If frozen shoulder causes pain apparently... - Cure Parkinson's

Cure Parkinson's

26,582 members27,897 posts

If frozen shoulder causes pain apparently its a sign of the onset of pd? According to my neuro...

hilarypeta profile image
39 Replies
Written by
hilarypeta profile image
hilarypeta
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
39 Replies

I had a painful frozen shoulder 4 yrs before being told I had PD.

My 1st neurologist turned my wrist, heard the sound they were making and announced I had PD. They have made that sound for years.

shasha profile image
shasha

i had a painful frozen shoulder for 2/3 years before being dx with pd but i thiught it was damage i had done to myself after falling down the stairs - i still have it although it has changed sides !!

hilarypeta profile image
hilarypeta

Got english pd diagnosis today. He asked me if it was painful when I had my 2 frozen shoulders and he said it was classic sign of the onset of pd and orthopaedists never recognise it!

rch21 profile image
rch21

I find this interesting as I had 2 frozen shoulders several years before any sign of PD and both were painful - had surgery on one and PT on both . Both were largely pain free after. Never asked about it by my neurologists.

hilarypeta profile image
hilarypeta in reply torch21

Yes one of mine is completely normal and no pain..pd side has occasional dull pain but not full movement-hard to put seat belt on..My right arm wont fully straighten..My feeling of disconnection and nodule on finger etc happened as shoulder gained movement again..Found a weakness in strength as I washed hair, dressed etc..sadly still there inspite of yoga exercise; weights etc..

JanellenGrimaldi profile image
JanellenGrimaldi in reply tohilarypeta

This is interesting. A lot of things can cause shoulder pain. My brother had a frozen shoulder for a few years and still has not developed PD. How, and why, do these docs come to these vague conclusions? Frozen shoulder, and all sorts of shoulder pain can, and often, have other causes. What about neck pain? Or jaw pain? I play a stringed instrument and have suffered with those pains my entire life. It's called an "occupational hazard." Just because we have PD, everything we suffer from seems to take on a new significance. I'm stumped. ;-)

DeParkiePoet profile image
DeParkiePoet

I had really painful unilateral frozen shoulder (aka idopathic adhesive capsulitis) left side for aobut 2 years before the diagnosis of PD. Sux

hilarypeta profile image
hilarypeta

thats interesting-when did the pd start- after or at the time it started to move again?

cabbagecottage profile image
cabbagecottage

The same thing happened to my husband once he was diagnosed and treated his frozen shoulder improved enormously after having suffered for most of his life

Jupeter profile image
Jupeter

I have had both shoulders "frozen" for several years, long before my Parkinsons diagnosis. No-one has ever suggested that this is a P indicator. I will check with my P nurse.

No sign of it getting better, I can't raise my arms above the horizontal.

Court profile image
Court

This is very similar to a question I asked some time ago. I also had a frozen shoulder which just would not go away for quite a while before I was diagnosed and I wondered if anyone else had a similar experience.

If you look back at Questions you can probably see the replies I got. Very similar to the ones you have. Very interesting, I thought.

yes, I had a froxen shoulder back when forst symptoms began to appear.

Now 15 months after dx same shoulder gave me a week of hell and now is fragile...if I do my yoga "sun salutes" for example that shoulder gets sore.

daveyno9 profile image
daveyno9

i also had afrozen shoulder years b4 being dxd with pd noone has ever put the two together i lost my sense of smell 10 yrs ago that apparantly is a sign of the onset of pd

hilarypeta profile image
hilarypeta

There must be some people who have frozen shoulder that hurts who do not get pd?

MGirardi profile image
MGirardi

I began right hand tremors june of 05 and went to neuro doc 4/07. During that in between time I had a terrible frozen right shoulder. I had pt for it and that did not help. It went away by itself about one year later. I've heard over and over again that frozen shoulder is very common for pre Parkinson's diagnosis.

I was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 8/2007.

hilarypeta profile image
hilarypeta in reply toMGirardi

Interesting you had the hand tremors first..mine came once the shoulder defrosted andat the same time a nodule on my hand..

etterus profile image
etterus

There are 2 different types of frozen Shoulder. One is a hypo mobile joint that is typically stiff and painful due to overuse, injury or inactivity. It is the most common type and is usually easier to manage. Once the cause and inflammation are controlled it gets better with stretching... still is a difficult process for many.

An adhesive capsulitis is a different beast. For unknown reasons the joint capsule thickens and is extremely stiff precluding almost all movements. It is frequently resistant to all treatment and requires a MUA... manipulation under anesthesia to be resolved quickly. If left untreated it may resolve the way it started... for no good reason it starts to move again. This can happen within 3 months but as late as 18 months.

