My Frozen Shoulder: One Year Later

This time last year I was recovering from a Manipulation Under Anesthesia with the hopes of unsticking my shoulder. I'd been dealing with pain from a torn rotator cuff since the Summer of 2016. The pain got worse and worse until it eventually froze in August 2017. In September I was diagnosed with Adhesive Capsulitis. When I say it froze, I quite literally mean that my shoulder joint froze. At it's worst, I could barely lift my arm enough to get a razor in to shave my arm pit. I could not lift my arm fully above my head or extend the angle of shoulder open past 90 degrees. I don't think I fully realized how much I needed my shoulder to rotate on ball and socket, until I lost my ability to do so. The human body is amazing and it was especially designed that way for a reason.

I'd been into orthopedics, had an MRI, and was doing physical therapy for a torn rotator cuff, but that didn't stop my shoulder from freezing. I quit physical therapy when I was advised it probably wouldn't help. We monitored the progress for three months and then I was recommended for surgery. I had a tough decision to make. I could do nothing and live with it in hopes that it would thaw out over the next few years or so. Yes. Years! Or, I could undergo a manipulation with possible arthroscopic surgery to cut the tissue if moving my arm to break tissue wasn't enough. There were no guarantees of a full recovery with or without medical intervention. After two years of being in pain every single day, and having a shoulder that didn't function properly I was fed up.

I underwent shoulder Manipulation Under Anesthesia on June 5th 2018. I went home in an arm sling, because my arm was paralyzed from my shoulder to my fingertips due to a nerve block. I started to get some feeling back that night. When I woke up the next morning I experienced more pain than I had in a long time. I nearly passed out in the middle of breakfast. It felt like five steps backwards to be in that much pain again. I could hardly believe I was expected to do physical therapy the day after.

Physical Therapy was pretty tough, but I was really committed to seeing this thing through. I didn't want the procedure to be pointless. I had to put in the work at home too, but the office visits were extremely beneficial to measure progress, keep me on track, check my form, and change exercises as needed. I had a favorite therapist who was very hands on with pushing my shoulder through range of motion and applying pressure to release tension in sticky areas that were still causing me pain. I really liked it that she didn't just sit there and watch me do the exercises. The first two months were the hardest. I was so sore after PT, but I got so much out of each visit. There were some weeks where I didn't make much progress from one visit to the next and even a few where it felt like I regressed, but over time range of motion and pain levels were improving. I continued physical therapy appointments once a week for four months and made time to do physical therapy at home four times per day. Before work, during work, after work and before bed.

I tried to be patient with myself, but there were times when I got really discouraged. Some days it felt like there was no way I would ever regain full mobility. Three big milestones made me believe it was possible. In August, at nine weeks post manipulation I finally had my first pain free physical therapy appointment. That didn't last, because they usually added in additional weight or exercises every time I went in, but it made me so hopeful about being totally pain free one day. That was a huge step but, I was still really bothered by the position of my shoulder. Before my shoulder froze when I put both hands on my hips my elbows pointed outwards. It's not even something I gave much thought to until I couldn't do it anymore. After my right shoulder froze, I noticed that my right elbow pointed backwards. No amount of pushing changed the position of my shoulder because my shoulder capsule had thickened and formed scar tissue restricting movement. The MUA was meant to jerk my arm around enough in different directions hard enough to break up that tissue. Thankfully, they did not have to go in and cut any extra. It was worrisome to me that after the manipulation and all those exercises my shoulder was still stuck in that same position. I mentioned it at my 8 week Orthopedic follow up. He didn't say much about it. I was a little bit bummed out, and figured maybe that's how it would stay, but at ten weeks it finally shifted. It was almost like it happened over night. One day it was in that stuck position and the next I could point my elbow sideways. The other milestone that gave me hope is when that really sharp painful pinch across my shoulder when doing overhead exercises went away at week ten. It hurt so bad when my PT applied pressure to massage that area, but I wanted her to keep doing it because I could tell it was making a big difference. I was just hoping to be able to do yoga one day, but after my progress in week ten I actually believed I might be able to do a handstand again. Maybe I could recover 100%.

I continued going to physical therapy once a week from June through September. I am so grateful for amazing insurance that afforded all of this wonderful treatment with no no co-pays, and flexible job enough job that allowed it. At my last appointment in September I felt ready to continue at home on my own and come back in four weeks. My last in office physical therapy appointment was at the end of October. By this time I was down to three times per day at home. Most days. I did something every day, but when I traveled or when we we moved, sometimes I just had to skip it. Keeping up with it for so long was exhausting, but I did my best to stick with it through December.

Finally. Six months later, my shoulder felt normal. I spent mid January-February doing Yoga with Adrienne, just to get back into it. I had not been able to do yoga in so long! It was amazing to feel my shoulder twisting, reaching, and  turning in all directions without pain. After thirty days of yoga I went for it. I tried my first handstand at the end of February. No pain! I was super wobbly at first, but eventually I was able to balance for an extended time like I used to. My back flexibility was shot, and I can definitely feel a difference from my left shoulder to right shoulder, but I was even able to lift up into a bridge pose.

One year later.

I have aches and pains here and there. Sometimes it snap crackle pops. It makes a gross crunching/tearing sound when I reach across to turn off my bedside lamp at night. If I do handstands, bridges or work my arms one day, I may experience some passive aching on and off for a day or two, but it's nothing like the pain I used to deal with daily. I'm thrilled that I can do push-ups again, and workouts that include my arms, but arm focused circuits are a no go. For some reason, I have naturally toned arms. They're fine so, I'm not pushing my luck. I am okay with knowing that I'm probably capable of a full arm workout, but not doing it. Most importantly I love being able to do full body workouts without all the restrictions I had before. I'm finding that I still need to do stretching and strength exercises to maintain mobility and stay pain free, so I try to do that alongside regular workouts. Thus far, I have not lost any of the mobility I gained. My right shoulder is not in the same condition as my left shoulder, and there is a good chance it never will be. Of course I wish that this bizarre thing had never happened, but it did. I'm super happy with the progress I've made so I can live with the fact that it may never be like it used to be. I don't have any regrets about my decision.