Frozen Shoulder

Zingers feel like muscle ripping, detaching and burning. Nothing like I’ve ever felt before and I’ve dealt with all kinds of pain in the past. Sometimes sharp pain from FS pinching a nerve too. I’ve had it for 2 years, finally thawing. Massage, stretching and time helped the most. Felt like I was 85 yrs old putting shirts on, but you figure weird new ways to get by. Hope you find what works for you soon!

I also thought I had a torn rotator cuff initially. For all I know, it did begin that way. Then, from keeping my shoulder immobile thinking it would help the tear heal, it led to frozen shoulder. (I've since learned I would have been better off starting rehab early.) For me, I had two types of pain: * Dull aching from time to time, especially during sleep, often waking up from the pain. * Severe stabs of pain if I accidentally yanked my arm too far up, this pain was a sharp blast that stunned me for several seconds. This is what they call "zingers". Now after 7 months, my pain is all but gone. I think I'm beginning the thawing stage. I've regained a few degrees of ROM.

This is based on my experience: The dull pain remains with you 24/7 and the sharp pains come and go depending on how you move your arm (wake you up from sleep/ ake you forget breathing kinda pain). The pain is not localised, but the sharp pain is always in the upper arm. I'm going through the freezing stage, month five - I've started getting dryneedling done by my physiotherapist, which has helped so so much. There's an occasional bruise or two, and the arm stays sore for 24 hours after, but the relief is worth it. Also, physio recommended exercises are a saviour. I've been able to improve my range of motion by almost 1.5 inches.

1-3 year recovery period with natural recovery with 3 stages of freezing, frozen, & thawing. I had manipulation under anesthesia in frozen stage, about 6 months in to get range of motion back & pain relief. I am back to normal though went through conventional treatment before that including PT & cortisone shot.

Solidarity. FS is rough but it DOES get better it just takes too long. Finding little ways to make life less painful is the name of the game. I changed clothes to things with wider arms and larger sizes that were easier to put on. Pull on pants. Looser socks and shoes I could step into. A massage gun with a heat setting helped. CBD gummies helped too. Slept on my back on a wedge with my arm propped up.

I agree the pain is “excruciating” in the freezing stage and if you knock your arm, it takes your breath away with the pain. 4 months in your nearing the end of the freezing stage but you won’t  be able to move the arm. The “frozen” stage is 6-12 months and then it can take a good year but the pain is okay but it took 3 years to get full movement. I’ve had 4 frozen shoulders (I’ve got a condition with my neck so predisposed to FS’s) so feel I am an expert. The 1st I got operated on (in the frozen stage) you’re put to sleep and wake up with the arm above your head!! It wasn’t too bad but I never got total range back. The 2nd I just preserved through it all. The 3rd and 4th I recognised the pain early enough and I stopped the freezing process with prescribed strong anti-inflammatories.

I had this and it is extremely painful. I thought for sure it was a torn rotator cuff or my arm was fractured..it hurt that much. I had two cortisone shots and months of physical therapy that did absolutely nothing. If I accidentally used my arm for anything 8/10 pain scale. I finally was diagnosed with frozen shoulder and got a nerve block. The nerve block hurt.. a lot but was the only thing that helped and my arm finally started the thawing stage. I still don’t have full range of motion but I can raise my arm up now. 😊 and no more pain.

