I was wondering out of everyone on forum that had or has frozen shoulder and lost external rotation almost completely! So if I have my hands at my side and bend at the elbow my arm goes into a sling like position! If say I were to try to lay down and try to tough the back of my hand to the ground it just stays straight up, it can't fall or move externally at all? Is this what everyone is experiencing!
Hi allison, you are the first person i have seen post about this. I have exactly the same problem, no external rotation. I broke my humerus 8 months ago and had two surgeries in five days. I had a labral tear and severed subscapularis tendon due to the lesser tuberosity avulsion fracture. My arm was stuck in sling position at about -45 degrees for about 3 months. I finally got it out to neutral but it stil does t go beyond. I have done intense therapy for 8 months. I have good motikn in all other directions so i can raise my arm straight overhead snd behind back but it hurts to do anything requiring rotation of the arm like driving. Im having surgery again in five days to release the capsule. I dont know if its frozen shoulder or not. The surgeon wont know until he gets in there. It is very limiting and dysfunctional to have no external rotation. U should def see a specialist if you havent already
Ok so I'm not alone! I also had surgery for labrum, bicep and bone shaving six months ago! I was only in a sling 3 weeks but my arm has never moved since surgery! I did the pt, cortizone, high doses of oral steroids, dyna splint and still nothing'. I scheduled for the capsular release surgery on nov 30th but I wanted to get a couple of opinion on whether to do surgery or wait it out! I saw a surgeon on thurs and when he saw my labrum repair he said that as a surgeon he would have never put the Ancors that our now holing my labrum closed in! He said there should be a small hole and most people have it and my surgeon anchored it and he believed that why I have lost of movement not just frozen shoulder! Because like you I could lift my arm up if someone forced it but my external is just stuck! I have another surgeon up in la that I am having look at it on Monday! Neither of these drs take my Insurance so I am stuck using the original dr! But if this guy says the same thing and it's the labrum anchors prohibiting the movement it's a little scary to go back under with him!!! So I feel very confused on my next move! You could have the same problem the anchors in you labrum might be the culprit):
Yes this is common for frozen shoulder. Im 15 months into FS and am finally past the frozen stage. There is also good information on Facebook under the frozen shoulder friends good. One lady posted a picture of herself lying down showing how she couldn't get the arm to externally rotate to touch the floor like her other one. I tried it myself and it was the same for me. How odd that I never noticed! My daughter also mentioned that by shoulder blade on the FS side was really popped out. Turns out I now have a winged scapula. Try to exercise that arm to keep your bicep muscles from shrinking. It's a mess of things that show up from this. Good luck.
Hi! Allison No I am not having those symptoms.. I cannot move my arm over my head, acroos my body, or behind my back. I am scheduled for Manipulation procedure next week. This has been going on most of this year. I had the same problem with my right shoulder but after 2 years if cleared on its own, I went to my orthopedic doctor when my left started hurting because the pain was worse then when my rt shoulder was frozen. I did PT, had corisone shots, no relief my PT therapist said not progressing so good candidate for the manipulation porcedure. So here I sit waiting until next Tuesday......
Hi Alison,
in my case for capsular release a Xiaflex injection helped give back full ROM.
XIAFLEX HAS BEEN RECIENTLY APPROVED TO TREAT FS. It's a protien that only disolves the material in the capsule causing the restrictions for movement. See Google.
After a few weeks back to the doctor for mannipulation. Then splinting and Physio
The trick is to find a specialist who is trained to use Xiaflex.
Sorry alison I can't help you my frozen shoulder was in 2008 and by 2009 it came up but good luck as I know it is painful.
Hi Allison,
I had capsular release surgery yesterday. The dr said my labrum was healed great with no new tears. He said I had a tonne of scar tissue in the front where I had the injury trauma (lesser tuberosity and sunscapularis). So he cleaned that out and told me he was able to rotate my arm to 70deg. I am cautiously optimistic though, as it is still extremely painful for me to try to rotate my arm out. I thought it would naturally go out at least 15-20 dog after surgery but I am stiffened up like crazy today and list half the ROM I had before surgery. It is going to be very painful to get it going again but I am determined. I really hope the surgery made a difference but it's too early fir me to tell. What did your other surgical consult say?
