Does anyone else think there is a link between stress and frozen shoulder, or is it just coincidence that the last 6 months have been extremely stressful and for four of those I have suffered with a stiff painful shoulder that has recently been diagnosed as FS ?
Yes, ABSOLUTELY for me! I was healthy young woman until I experienced enormous stress at work for quite some time and the next thing I know, this FS hit me out of the blue one day and life as I knew it changed. I believe stress hormones play a big part. I have since recovered, but I have to say it was the worst physical/mental experience of my life! Take care as I have enormous sympathy for any one going through this.
Hi to all,
I dunno because my other shoulder is playing up now so not got a clue.
Dolphin500
I've read too many stories here about FS sufferers getting it again with the same or other shoulder, so I hang from a bar every day for just a few seconds which is believed to prevent this god forsaken condition from coming back.
In a word....Yes.
I still have some lingering effects of the horrific and nightmarish "Frozen Shoulder" or Adhesive Caps as I call it sometimes.
I went through a period of profound stress...almost a season in Hell and during the course of this period my arm began to exhibit bizarre and painful symptoms along with the classic loss of movement.
With the myriad horrors going on in my life the arm seemed then seemed an almost minor nightmare or petite nightmare.
But, after a few months the petite nightmare had become a virtual "Frankenstein's Monster" of pain and suffering.
I do not have diabetes, I am not a female, no health problems ever and in great shape and svelte as well. I had no injury preceeding or ever in the arm afflicted.
So, Cindy, Yes is the my answer to your question. Stress and the stress hormones released unquestionably are a contributing factor.
At the risk of sounding sexist but without the ubiquitous "P.C." pansy fears that most are now evincing in public---The fact that about 70% of those afflicted are females should point even a hasty observer towards the conclusion that there is a hormonal component to the condition.
Females are profoundly "hormonal creatures" (not a negative concept by the by) and are known to have bodies, minds and lives largely governed by hormonal factors.
For the record...my case was prima facie mystifying to my surgeons because I fit none of the known risk factors for Adhesive Caps.
I also do not drink, do not use drugs, do not take any meds, do not smoke, do not eat fast food, do not live la vita loca and I take super great care of myself along with a super great diet.
The only thing that could explain my case is Stress, and the hormones from stress as causal for the nightmarish case of Frozen Shoulder that I was hit with and that still continues going on 3 years later.
I would say that my case is still about 10 to 20 percent "bad" and that I have recovered about 80 percent of the way it was prior to the onset.
I hope this helps Cindy...you have my empathy and hope for your recovery.
By the by there is no "easy way out" of this despite all the palaver about various "fixes". There is no real magic pill or silver bullet. Some folks have success with the Manipulation under Anesthesia but beyond that you will have to stretch and hang and pull and be pulled and stretched by P.T. folks and just "Grin and Bear It".
Bobby in The United States of America
No i do t think its stress related, i wouldnt say im a stressy person or suffered stress i am fairlybor was fairly active bit not now with this to painful i spent 14 years heavy lifting lsst 5 doing repetative over stretching for hours on end thats caused mine
X
Ha! Love this description of females! Ha!! Your post made me smile Bobby!
Signing off as one hormaonal menopausal woman!
....and yes I think it could be connected to stress, hormones or just being an "out there, go get it person" Normally grabbing life with both hands - now limiting it to just the one!
Thanks for reply, I am convinced it is stress related and yes probably hormonal as it does seem to effect mainly women of a certain age😳.i am pleased to hear you have recovered , how long did it take? Did anything help with the hellish pain?
I have read some of the treatments that people are going through on hear and it quite frankly terrifies me.
Oh. No Irene I'm sorry to hear that , and to be honest that's a fear of mine to... My other shoulder is aching but I'm hoping it's just down to overuse at the moment ..,
Yes Cindy. I think you could be on to something there. I have had a very stressful life changing year and I often wonder is my frozen shoulder a result of this. My physiotherapist who is excellent by the way, has a theory that we carry our stress in our left shoulder. I feel that she is right.
