El Gigante

This may be a bit off topic, (isn't there an "aches and pains" subforum somewhere on the Fifty Plus forum?), but thought I'd run it by you guys.

I recovering from a condition in my left shoulder called adhesive capsulitis, (aka "Frozen Shoulder"), which limits the range of motion and rotation of the shoulder joint. Basically, I'm able to raise my arm to about 140 degrees from my side, (full range is 180 degrees), and can't raise my hand much above waist level when I put it behind my back. The good news is that I've found a great physical therapist and am making good strides towards getting most of the range back, and can do normal activities more or less, pain free. The bad news is that frozen shoulders take a LONG time to completely recover from.

I commute via multi-modal transportation, with the bike portion of my commute totalling about 16 miles per day round trip, with a weekly 22 mile one way ride thrown in for variety. Nothing fancy about the bike - a Spesh Tricross Comp with a compact crank, rack and panniers. Since I'm leaning forward and not raising my arm when I ride, I don't have any pain in my shoulder on the bike or immediately off of it. I'm wondering if I may be hindering my recovery though, even though it doesn't bother me to ride as much as I do.

My question to the group is whether or not anyone has ever had adhesive capsulitis in the shoulder and if they still rode? Do you think it helped or hurt your recovery, and was there any exercise or movement you performed that really seemed to help build strength and range of motion in your shoulder. Thanks for the feedback!!

Looigi

First ask your doc and/or PT...then for laughs ask BF. That said, IMO, cycling doesn't help, and it doesn't hurt your recovery as long as you keep up with your PT prescribed stretches and exercises.

Dudelsack 

No need to be shy. This forum is Ache and Pain Central.

I would do what your therapist advises.

badger1

^^^^ This

I've had/have same condition ('member, this is 'Ache and Pain Central') along with all sorts of other issues.

Your p/t is your best guide, but fwiw ... my experience has been (confirmed by my p/t, who is also a cycling coach, working at my university's sports med. clinic) that cycling in/of itself won't help or hinder recovery from this particular ache and pain provided one's bike fit is more or less 'on'. It does resolve over time (or did, in my case, for the most part) if one follows the prescribed exercises etc.

ro-monster

I had adhesive capsulitis, but mine was a complication following surgery to repair a severely broken humerus. I was basically immobilized for 2 months and formed so much scar tissue that PT could only restore a small fraction of my normal range of motion. After a second surgery to remove most of the scarring, I had another round of PT with much better results. I rode my bike as soon as I was able to do it, but that was nearly a year after my injury. My orthopedist told me that no matter how much pain I put myself through, I couldn't damage my normal tissues. It took about 2 years of stretching to regain my range of motion though.

ncbikers

I had a “frozen shoulder” not caused by surgery or any other know problem a few years back. Interestingly enough I was able to paddle a kayak at the time without it bothering my shoulder. There were many scary stories at that time about things Doctors had “tried” to help with the problem. My Dr. recommended the PT route. I was making what seemed to me to be very slow progress with the PT. I seemed to be able to get it to loosen up a little during the day but it would tighten up again at night.

The thought I had was I must be doing something that was bothering my shoulder and I started going through my day looking for what it was. The only thing I could find that even touched my shoulder was I always slept at night on that shoulder. It didn’t sound like much but I started sleeping in different positions and not in my normal position at all. It was hard the first night because I was use to sleeping on that shoulder but I worked at it. In a couple of days my shoulder started to feel better and in 2 weeks I was back to almost normal.

At one point I started to sleep ONLY on my other shoulder and it started to develop the same pain. It has been several years now and if I sleep only on that shoulder for a few nights the pain starts coming back. I can sleep on that shoulder now by changing the position just a little like leaning a little back or forward.


My question to you is: Do you always sleep in the same position on that shoulder ?

Good luck. Please report back.

El Gigante

Thanks for the quick replies everyone. Common logic would say to follow your PT's advice and that is what I tend to do. The shoulder has been "frozen" for about 6 months or so, and it has been coming along, although progress has been slow. Like ncbikers, it seems to loosen up during the day and then stiffens again at night, and one of the first things I changed was my sleeping position. I sleep on my right side almost exclusively now, and that does help. My therapist also advised to keep my arm supported by a pillow or towel, as anything you do that tends to pull on the joint is what causes the pain.

I did ride in to work this morning, and the shoulder felt fine. I have a PT appointment tomorrow so I'll see what the therapist has to say.

BTW - the winds in SoCal would give Chicago a run for their money today. Lots of downed limbs and trees on the bike path, and most of the lights on Broadway going through Chinatown were out.

