Interesting connection

[GrannyJo6]

I have developed a frozen left shoulder and started PT last Thursday. She was very interesed in the fact that I have MS and I told her all about my last flare up. She did all her range of motion tests, etc. and found I have increased tone which is not uncommon in MS. I was surprised! She said it could take a year for this to resolve. How does it happen? Stress is a big factor (raise your hand!) and the immobility of the fatigue and all the resting and sleeping and not being in my exercise program probably had something to do with it. Wow.

So, Tuesday I start the real therapy and I am expecting it to be painful, but I am also determined to have it stop hurting and regain strength and mobility.

You know, if it isn't one thing, it is another! And getting old truly is not for sissies, as they say!

Granny Jo

[Quixotic1]

Your neuro needs to address your increased tone.  THAT IS HIS JOB!  Please ask for this to be treated.

Addressing spasticity is a major part of treating people with MS.

Quix

[figuerpa]

I truly hope it gets better sooner than a year but if not at least you are working on getting it better.

My shoulder has recently started acting up on me. I can not move my arm up or out to the side. Well I can but with great pain. I see my neuro on Sept 8th so I will ask him about it then.

Good luck

Paula

[GrannyJo6]

I had my first PT treatment today. I knew it was going to hurt and it delivered as promised! The PT wants to be careful because of the spasticity. I evidently have adhesions and she broke some of them up on my chest wall. Whoo boy, did that hurt! She showed me some exercises to do as well. She also said that a frozen shoulder is going to do what it is going to do, even if I had started earlier. Very knowledgeable and I feel comfortable with her.  I came home, had a snack, a pain pill and a nap!

She asked if I'm on Baclofen, which I am not. My neuro has never mentioned the increased tone. Hmmmm.

Anyway, other than the shoulder, I am feeling well. I start back to work on Sept. 1. There were days when I wondered if that would ever happen!


GJ6

[jensequitur]

I don't have a frozen shoulder, but I did wake up two days ago with the weirdest pain in my right shoulder.  I'm sure that there's nothing I did that caused the pain - I haven't been able to do much of anything physical recently.  I'm pretty sure it's spasticity.  I had a similar pain in my elbow the week before.  Like this pain in the shoulder, it made the joint very difficult to use - every time i moved my elbow (or today, moving my shoulder) it erupts in screaming pain, and is also very weak.

I'm on Baclofen right now, so you'd think this would help, but perhaps the dosage is still too low.  I've heard that spasticity responds well to cold, so I slapped a cold pack on this morning, and it felt better.

[GrannyJo6]

Thank you for all the encouraging comments! I've been doing as much "finger walking" as I can and "pendulum swings" plus working out carefully and I think I see a miniscule improvement. Small steps!

PT mentioned a cortisone shot, which has helped in previous joint issues. She also mentioned the knock you out and "manipulate" your shoulder to break up adhesions. I sure hope I don't need to go there!

Yes, I also wake up moaning and crying. Of course I prefer to sleep on the affected side, so rolling over is no fun. A pillow behind my back helps some.

What a surprise that it could be auto-immune!

Thanks again! GrannyJo

[Mike_Shuswap]

Hmmmmm, interesting thread..

I somehow managed to strain my rotator cuff last year, while I was off work on LTD (still am), feeling lousy, and basicaly laying around doing almost nothing.

I don't know how I injured it, and wondered if it had anything to do with my illness (which turned out to be MS)

I went to PT where I got massaged, electrocuted, ultra sounded, acupunctured, lectured to, and learned stretches and exercises to correct the problem (it's at about 85% now).

It kinda mystifies me how I could injure myself like this without really doing anything physical, much less strenuous.

Granny Jo, I hope you don't have too much trouble freeing up your shoulder! Good luck to you!

Mike

[essdipity]

I'm not sure how MS could cause a frozen shoulder, even with increased tone/spasticity. But whatever's causing it, you're so right to get help for it.

Some years ago, long before MS, I fractured my right arm at the elbow, a compound fracture and very serious. The first and more conservative surgery did not hold, so within a week I had another, in which a great many screws, plates and pins were used.

I was also sent immediately to a fantastic hand and arm PT rehab center. But with all of that, I still got a frozen right shoulder, over a period of months. Talk about excruciating pain! I would scream from turning over in my sleep. After 6 months I had a 3rd surgery, mainly to remove some of the hardware from my arm, but also to do a 360 on my shoulder to release it. Yow. I could not possibly have stood the pain had I been conscious.

I was in PT for another 6 months after that. I did exercises like stretching my arms to 'walk' up a wall, lying on my back holding an umbrella in my hands across my body and then pumping my arms back, etc. Lots of helpful things that I could do at home too.

My right shoulder blade was still somewhat atrophied, but ultimately everything got back to normal.

I do hope your PT is much less eventful than mine! There's a pleasant part about it, though---they'd bring me very warm, moist compresses to lie on for a good 20 minutes first. That loosens things up nicely before the workout.

Good luck to you.

ess

[GrannyJo6]

Well, I figure last summer I had tendonitis is my right elbow, this summer it is my left shoulder, so the right side is plotting an attack for next summer!

The PT said the increased tone is not uncommon in MS and the fact that I went from exercising regularly (so important!) to down and out, plus an increased amount of stress in my life could all be factors. Sometimes people get frozen shoulders for no reason at all!

I have been back to Curves twice now and have been very careful, but I know that any movement increases the blood flow which can only be good!

The stress level has decreased somewhat. I've been back to work two days as well and that felt very good!  Move It!

[twopack]

I hope PT works for you and it doesn't take as long as a year.  But even if it does, all the work you put in will be well worth it.  It's easy to forget how important the shoulder is until all of a sudden it's gone.

A couple of months back my right shoulder started to give me trouble.  Then the left one kicked in.  For example, if I had my left arm resting on the car door window frame as I drove and then tried to just take it off, the pain would shoot through it.  If I slowly moved it toward my body and then let it relax down to my side it went much better.  I constantly felt as if either shoulder could lock up and refuse further movement at any moment.

My PCP checked it for possible rotator cuff problems but neither side appeared injured.  We talked about using baclofen and decided to wait a while because I hate to risk adding drug induced fatigue to what I already have.

When I saw my MS specialist in June he gave me scripts for baclofen and a PT eval & treat.  I've only taken two pills but I did go to PT.  I was given a very complete evaluation that did reveal tightness in my shoulders as well as my hips.  They did one untrasound treatment to the worst shoulder and showed me a bunch of stretches and strengthening exercises for all my joints.  I've noticed a significant improvement in just two months

Seems ironic but the stiffer we are the more we have to get it moving!

Mary

[Lulu54]

Spasticity is accompanied by tightening of the muscles - not floppiness as we might think.  It sure is good that you are in PT for the shoulder - do they think it is MS related?


Hopefully soemthing can be accomplished through the exercises to get movement bacvk into that shoulder.

be well, Lulu