I wanted to share my journey in case it helps anyone else dealing with frozen shoulder and joint pain. I’m 62, male, and a lifelong exercise fanatic — but the last two years have been brutal. I’ve had two frozen shoulders (over two years total) and was sidelined from everything I love. The pain was constant, my range of motion was awful, and even though physical therapy helped me keep some flexibility, it never actually fixed the underlying problem. On top of that, I had bad joint pain in my elbows and knees. I was even seriously considering surgery. Like a lot of people, I started researching peptides (BPC-157, TB-500, etc.) as a possible solution. But before jumping in, I found a doctor who’s both a cardiologist and an internist. Instead of just handing me peptides, he ordered extensive bloodwork (Boston Heart and other panels) that went way beyond what I’d ever had before. That testing uncovered issues I’d never realized were connected — problems with methylation, inflammation, and even autoimmune markers like rheumatoid factor and lupus/ANA patterns. What came out of that was a targeted supplement stack: • Methylated B-complex • CoQ10 • Theracurmin (curcumin) • High-quality omega-3s • Magnesium and zinc I can’t overstate this — within 8 weeks my life changed. My shoulder pain dropped dramatically, my elbows and knees stopped aching, and I suddenly felt like I had my body back. My frozen shoulder improved by about 90%, and for the first time in years I feel like I can think about getting back into training again. We also discovered something important in my labs: I have very high total testosterone, but very low bioavailable testosterone. Now that we’ve dealt with the inflammation, methylation, and nutrient issues, the next step is to work on freeing up my testosterone — possibly through boron or even testosterone injections. My doctor thinks that may be the last missing piece to get me back to feeling like a normal, healthy 62-year-old again. And this is just my personal opinion, but after going through all of this, I really believe hormones play a role in frozen shoulder. It’s not a scientific conclusion, but in my experience, there seems to be a strong correlation. One last thought: I think years of overtraining probably depleted my body of key nutrients and sped up some of the aging process. That’s another reason I’ve become interested in peptides — not as a magic bullet, but as part of a bigger picture of restoring balance after pushing my body too hard for too long. So if you’re stuck with frozen shoulder and nothing’s working — PT, rest, even considering surgery like I was — I’d encourage you to look into deeper bloodwork. Find out if you’ve got methylation issues, inflammation markers, hormone imbalances, or are depleting minerals without knowing it. That detective work completely changed my outcome and gave me hope again. Just wanted to share in case it gives someone else a path forward. ****UPDATE**** I wanted to circle back and give a fuller update for everyone following this thread. We’re a very active family. My wife, my daughter, and my son all value fitness and athletics, and we engage in some form of training or sport pretty much every day. It’s been that way since I was a kid—our families always competed at a high level. It probably explains why we’re a little banged up now, but it also shows this isn’t coming from a sedentary lifestyle. That said, what makes my situation especially difficult is that I don’t just have one straightforward issue—it’s a combination of overlapping problems that have piled up as I’ve hit my 60s. Shoulders, elbows, wrist injuries, cervical spine compression, autoimmune markers, and hormone imbalances—they all intersect and muddy the picture. Addressing them one at a time, while trying to stay active and healthy, has been a real challenge. Over the years I’ve been through it all: four rounds of PRP injections for my elbows (one left, three right), multiple cortisone injections in my cervical spine (at C6–C7, but not at C5–C6), and endless PT. Nothing gave a clear answer. What finally shifted things was finding my Doc (internist/cardiologist). He ran deep blood work and uncovered markers for autoimmune reactivity—rheumatoid, lupus—and also discovered that while my total testosterone was high, my bioavailable testosterone was basically zero. Getting on the right supplements and addressing those issues has been a complete game-changer. Even with the shoulder limitations, I feel a million times better overall. That said, something very telling happened recently. After feeling good, I strapped on a wrist brace (I also need tendon surgery) and did some light functional fitness—25-lb dumbbells on an incline bench. It put pressure on my neck, and within days my frozen shoulder symptoms came roaring back by about 50%. That flare-up made it clear that my case isn’t just frozen shoulder—it’s a combination of adhesive capsulitis and cervical involvement, especially around C5–C6. My plan now is to do another cortisone injection directly at C5–C6 after my upcoming wrist surgery. If it helps, that will confirm the cervical piece once and for all. So while I’ve carried the “frozen shoulder” label, I now see it as a hybrid problem—frozen shoulder plus cervical compression. And I can’t emphasize this enough: the supplements and blood work corrections from Dr. Ghalichi have changed everything for me. For the first time in years, I finally feel like I’m turning a corner.