A frozen shoulder of either type is no fun. I am not aware of any correlation to PD unlike loss of smell.

GrammyC profile image
GrammyC

I had frozen shoulder about 7 or 8 years before my PD diagnosis. It was "unfrozen" by a physical therapist. Gave an entirely new meaning to the word OUCH! when he did the manipulation.

jillannf6 profile image
jillannf6 in reply toGrammyC

yeah

i ahd a similar experience but a cortisone injection eventually woriked

jill and a :-)

When I had my frozen shoulder I discovered that PT (physical therapist) means pain and torcher.

I love my PT and wouldn't be where I am today without them!

cowmom27 profile image
cowmom27

Being a nurse for 46yrs I had shoulder problems periodically over the yrs. Ironically I moved from the midwest to my hometown and during my first visit to my new PMD I was c/o nagging right shoulder and neck pain---was referred to a orthopedic doc who in turn referred me to a neurologist and was diagnosed with PD---- about 3-4 months prior to moved I had surgery on right wrist for a tendon release and develpoed a mild tremor 4 weedks later.

Susie01 profile image
Susie01

I was a gymnast growing up, very hard on most joints, uneven bars are really tough on the shoulders. Most every soft tissue in the right shoulder was torn. I had reconstructive surgery, then developed a frozen shoulder. PT took care of it for the most part. This was a year after some of my first symptoms of PD. I later fell and retore the rotator cuff, my doctor and I have decided to do nothing unless it becomes too painful.

In the left shoulder, I have something called thoracic outlet syndrome, it causes pain and numbness in the arm, can affect circulation, at this point it is positional.

hilarypeta profile image
hilarypeta in reply toSusie01

you look athletic from your picture! It seems to be disturbance at shoulder level can trigger pd;;athletic or not! im just a heavy shopping carrier!

LizaJane profile image
LizaJane

shoulder pain was one of my first symptoms, i went to many of drs trying to figure it out and it came with really bad headaches. i finially had MRI done and a pain management dr who also did PD he did more tests and gave me the news of PD. i have shoulder pain still with the headaches just not all the time with the meds as before and i get botox for stiffness in neck and lower back.

hilarypeta profile image
hilarypeta

dd they give you a DAT scan to check it was pd? I will have one in June..

LizaJane profile image
LizaJane in reply tohilarypeta

ive had the dAT scan this summer and yes i have PD it shows it very clearly on the test, if your uncertain about having PD take the test. my dr. wanted to make sure because PD can resemble other things.

hilarypeta profile image
hilarypeta in reply toLizaJane

Thanks..neuro said not other things as i would be more ill and it would be on both sides...

Hikoi profile image
Hikoi

I had shoulder pain too for many years, now gone with medication.

I found this 1989 article in British Medical Journal so the link between Parkinsons and shoulder problems was made many years ago but is still not widely recognised it appears.

Abstract

The frequency of shoulder disturbances, particularly frozen shoulder, has not been assessed previously in Parkinson's disease. In a survey of 150 patients compared with 60 matched control subjects a significantly higher incidence of both a history of shoulder complaints (43% vs. 23%) and frozen shoulder (12.7% vs. 1.7%) was found in the Parkinson's disease population.

In at least 8% of the patients frozen shoulder was the first symptom of disease, occurring 0-2 years prior to the onset of more commonly recognised features. Parkinson's disease should be added to the list of causes of frozen shoulder,....

hilarypeta profile image
hilarypeta in reply toHikoi

very interesting and accurate from my experience- at least it is not as bad as some diseases.. we just have to pray for a cure.. which drug suits you best? How long have you had it? My hand/fingers became affected at the same time on r hand as shouler gained movement ;;;nodules, stuck fingers;;then thhe 2 tremblng litle ones..still occasional pain now and not full movement backwards

PatV profile image
PatV

I think I had a frozen heel. Hmmm but whole leg did not want to move.

Gloria-John profile image
Gloria-John

My husband had frozen shoulder for a few years before dx. He had 2 complete shoulder replacements a the VA Hosp. After his last surgery, he developed a tremor in his right hand. It was then that he was diagnosed with PD and that was 3 yrs ago. We think he has had PD longer, and way before his shoulder surgeries. We are so sorry that he had those.

fallon profile image
fallon

I have had both shoulders replaced. The left one in 2004. I was diagnosed with PD in 2007. I had my right shoulder replaced in 2010. Both were arthritis related. My neurologist didn't suggest any connection to PD.

I had't heard about a symptom of PD being shoulder issues till I read it here.

hilarypeta profile image
hilarypeta

Im sorry..can you use your arms? What did they do? My neuro said often diagnosed as frozen shoulder when it is pd. apparently you get no pain from a true frozen shoulder! I dont be,ieve it myself, i had pain but only in bed at night..