That should say degrees not dog! I also meant to say I felt a lot of pain after surgery like the pain I felt when people would try to externally rotate my arm. But the day after surgery is a lot less painful. I may not need painkillers for more than a few days I hope. However I expect it is going to be excruciating for many weeks trying to force the external rotation to progress,
Well he basically diagnosed me with extreme bad luck😂😂. Anyway I'm going for the surgery on the 30th but my dr will look closely at the repair to make sure there are no issues before manipulating it! I'm glad you are doing ok! Hopefully things will get less painful for both of us! I'm leaving for a week in Mexico that was planned and paid for way before all this just going to suck it up😳. But will nice to spend some time with kids that are off for thankgiving week from college! Hope you have a good week and hoping for less pain for you! I will check in with you when I get back😊
I hope you had a nice trip! I am 1-week postop capsular release now. I stopped pain killers after four days but started again on day 7 as I was finding too much pain after therapy sessions. I can get my arm out about 10-15 deg actively and 35or so passively by the therapist but it hurts pretty badly! I have improvements in other ways like full 180 abduction and full forward flexion. It still hurts to get my arms behind my head. I am stretching about every 2.5-3 hours. Seeing my surgeon on Monday! I'm keeping up hope but it's def less flexible than I had been hoping.
I hope your progress continues! I'm crazy scared for my upcoming surgery! Hope it's a quick recovery
Hi I had my surgery on Wednesday wanted to see how you are professing?
Hi alison, I am 18-days postop now, and I still don't really have very much external rotation, unfortunately! I had no pain in the first week (although had been taking pain killers)... but in the 2nd week I got a tonne of pain that was waking me up at least once a night. I have been pushing through all the exercises like the pole, etc... and it is extremely painful to push the rotation outwards. I do them about 4 times a day and ice afterwards. I have seen a manual therapist 5 days a week who does deep tissue release and stretching. I feel that I have about 10-15% better rotation than I had prior to the surgery, but certainly not what I was hoping. I saw an osteopath this morning who was trying to figure out where I have the blockage. It seems to be in the posterior capsule (which is where my labrum was torn). It is pretty frustrating. But overall I am doing good surgery-wise. I started driving at 7 days, and I could get my hair into a pony tail around a week or so as well. I have not started strength training yet but try to go to the hot tub and pool every 2nd day. I started running 5km at 1 week also. Now that I am in week 3 the pain seems to be subsiding again. I have a feeling it is going to be up and down!! I have pretty good forward flexion, full abduction (arm out to the side on teh floor, although a bit of a painful stretch), but only about 20degrees external rotation (and very painful at that). I have pretty good internal rotation, I can reach up past mid-back but it's still not 100%.
How have you been ?
I am at day 6 I have been doing the exercise but I never was able to achieve full rom after surgery despite my effort! I can put my arm over my head laying down but not all the way maybe 6 inches off floor? I can get my arm just across my lower back and yes external is the worst I lay on the floor and try to make the stop position but it's about 8-10 inches from touching ground! I feel better overall like I don't have frozen shoulder! But in worried I didn't get enough movement in the first few days and now it's too late? I am going to my 5th pt apt today they say I'm doing great but I don't think they have any clue! I see a different person everyday so there is no set plan or goals! I feel like I'm missed my window??? Did you feel like you are making progress or losing what you got from surgery? My surgeon was so set that he got full range of motion while I was under and that it was my job to keep it and that's what he told my husband so now I just feel like I failed?
I do not have the strength to life my arms over my heading standing up so I can't do a ponytail! I could probably do one laying down?
Dara, how are you doing after your mua?
I don't think you have lost your window yet. I couldn't raise my arm up over my head for at least a week. The dr said the surgery is like having a hematoma that needs to recede over 4-6 weeks so I think 6 weeks is the real guide. How painful is it for you to try to externally rotate while lying down? And where do you feel pain when you try to do the stop position on the floor? I.e, external rotation in abduction. When I do this my arm is 6 inches off the floor and making no real improvement. I feel intense pain at the back /side I.e posterior shoulder capsule. I am very frustrated. I think I may have something else going on than adhesive capsulitis
Hi Alison, how are you doing now, are you seeing any movement in external rotation? I am Day 24 now, and external rotation still hurts INCREDIBLY... but I push through it as much as I can and I'm seeing a little bit of progress (although still painful all the way). I am getting much better internal rotation, I do the behind-the-back after doing external rotation exercies, and the behind-theback seems to actually take away the pain I felt from ER... kind of an opposite-reaction to 'undo' the pain, I guess! I have fulll forward flexion (arm up over head) (but still a bit painful)... nothing seems to be pain free yet, and I wake up around 4am every night in a bit of pain. I get up, do a bunch of stretching exercises, someetimes use the tens machine and go back to sleep for a few more hours. I'm on Tylenol and Advil pretty regularly throughout the day. It is definitely more work and pain than I was expecting. No easy way out I guess!! I did measure my 'stop' position (External rotation in abduction) on the floor, and I seem to have moved from 6 inches above the floor to 4 inches.... but obviously still painful.
Hi thanks for updating me on your progress day 12 for me! I am seeing improvements I think my weakness is what I'm struggling with I can get my arm almost all the way up while laying down but standing and doing it on my own is totally different! I just don't have the muscle! I see my surgeon tomorrow and get stitches out and hopefully she'll have some opinion if my progress seems normal! Keep in touch! Hope you continue to make progress!