Your story sounds like mine 50F going through menopause. Frozen shoulder, tendonitis issues in 8 places over 10 years, extreme stiffness. Hormones (estradiol, testosterone) helped the muscles a lot (took a year and a half) but I still had crippling fatigue finally solved by adding DHEA. I think something was up with my testosterone and DHEA unlocked it. Also, as a woman, the lack of estrogen increased inflammation for sure. I did do two rounds of BPC into my elbows, knees and ankles which helped a bit, but the hormones helped me more.

Right, I wrote a post a couple of days ago . (I have and had all that excruciating pain and all those sleepless nights, electric shock, aches etc it's been never ending. Those that answered me knew I was getting an injection yesterday. I paid (so the service is amazing) and a lady doctor in her menopause. She trained in Kings Cross in London and worked in a top hospital in London, worth every penny of the 300 euros. She transmitted complete trust. She told me that with peri and menopause us women produce calcium deposits that cluster in our shoulders ( the shoulder is the only joint that causes a problem) not all women as it's genetic, and has nothing to do if we take HRT or not, I don't. This causes slightly less ROM and with the slightest irritation from exercise (I have osteopenia so I do weights) it can go on to cause mild bursitis, mild tendonitis. Sometimes it can be picked up on an MRI sometimes it's so slight it's missed. Mine was actually picked up so I've been treated for tendonitis which made the FS worse. She said if I was 20 I wouldn't have even known I had an issue with a tendon. Bursitis is what keeps us a wake with FS. I starred having physio for the reduced ROM but unconsciously our muscles around do aim by protecting, (guiding) this starts to stiffens the joint and bam We left with FS😭 She said the bursitis keeps us awake and that's when we should have a steroid injection. That is the correct timing when we can't sleep. She said she has already treated 3 of her menopausal friends. Remember there are also other factors like diabetes or thyroid issues. Anyway I'm in the frozen stage, still have pain and extreme reduced ROM the bursitis has healed but the FS is bad so I had a hydro dilatación and cortisone last night and feeling it has worked already. If you have it in one shoulder get the other checked for a build of calcium. I do have a build up in the other so looked to get that broken down with a session of shock wave, maybe. Sometimes the body obsorbs it. But we are stressing our other shoulder by compensating so there's a risk of having it in the other 😭. That's why people get it shortly after, or sometimes years after. The calcium deposits are the problem when it's a menopause issue. MI just felt this is the best explanation I've ever had for this horrible condition. I wanted to mention this as I want to help as much as I can. Yes, I saw everything on a screen so it's true in both shoulders 🤗Good look everyone and if you can get both your shoulders checked. This was a private anaesthetist that did mine.

