminated the water retention throughout my body. No more pain or stiffness, plus a weight reduction of 7 pounds without making any other dietary changes.
Another thing that helped was changing from a hard mattress to a pillow-top mattress that lets my shoulder sink into softness. I discovered that sleeping on my down leather sofa made the pain and resulting numbness in my arm disappear when I woke. The hard bed was cutting off my circulation.
Another thing that has helped is taking time away from the computer every fifteen minutes to stretch with those green exercise bands my PT gave me. I do a lot of overhead and motion exercises. Also, I changed my office chair and the position of my mouse to rely more heavily on my left (uninjured) hand. I also got a pair of Skechers workout shoes and they force my body into a more upright position and work different muscles. Can’t tell you why, but the new posture loosened me up. I hear clicking in my shoulder where I used to feel binding and pain.
Remember, pain is your body telling you to help it out. Be proactive or the problem will just get worse. Good luck to you. Hope this helped.
Anne Schroeder
http://www.readanneschroeder.com
I work with essential oils, so I would suggest Wintergreen Oil. It is a natural cortisone without the side effects. Wintergreen is good for swelling and inflamation, it also has been known to repair and regenerate bone. I would also add Peppermint oil. Peppermint oil will drive the other oil in deeper and has been known to relieve and repair nerve damage. When using essential oils make sure you are using a theraputic grade oil, not a cheap oil from the local store to insure quick lasting results.
Karen
how do you use wintergreen oil? and would it be helpful to aching hands, as well?
Yes ,it has been known to work well for aching hands and arthritis type symtoms. Essentail oils are very concentrated so you don’t need alot ,for example one drop of peppermint oil is equal to 26 cups of peppermint tea in theraputic value. I would use 4 or 5 drops and massage it into the area of pain once a day or whenever needed. If you would like more info send me your email
Karen
I have been suffering with this since December 09 and finially agreed to do the physical therapy route about 10 days ago .. yes, it is painful but I am already seeing a slight improvement in range of motion .. doing the ice at least 2 x a day. Hopeful that I will accomplish significant improvement over the next 6 to 8 weeks. As a side note, the young lady I am working with at PT ask if I was Diabetic, use colesteral drugs, and my age ??? … all three are risk factors for frozen shoulder/inpingement syndom .. I answered yes to all 3.
Lovetogarden, you are the first that I’ve read of in this exchange to mention diabetes. When I was diagnosed my MD asked about diabetes. I said no because at the time I had not been diagnosed. However, 8 months later I was so he was right on the money but the PT he ordered was ridiculous – it hurt, was expensive and wasn’t effective long term. I later read that a frozen shoulder will heal itself within 18 months – wish I had known then before I wasted all that money.
Chiropractic combined iwth deep tissure massage. I tore both rotator cuffs (falling on ice and catching myself with my arms.) And of course, shoulders froze up. MD said I MUST have surgery, but I went to chiropracter who also did deep massage – now have full range of motion in both shoulders. I can hook my bra and reach all the way back and up my back with both hands.
Took about 8 months. However, friend had surgery for her frozen shoulder and after a year is still having problems. YOu can try it, if it doesn’t work, then the options of cortisone or surgery are still available.
Good luck – I know how horribly uncomfortable it is!
Two words: Acupuncture and Healing Touch (ok, THREE words)…
I had a shoulder injury that started wanting to turn into frozen shoulder, and I went through cortisone shots, shots of Lidocaine (sp?), osteopathy, and all they did was prevent my shoulder from freezing completely, but the mobility was awful, and extremely painful.
I went to an acupuncturist for something unrelated, and at the same time I started seeing a Healing Touch practitioner at our local hospital’s wellness center, for that same issue, unrelated to the shoulder.
Within about a month, maybe five or six weeks, I was in the shower one day and realized I had, without even thinking about it, just raised my arm to shave. I hadn’t been able to do that in a year and a half. Later that day, I grabbed my safety belt in my car, same thing, without even thinking about it, with the (formerly) injured shoulder, and there was no pain at all.
Any residual stiffness was gone within another couple of weeks, and it has never bothered me again. That was a year and a half ago, and I’ve been a believer ever since.
For women only!: DO NOT force (thru rehab or exercises) a frozen shoulder! DO NOT get surgery or take meds or cortizone shots! They don’t work and are a waste of money and cause needless pain. 50 year old frozen shoulder is due to hormone imbalance which causes impingement of the rotator cuff. Excercises done that exacerbate the impingement only cause further injury and excruciating PAIN.
I had both my shoulders freeze up when I began menopause. First the left, for about a year and a half, then the right for about a year. For treatment of the left, I saw a GP who told me to push on his hand with the arm of the affected side. Upon which time, he offered resistence but then suddenly pulled away, causing me such pain I nearly fainted. Apparently my reaction to his little “test” entitled me to physical therapy where basically the same approach prevailed… to stretch and exercise the shoulder. I can’t recall ever experiencing this much pain.. either before or since (and I’ve had 2 children without anesthesia!) I stopped PT after about a month of torture and the frozen shoulder resolved itself over time. Shortly after my left arm felt better, the right one started and seized up completely within a couple of days. Since I had been through this before, I let some time pass before seeking treatment. Saw a different doctor after about 6 months who gave me cortisone shots twice but found they did not provide relief from pain any longer than a couple of days. Thus, I was sent to a different rehab place where they used ultrasound, massage and ice… along with some light stretching and exercise as I improved over time. Within a few months I was feeling better and had nearly complete range of motion again.