Terex

This. But unlike Badger, it's unlikely that your PT will have a clue re your riding question. I had the condition and continued to ride a couple hundred miles a week. My shoulder just wasn't an issue. Now putting down the convertible top on my Mazda Miata while seated in the front seat - THAT was an issue! You don't try it more than once....

stapfam

Frozen shoulder--I had it 12 years ago and it hurt. Prescribed PT by the doc and the centre was 3 miles from home. Rode there 3 days aweek for 2 weeks and it was cured. I was told to exercise the shoulder as much as possible but if it hurt- Don't do it. I never asked about cycling but as I was turning up in my cycling clothes- I think they guessed.

I have had a couple of occasions since when it started to come back and I did the exercises they had me doing when I first got it and it never developed in the painfull kind. But take care and only do what the pain will allow.

AzTallRider

I had a frozen shoulder 9 years ago. It was brought about by some very slight trauma followed by inactivity. I tried the chiropractic route, and he just couldn't create any significant improvement. I finally saw an orthopedic surgeon know for his should work on athletes, including MLB pitchers. He performed a manipulation under general anesthesia, followed up by lots of PT, which is needed to keep the shoulder from freezing back up after the manipulation breaks it loose. Prior to the manipulation, I had gotten so I couldn't imagine lifting my shoulder past a certain point. Just the thought of it was painful. Post manipulation, the PT was extremely painful. I took Vicodin prior to each session. But the manipulation and PT worked. I'm cured.

I know, however, that were I too once again become sedentary, I would risk the shoulder freezing up again. One of the very many reasons exercise is good for you. Cycling has made me overall much more flexible.

On the "follow your PT's instructions thing". Neither PTs nor Doctors are infallible, and they tend to advocate extremely conservative approaches to stressing anything that is injured or even irritated. My wife is a PT, and when I have an issue, her immediate response is to rest it. But that isn't always best. Sometimes you need to work through discomfort to strengthen something and thus end the discomfort. We each need to learn our bodies and accept responsibility for doing what is best for it, using all the information and advice available to us. Including, of course, the doctors and PTs. A frozen shoulder is serious, and a manipulation is like non-invasize surgery. It's extreme. Best advice I have is to see a sports-oriented ortho physician.

Phil85207

I learn more stuff here. Adhesive capsulitis? Thank God I never heard of it. Hope your recovery is quick and painless. Good luck .

doctordan

After a year of 'conservative' therapy, including steroid injection, then surgery last year I am at about the ROM that you have now. Cycling doesn't bother me at all, neither road nor rough-and-tumble MTB. Fortunately I haven't had to break any falls with my weak side. The sagebrush breaks my fall before I have a chance to put my arm out.

christ0ph

I have this exact same problem, ncbikers, and like you, I think that sleeping on my side is part of the problem.

Another thing. Do you ever sleep with the heat off or running very low with a window cracked very slightly open?

I find that helps me. For some reason, I sleep much much better and feel much better with ventilation at night.

Also, the amino acids citrulline or arginine may improve microcirculation.

Also, some natural substances like resveratrol (grapes, japanese knotweed), curcumin (its a subsance in turmeric/curry) and quercetin (onions and apples are high in it) may reduce muscle and arthritis like inflammation.

Similar "phytonutrients" in Berries (cranberries) Green Tea, milk thistle, and dark chocolate have somewhat similar but still quite diverse, but usually (very strong benefit ratio) quite beneficial antiinflammatory properties.


The amino acid DLPA helps your body itself reduce pain a lot more, naturally.

Stevie47

Another thing: do your ROM stretching workouts in a hot shower. I found that the heat loosened everything up and it was a lot easier to extend ROM. Worked for me.

LAriverRat

Eat pie with you left hand and concentrate on the shoulder area as you do this activity. Repeat until the shoulder is fully recovered.

El Gigante

I tried your's and Stevies advice, but the crust kept getting soggy. . .

carta

Your question strikes a nerve. A month ago I hauled my wife's new elliptical trainer upstairs. The heaviest part must have been over 100lbs. Shortly after I noticed that my upper-arm muscles hurt when I'd raise my arms, just like I'd been lifting weights. It's continuing.

I noticed also in my shoulders, when I woke up in the morning. The shoulder has stopped hurting but my arms are pained on the outside of the upper-arms whenever I lie on them.

What I'm wondering is if I pulled muscles or ligaments when I jerked that elliptical behemoth upstairs.