Thanks Jennifer that made me smile 😊 I probably wouldn't of been able to hang from a bar prior to this God forsaken condition let alone after its all over , but I will bear that in mind ,,,
Cindy
Hi Bobby thank you for taking the time to write your lengthy reply it did make me chuckle 😀. Yes we are hormonal creatures!!
I do strongly believe it is a stress related condition, as like you I keep myself trim, I eat well ; avoiding processed foods etc I do not smoke and only drink on occasions. I probably do not exercise enough (and most certainly couldn't at the moment). I'm sorry to hear you are still suffering as I had hoped that due to my lifestyle I would come through this nightmare fairly quickly , but that sounds like that may now not be the case😤...
I am trying out some reiki natural healing to see if that eases the symptoms , but yes I believe you are right, the process has to be worked through; it can not be stopped or changed (just eased) . The thought of having any kind of surgery absolutely terrifies me , so I will be avoiding that at all costs..I am only 4 months in at the moment though... If it carries on past the year I will probably be begging for surgery..
I am trying to remain positive, what doesn't kill me will only make me stronger ...
Cindy
Hi Teresa
Thank you it was just a Theory of mine so I thought I would throw it out there, it certainly made sense to me; but the doctor did not want to commit to that.; although they do not know exactly what causes this awful condition? There is so much information out that; which can be mind boggling conflicting which most certainly does not help😳. I obviously carried my stress in my right shoulder though .
Good luck with yours Teresa hope all is well soon
Gambarimasu Cindy san!
Joyful to have spread some mirth to you and others re my insight/views/intuition on hormones, stress and the odious "Frozen Shoulder" malady.
My view regarding hormones and stress hormones do not preclude or disallow the reality that males (not a news flash!) also have hormones! (who knew?) and that we (manopausal males) are also subject to increased levels of hormones and hormonal changes.
My view (as stated prior) is that there is most likely a Hormonal "COMPONENT" to the malady of Adhesive Caps aka "Frozen Shoulder".
I defy anyone to explain rationally why 70% of cases afflict women? I could be ironic and jocular and mirthful and say perhaps "bras" are the culprit?
Alas, no, whether modernity and the secular humanistic culture likes it or not all homo sapiens have hormonal causal factors in our lives both good and bad. Sometimes the hormones get out of sync or imbalanced with too many bad hormones or too few good ones.
That males have more muscle mass (on average) and that females nurse babies from mammary glands are undeniable facts of life.
Calling this to the fore and mentioning such is not a denigration of males or females.
The problem is that secular humanists and angry people want to "play pretend" that the two sexes are the same when it fits their goals and agenda.
"Cafeteria thinking" is deeply flawed and is employed by those who "game" discussions to "fit" their "play pretend" outcomes.
Again, any reasonable and intelligent theories that explain why 70% percent of cases of "Frozen Shoulder" afflict females would be welcome for discussion here and in research hospitals around the world. So, to the carpers, nattering nabobs and critics--bring on rational theories or even reasonable conjecture.
In short or (pardon the dark pun) to encapsulate...There is most likely a Hormonal "COMPONENT" to the dread malady and Stress creates bizaree Hormonal imbalances in the human body.
The imbalanced hormones "may be" a causal factor and there may be a hormonal component to the affliction.
Bold type is easier on the eyes...I don't want "Frozen eye" to afflict me.
No easy remedy for Adhesive Caps beyond possibly "manipulation under anesthesia". Outside of that remedy effort one must stretch, pull and tear the hideous Adhesions until the arm is allowed to move normally.
I am a male and I most likely had a "hormonal imbalance" due to some degree of "Manopause" (around 50) and due to stress "Hormones".
Sincere best to you Cindy with the malady you have been afflicted with.
I can suggest C.S. Lewis' phenomenal tome "The Problem of Pain" as a help to you and the works of Albert Schweitzer (the great protestant preacher medical doctor/musician.
John Henry Cardinal Newman's works are great (your countryman like Lewis) but some of it is erudite and will require effort to follow.
Gambarimasu desu yo!
