I’m on my second frozen shoulder. The the first was my dominant arm and a bit of a nightmare. This is the other one and so far not as bad. I can still ride my bike pain free on easy trails and the road. I have seen a physio twice and he is confident of the diagnosis. But during consultation he thought I was at the worst point and prescibed stretches.

But its still locking down and getting worse. I think when my first shoulder froze I made it worse by over stretching too much at this stage. So 3 questions

1. If riding my bike doesn’t hurt (or not much) its Ok to do it?

2. My streching should be:

a. Not at all untul it stops hurting
b. Gentle so it doesn’t hurt
c. Vigorous, pull hard to get it moving.

3. You advice is based on?

a. your profesional opinion as a medical practioner or sports coach (please specify profession)
b. your personnal experience of a frozen shoulder
c. Your mates experience, something you heard in the pub or read on the internet
d. Its Singletrack you asked for an opinion it would be rude not to give one

3.d) Microwave slowly using the defrost function. Surely if its frozen stretching will just break it ❓

No really it did make me laugh out loud and laughter is the best medecine

1. You could do but I there’s pain you will probably prolong/worsen phase 1 (the acute I flammatory phase) and your overall recovery timeframe as a result. Sometimes you progress faster by going slower initially…..

2. A. stretch into pain WILL make you worse in phase 1 if it is a true adhesive capsualitis

3. A. Physio (postgrad musculoskeletal) this should be standard Physio advice as per current understanding of the pathology and current clinical practice in specialist shoulder clinics (your Physio needs to review the like of clinical specialist Jo Gibsons work!)

KWIFIZ

that was sort of my thoughts. I think he was just optimistic that i was out of the first bit rather than giving poor avdice. He claimed to have eliminated rotator cuff and enpingement (spelling). Its also just like the righ when it went and that I think was confirmed by 2 consultants

Last night bike ride was 100% pain free. The weekend I realised that I couldn’t push or pull the bars much without pain so it easy trails for me…

I got a frozen shoulder after a broken collar bone and it took months to regain full movement but I do have a family history of them. I’d say start slowly, do the stretches until the movement is tight and before it gets proper painful – it is going to hurt a bit, but probably what doctory types would call ‘discomfort’ 🙂 . Your physio really should be dictating this side of it though.

I think the most important thing is to actually do the exercises and do them regularly, you really need to help yourself with this one. It is a good feeling when it gets further every time and even better when you realise you have your arm all the way up without having to try.

kiwifiz – why on earth would you need to go to a specialist shoulder clinic to see someone who had done a post registration postgraduate msk qualification? Frozen shoulders are amongst the most common conditions that physiotherapists see in any outpatient department up and down the length of the UK.

Ampthill – do your stretches, but dont take them into pain. Do them regularly. If it’s bothering you a lot – get referred to whichever medical (not physio) specialist and see what they suggest.

I’m good on doing things really regularly. As I run through various problems I’ve added stretches. I’ve been on hamstring stretches every night for at least 20 years. 10 O’clock news is my time window. It use to be weights time as well, but not now…

Is regularly more than once per day?

I don’t think Kiwifiz was sugesting I needed a specilaist. I think he sugested that my physio might review the work of a specialist

Regular is however often you want to do your stretches. Anyway – frozen shoulders pretty much sort themselves out given time – most of the time. Just be careful that you dont do too many adapted movements that lead to further imbalances and muscle shortening and you’ll be fine.

Thanks glupton

the best news is that the other shoulder is 100% fine for all activities without any intervention. The only remnant is that i can’t quite reach up my back as far as i could

Glumpton……..you have misread. Ampthill asks in question 3 what background you had if you were replying. I answered with a no 3 in front with my mackground, not a qualms recomendation. Yes, any Physio should be capable of dealing with this problem.

Mrsmidlife had one last year. She had physio in phase 1. There was a fair bit of massage and manipulation, but not into painful stretching. She had surgery once it hit phase 2. It was on Radio 4 last night, right in the last five minutes of this prog.

iPlayer

Don’t know if I really know what a frozen shoulder is, but I’ve had very painful episodes of neck/shoulder pain, spasms/lock-ups that last from a few days to a week and more.

I found a good osteopath who really helped. I try and keep up on the exercises he told me to do (stretches to keep my upper spine limber and mobile, taking the strain off the muscles around the 2 vertebrae at the neck/shoulder joint) if I don’t, and I’m stressed, lazy with posture at my desk and on the bike combined with lots of miles, I get it back again. I’m not a big painkillers man, but ibuprofen is the business at taking the tension out and allowing the muscles to relax and heal. Only takes a few doses, pain subsides, then I get back on the exercises!

Kiwifiz – fair enough I misread your reply. Can I ask what your postgrad msk qualification is and whethere or not it’s any good. I am considering going down the MACP post grad route. It’s glupton btw, not glumpton, although today I am quite glum as I’m just back from a funeral.

Midlife crisis

I’m not sure I quite fit the description in the radio show.

I remain optimistic of recovery without surgery. Its the second thing I’ve heard on radio 4 about this. hen I got to a surgeon last time he was still keen on the rench it hard under anaesthetic approach

nedrapier sounds like you’ve had thorasic joint problems. Frozen is the ball joint of the shoulder clamping down and causing pain and restricting movement

ampthill. I’ve had good improvements in range of movement in patients who’ve had frozen shoulders by doing thoracic spine mobilisations on them. Maybe suggest that to a physio if you go and see one.

Interesting. The physio and I had agrred that we wouldn’t work on the frozen joint. But I sort of crave the muscles around the joints being loosened.

I’ll see how it goes and maybe look in the piggy bank

If you’re up in Edinburgh any time give me a shout and I’ll sort you out with some free treatment.

I had a lot of physio to try to get my shoulder moving again after an op, it started gently and went on until it was so brutal I actually had tears rolling down my cheeks. None of it worked though, a steroid injection did the job nicely!

glupton1976….drop me an email (in profile) and I’ll happily give you some PG info/thoughts…..

Ampthill……nothing wrong with getting massage/trigger points done for the symptomatic surrounding muscles….usually really helpful for some relief without upsetting the capsular inflammatory process. glupton1976 thoracic mobilisation suggestion a good one too as stiff/rounded middle back can really mess with shoulder blade/shoulder biomechanics…helps indirectly calm down pain sensitivity too.

I have to say that 2 evenings of keeping the stretching gentle and I’m feeling way more confident. Muchless pain and not really much lees movement. I’ve been trying 3 lots 20 seconds and eezing it gently further each time. So thanks to all those who chipped in

Tuesday night I was thinking i better lay off the bike. Tonight I did a really quick blastt on the road and it seemed fine.

<truestory, honest> I worked with a guy who had a frozen shoulder

his name was Jim Lamb

we took the p1ss mercilessly