Court profile image
Court

I had a very painful frozen shoulder with restricted movement before I was diagnosed. It cleared completely. I posed the question many moons ago and was surprised how many people had a frozen shoulder and attributed this to the start of Parkinsons. I have not seen any clinical evidence to support this.

hilarypeta profile image
hilarypeta

I was told that. I had 2 frozen shoulders..one righted itself in 6 months other a year along with developing a 2 finger tremor. Went to neuro who said it was a mechanical problem..probably dupetryns.d

icywingdoc profile image
icywingdoc

Hello all. The link between Frozen shoulder/adhesive capsulitis and Parkinson's disease has been observed in many instances in the literature (eg. riley et al, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 1989;52:63-66) and noted as a key preceding symptom (eg. Stamey et al, Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, Vol 14, No 4, pg 253, 2008). It is often missed or misdiagnosed by Health Care Practitioners. This topic is of particular interest for me as a HCP as we have been using a new treatment protocol for Frozen Shoulder/Adhesive Capsulitis that looks at the condition from a neurophysiological model, rather than a Biomechanical adhesion model. In other words, the adhesions may not be the primary problem. Instead there are clinical results suggesting the nerves supplying the shoulder are the problem, and the adhesions while limiting, are secondary.

We are initiating Case Studies as we speak to gather evidence and publish results. The early results look very promising with many Frozen Shoulder's improving dramatically almost immediately. If the two conditions are in fact linked it could provide valuable insight into new and effective non-drug based treatments for PD and potentially shed light on it's cause.

If you are interested to learn more about this topic, check frozenshouldertreatment.ca

Guitarlouie1 profile image
Guitarlouie1

Wait you're all saying after this nightmare of 2 frozen shoulders at the same time and I'm a guitarist that now I'm going to get of?!

ForestFamily1 profile image
ForestFamily1

Hello everyone. I don't have a PD diagnosis, but I have some concerns and questions that I'm hoping someone may be able to answer. I just turned 45. My grandfather passed away in 2005 and he had PD. As far as I know, he's the only person in our family who's had it. Our family has a history of autoimmune diseases though - my mom, my sisters and I all have them (I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis last year).

Around the same time I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's, I started experiencing strange symptoms, like my fingers would suddenly feel like they were breaking if I so much as touched a door handle or if I lightly bumped them - I'd literally be screaming in pain. That would last a week or so then disappear. Then last August I developed a frozen shoulder out of the blue. It was excruciating for the first 3 months, then I started taking Bromelain for inflammation and the pain disappeared. I regained most of my mobility, but I still can't raise my arm above my head.

I'm an artist and now I'm noticing a very very slight tremor in my drawing hand (it's the arm with the frozen shoulder). It's so slight that most people wouldn't notice it, but because I do highly detailed artwork, I can feel it.

And finally, I've had a bad memory my entire life, but lately it seems it too has gotten worse. I attributed it to the awful insomnia caused by the Hashimoto's, but I'm concerned this might be PD. Sometimes I literally can't remember an argument my husband and I had the night before until he reminds me.

I know you're not doctors, but I'm wondering if anyone has experienced similar symptoms. I'm very concerned but I don't have insurance, so I don't want to go to the doctor unless it's necessary.

kimmers1013 profile image
kimmers1013

I have been dealing with two frozen shoulders for about a year now. It is very painful especially at night. I was told that my left one is due to my short neck making my shoulders roll forward slightly I was told that the right one was due to calcified tendonitis. One day I was perfectly fine and the next night I was like holy cow did I break something or pull something. I have been told I have a high tolerance for pain. When the chiropractor was manipulating my arms he said most of his patients would have been screaming at that point. I was getting physical therapy at the chiropractor and doing exercises at home but none seem to help. Does anyone have any suggestions and what relief I can get. Am I understanding correctly that most of you are saying that if you have very painful frozen shoulder that it can lead to Parkinson's possibly ?

Not what you're looking for?

You may also like...

Has anyone had a 'frozen shoulder' ages before diagnosis of PD?

Sorry its me again!! A long time before being diagnosed with PD I was diagnosed with a frozen...
Court profile image

WHAT PROCESSES LEAD TO THE ONSET OF PD SYMPTOMS?

This is from the Suzuki Foundation. Pesticides and Parkinson’s Disease. A well-established causal...

Does anyone else out there connect the onset of their PD symptoms to a period of significant stress or trauma, pain or injury?

My husband's tremor first appeared 8 months following an extremely difficult time in his life when...
rtag profile image

Sharing the news with my ex-colleagues: a preemptive piece of PD propaganda

AFTER GIVING IT A LOT OF CONSIDERATION I DECIDED TO SEND OUT THIS LETTER BEFORE A REUNION WITH...