After both shoulders have been frozen however, both my arms are not as strong as they were. There is muscle atrophy. Also to note, I have been in menopause for 8 years and am still going strong with hot flashes and night sweats (15-20/day) along with other unpleasant symptoms. My thyroid checks out fine so the docs tell me to take herbs for relief which don’t work. I am left with the feeling that some women suffer more from menopause than others, for some reason. Would be good to know what it is.
Wow! your frozen shoulder experience is amazing. The physio caused that type of pain with me so I stopped going. It was only ages afterwards that Bowen Therapy helped me.
You do mention hormone imbalance in your first paragraph – have you had your hormones checked by a doctor who uses bio-identical hormone therapy? Might be worth exploring in relation to your 8 year long menopause. And get yourself a copy of Suzanne Somers book ‘Breakthrough’ to learn more about bio-identical hormone therapy and many other interesting issues.
Thank you Helen. Yes, my experience was very unpleasant and my menopause continues to be as well. What people sometimes don’t realize, is the extent of how much frozen shoulder affects your life. You cannot raise your arm past a certain level so how you dress, sleep and live is drastically changed. You learn to do everything so that you don’t cause yourself pain. Its like living with your arm in a constant sling. I used to be very active before this happened and became very depressed during this time.
For relief of menopausal symptoms, I have tried oral HRT (Premarin) and also a transdermal patch, with both giving me adverse side affects. One was leg pain and another was a raise in my blood pressure, thus not making this treatment possible.
My doctor recommended bio-similar estrogen foods (like soy) but did not tell me how much or how often to eat/drink these products. Also tried black cohosh, Estroven, special menopausal vitamins (??? clovers, roots, Eastern herbal “cures”..you name it!)… NONE of these had any effect. Have tried, at the advice of friends, progesterone cream, vit B6 supplements, fish oil (my mom reads Prevention magazine), seaweed (in pill form), magnesium…. ALL to no avail. My most recent thing to try is Maca root from Peru. If its not obvious, I am desperate to find relief!!!
I will check out Suzanne Somers book as you suggest but I am skeptical that there is anything to help me.
Hello,
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Karen
Yes I can emphasize about your arm – I could not raise mine to hang out the washing, I did not know where to put it at night so that I could go to sleep. Luckily all that is now back to normal. But I still cannot reach up my back to undo and do-up the bra strap.
You really must see a doctor that does specialize in bio-identical hormones. They will test you to find out precisely what is out of balance and then adjust. The hormones that they provide are natural and will not be toxic to your body like Premarin is. We cannot guess what we need.
Have you had x-ray arthrography or an MRI scan to evaluate your shoulder capsule?
Have the same problem and have found that 200mcgs of selenium really helps.
I was just beginning to learn EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) which is a combination of tapping about 12 acupressure points, along with simple spoken affirmations, when one of my dear friends divulged the pain and suffering she was enduring because of her frozen shoulder which had been getting worse for over a year.
I asked her if she wanted to try something new and kind of weird, and she said yes. I came over and went through the sequence with her twice – and she was moved to tears as her pain nearly left her and she regained about 75% of the use of her arm. She continued to practice the simple process daily for a month or so and regained full use of her arm. Now 18 months later she is still pain free with full mobility.
The results were so astonishing to both of us (and her orthopedic surgeon husband) I continued my studies and practice of EFT in my coaching practice and continue to see consistent and very impressive results. Just google EFT or these days it is often called MTT for Meridian Tapping Technique. There are tons of videos on youtube by all sorts of folks. One of my favorite teachers is Carol Look – she focuses more on emotional and financial well-being, but it’s still the same practice, regardless of the condition.
It may seem too good to be true, but give it a try. It will surprise you; it really can help. Or, more accurately it can help you to help yourself.
Kathryn
One more comment about EFT / MTT – the entire sequence only takes about 2 minutes from beginning to end! Couldn’t be easier.
My My My what a nice series of great solutions for us. I had this disorder and had to deal with it myself as my Internist did not know how to except for pills?
I find I have to stretch my shoulders and kepp them warmed up and not allow air conditoning on them and to not shift my weight to have an inbalance to is effects my balance and shoulder line
It tiook a lot of research and I know many doctors overlook it as serious . It hurst and does interfer with our everyday life. I find that serious! I know things like the Selinium work as well as I upped my personl vitamin and mineral intake to see if it helped me and it did.
So i know think it is a whole series of things that end up in our shoulder frezzing up and not moving for us.
I thinbk what ever helps each =case is great and may have to turn to in the future as I age as “Frozen Shoulder” likes to come back to vist under stressful times
Yhaks to aqll for thie ideas and input on this aggrivating condition.
DLB
My My My what a nice series of great solutions for us. I had this disorder and had to deal with it myself as my Internist did not know how to except for pills?
I find I have to stretch my shoulders and kepp them warmed up and not allow air conditoning on them and to not shift my weight to have an inbalance to is effects my balance and shoulder line
It tiook a lot of research and I know many doctors overlook it as serious . It hurst and does interfer with our everyday life. I find that serious! I know things like the Selinium work as well as I upped my personl vitamin and mineral intake to see if it helped me and it did.
So i know think it is a whole series of things that end up in our shoulder frezzing up and not moving for us.
I thinbk what ever helps each =case is great and may have to turn to in the future as I age as “Frozen Shoulder” likes to come back to vist under stressful times
Yhaks to aqll for thie ideas and input on this aggrivating condition.
DLB
oops The cane is called the” Theracane for those who want it.
DLB