Anyone experience something like this? (BTW: I just moved from a comfort-cruiser bike to a new Trek FX 7.5, so I'm putting stress on my arms and shoulders but that hasn't seem to make pain any worse.)

El Gigante

To resurect and update a long lost thread, just wanted to report that there is life (and recovery), after frozen shoulder. I had continued the PT/ exercise route for adhesive capsulitis and was making some progress, even though I wasn't totally pain free. In March, I was dealt a setback of another type, when I was in a bike/ pedestrian collision with a guy that stepped in front of me from between two parked cars. Fortunately, there were no broken bones, muscle separations or other major injuries, just a lot of bruises and soreness from the collision, and the shoulder went from improving to regressing in 60 seconds flat. I ended up seeing an othropedic specialist who prescribed a course of anti-inflammatories, and two cortisone injections directly into the shoulder joint. Long story short, relief was almost immediate since the steroid reduced the inflammation around the joint, and I was able to increase my range of motion, flexion, and rotation around the shoulder joint. My shoulder feels better now than at any time since the middle of last year, and for the first time in a long time, I can see an end to PT approaching.

tarwheel 

I had a frozen shoulder about 5 years ago. It just happened one day when I stumbled in our garage and twisted my body in a funny way, but was probably brought on by lifting weights too rigorously a day or two before that. My shoulder took at least 6 months to clear up. PT definitely helped but progress was slow until I got a cortisone shot in my shoulder, which seemed to speed the recovery along. I continued to cycle while going through PT but it did cause some discomfort, particularly at first when the pain was worse.

Interestingly, I started kayaking about 3 months after my shoulder finally cleared up. I was initially afraid that paddling might cause a recurrence, but it actually seemed to help my shoulder, apparently by strengthening my muscles there. I've been kayaking during the warmer months for the past 5 years with no more shoulder problems.

vic303

Initially, my ortho doc thought I had a frozen shoulder. I tried the exercises for ROM and some high strength anti inflammatories. No joy. MRI eventually showed a torn subscap tendon (not quite complete tear but nearly). Surgery was done and it also involved relocating the biceps tendon back to where it belonged. Recovery was lengthy, but I was diligent with my PT, and I was lucky to recover 100% ROM.

AidanStanley

Frozen shoulder is a condition characterized by pain and stiffness in, or near, the shoulder joint. It can be caused when the joint sustains an acute injury, such as in a motor vehicle accident, or by overuse. The condition is exasperated as the patient uses the joint less and less and as the pain and stiffness increases. It is most common in those over 40, and occurs more commonly in women than in men. The Niel-Asher Technique, or NAT, is a technique that was developed to assist in the treatment of frozen shoulder. Since 1997, it has been approved for use in multiple medical disciplines, and has shown results better than other traditional forms of treatment.

qcpmsame 

Digging up the zombie threads. Y'all might want to look at the OP date of this thread. He hasn't been here in a while.

Bill

gabedad

Yes I have had it and no I don't think riding had any hurt on the recovery. As a matter of fact I rode with my PT on several occasions. I don't think riding it helped either. Took about 2 years of therapy before issue was resolved. My PT pretty much nailed that on the head at the start.

JohnJ80

Everyone my age I know has had it. So did I last year. Did all sorts of physical therapy with it (which really hurt). None of it helped. Then all of a sudden it went away on it's own after about a year in about a 2 week period just like my PT said happens in many of the cases. The PT also told me that in some cases, they just put you out and a doc cranks your shoulder around to break it loose.

I think, in my case, what was happening was that I got dehydrated over a hot summer despite trying not to. The fluid that lubricates the muscles when they move over each other was one of the victims of the dehydration and the whole thing got irritated and kind of stuck together. Over time, and in switching my sports seasons (cycling - alpine skiing - cycling again) it eventually came loose and now is perfectly fine.

I diligently did the PT and it had absolutely no effect. It just had to get better on it's own. In the meantime, take your vitamins especially vitamin I (Ibuprofen).

J.

cycleobsidian

I had frozen shoulder in my right shoulder about 4 years ago. It was distressing so I went through weekly physio appts throughout. It lasted about 18 months, after that I resumed completely normal range. Then I got frozen shoulder in my left arm, one year ago. This time,I went to the physio only three times and now do a short routine of daily shoulder exercises that loosen the joint. I am almost back to normal range; I expect to be back to full range in about 6 months or so.
In other words, in my experience, it takes about 18 months to recover from frozen shoulder with intensive p/t and a year and a half to recover with a much more moderate approach.