Bobby
I believe there are two types of FS, those brought on by physical injury and those like me who developed from stress hormones. That said, for some reason my surgeon said there wasn't enough scar tissue built up to warrant surgery. I was devastated at the news because I believed that would fix me, now I feel incredibly lucky so to speak because it made me find a better fix which I am reluctant to share because I don't think it is available to many. Reading these posts made me feel like I wasn't crazy and I went to town on research. I read everything I could and slowly started hanging and when I started, I didn't think I'd ever get there as it is an extremely tedious, slow and painful process. In addition, I found a chiropractor who invented a tool that is somewhat like a drill that he would use to break up the scar tissue followed by chiropractic adjustments, extreme massage therapy, corrective exercise therapy followed by accupuncture. After suffering from working and going to physical therapy for 4 months, I finally took a leave from work for 3 months and started the regimen above with 7 to 9 appointments a week and by God, I was able beat it proving my surgeon wrong who told me to find a good pychiatrist and anti depressants because it was going to be a very dark 8 months ahead of me. Thank God I did not listen to him!
Thank you and good luck.
If you look back through posts on Patient and other well known medical sites regarding the causes of Frozen Shoulders you will find the following.
Lack of use, overuse, poor biomechanics, autoimmune disease, trauma, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, calcific tendonitis, heart disease, stroke, tendonitis, lack of vitamin D and or B12, unfrienly gut bacteria. post operation wounds and now stress. Most interesting is that Duputrens contracture, pyrones disease and ledderhose's (plantar fibromatosis) were said to cause frozen shoulder. These three conditions and frozen shoulder run in the same families it seems. If you search for pathology of these conditions the cell changes are the same and or similar for all four. I cannot find references for similar finding for the other aforementioned causes or conditions.
Another interesting thought is that FS is only between 40 to 60 years and that nearly all the aforementioned can happen at any age but don't cause FS fom 0 to 39 or 61 to 100.
No stress here - but lack of hormones, due to cutting down on HRT, yes! Having a badly frozen shoulder is itself stressful! Mine was apparantly a classic primary frozen shoulder - i.e. no known cause - and not a secondary frozen shoulder after some sort of injury. My consultant brushed off the hormone theory - but I am not entirely convinced. My personal thought is that it isn't necessarily caused by lack of hormones but that lack gives us less chance of fighting off whatever does cause it in the first place. Joint aches and pains are a known symptom at menopause and oestrogen has a role in maintaining collagen, which is what the shoulder capsule is made up from (and males have oestrogen too). Frozen shoulder does occur in both sexes and other age groups but there is a definite spike in numbers in 40-60 year old females. Maybe stress hormones have a similar effect - I don't know and haven't heard this idea before. As no-one knows for certain, I wouldn't put down any (sensible) theory.
For me, hydrodilatation appears to have done the trick - two months on from the treatment I am pain free and regaining movement. Some studies have compared hydrodilatation and MUA and found the former is at least as effective but with less complications. The "no pain no gain" tearing physio that seems to be favoured in the US does not seem to be in favour in the UK (and I suspect not in Australia?). Doctors and physios here have both told me to stop when it hurts - gentle stretching was what was recommended. It doesn't make sense to me to tear at aleady inflamed and painful tissues and I fear it may prolong natural healing - I know if I overdid excercises it set me back.
Good luck Cindy - despite differences in approach to treatment, we all know what you are going though. It's easy to be very negative but I think most recover eventually - including people who have had no treatment at all.
I've been doing a lot of reading about stress and its impacts on the body. I think mental, emotional, or physical stress impairs the function of the adrenal gland. This causes fatigue among other symptoms. Adrenal stress along with nerve compression and/or lower neck disc pathology make the body more susceptible to developing frozen shoulder. Then all it takes it one shoulder strain or injury to set in motion the inflammation which leads to frozen shoulder.
So sorry everyone here has FS! YES, I also was going through an extremly stressful time and then..for no reason, the FS got me about six months ago. I am 40 and have had type 2 Diabetes for 20 years. My understand is that FS is a complication, but I firmly belive this was partly stress induced this painful FS-jerk lol.
Guess we all are being forced to slow down.