What's the cause of your FS?  Any ideas?  Do most people get it for "no reason"?  I have been dealing with it for a couple months due to having a fractured collar bone.  The pain from THAT was so bad that I clenched my shoulder forward and held my arm to my side for over a month.  And then I couldn't move my shoulder and it slowly became more and more painful and the whole time I thought it was my collar bone.  All the pain shot down my arm for some reason so I didn't really know where it was coming from.  Since my collarbone won't heal, I can't have MUA.   The depression and hopelessness from the intense pain is real.  The PT can be terrible actually.  I think it exacerbated my body's freeze response so I decided to stop that and get a massage instead.  So many muscles were just seized up.  (Don't get an aggressive painful massage, get a good one that is intuitive.) After that, the pain started to make more sense.  It wasn't concentrated in my bicep-humorous but I could actually feel my shoulder joint.  If feels like someone is pressing a carpet needle into it.  It can be pretty terrible.   You have to do what you're ready for and read a lot and listen to your body.  If PT is torture, don't do it.  Take a hot bath, try and move the in ways that just warm you up but don't stress your shoulder.  Get exercise endorphins where possible.  I continued my one on one Pilates class through it all.  At least I can strengthen other parts of my body.   I'm currently on a plane home from Kauai because I went out there for 4 days to work with someone who has much more body awareness than any PT person I've tried thus far.  Again you have to do what you're ready for.  And I was ready for some work.  The main idea with this person was to use reverse work.  I want to lift my arm, so she held it in the highest comfortable height while I tried to press down.  You can do this with pulleys too.  As you raise the FS side you also fight to keep it from lifting by pressing down  with the frozen side.  Engaging the opposite muscles is giving me much more traction than before.  And it takes some if the pain out of simply raising the arm.   You can use that strategy for all the 4 quadrants of the freeze.  It does take a lot of the sharpness away.  But it's still super painful and I need to use my breath. When I'm trying to reach something high (to me right now, that means eye level) I first clench the arm muscles that I would use to lower my arm and then I reach for the item.  I'm in a different kind of pain when I do that and I'm also rebuilding more muscle . The person in Kauai also used massage and manipulation to unlock some movement.  And taught me some exercises designed to target posture alignment which will prevent shoulder impingement.   I'm not expecting a 2 year path.  I don't think that's the reality for everyone.   Undressing hack to get a pullover off -- Close the end of the sleeve of the good side in a door and pull yourself free.  (If no one is home to help!) Use hair clip instead of pony tail for tooth brush, face wash etc.   If you have long hair, hold it with your bad arm across your chest on the shower to stabilize shoulder (that might be collarbone advice, I'm not sure)  Look up the YouTube video on sleep positions with pillows  Be nice to yourself.  Try to think of yourself as though you're someone you care about and do what's best for that person.

What's the cause of your FS?  Any ideas?  Do most people get it for "no reason"?  I have been dealing with it for a couple months due to having a fractured collar bone.  The pain from THAT was so bad that I clenched my shoulder forward and held my arm to my side for over a month.  And then I couldn't move my shoulder and it slowly became more and more painful and the whole time I thought it was my collar bone.  All the pain shot down my arm for some reason so I didn't really know where it was coming from.  Since my collarbone won't heal, I can't have MUA.   The depression and hopelessness from the intense pain is real.  The PT can be terrible actually.  I think it exacerbated my body's freeze response so I decided to stop that and get a massage instead.  So many muscles were just seized up.  (Don't get an aggressive painful massage, get a good one that is intuitive.) After that, the pain started to make more sense.  It wasn't concentrated in my bicep-humorous but I could actually feel my shoulder joint.  If feels like someone is pressing a carpet needle into it.  It can be pretty terrible.   You have to do what you're ready for and read a lot and listen to your body.  If PT is torture, don't do it.  Take a hot bath, try and move the in ways that just warm you up but don't stress your shoulder.  Get exercise endorphins where possible.  I continued my one on one Pilates class through it all.  At least I can strengthen other parts of my body.   I'm currently on a plane home from Kauai because I went out there for 4 days to work with someone who has much more body awareness than any PT person I've tried thus far.  Again you have to do what you're ready for.  And I was ready for some work.  The main idea with this person was to use reverse work.  I want to lift my arm, so she held it in the highest comfortable height while I tried to press down.  You can do this with pulleys too.  As you raise the FS side you also fight to keep it from lifting by pressing down  with the frozen side.  Engaging the opposite muscles is giving me much more traction than before.  And it takes some if the pain out of simply raising the arm.   You can use that strategy for all the 4 quadrants of the freeze.  It does take a lot of the sharpness away.  But it's still super painful and I need to use my breath. When I'm trying to reach something high (to me right now, that means eye level) I first clench the arm muscles that I would use to lower my arm and then I reach for the item.  I'm in a different kind of pain when I do that and I'm also rebuilding more muscle . The person in Kauai also used massage and manipulation to unlock some movement.  And taught me some exercises designed to target posture alignment which will prevent shoulder impingement.   I'm not expecting a 2 year path.  I don't think that's the reality for everyone.   Undressing hack to get a pullover off -- Close the end of the sleeve of the good side in a door and pull yourself free.  (If no one is home to help!) Use hair clip instead of pony tail for tooth brush, face wash etc.   If you have long hair, hold it with your bad arm across your chest on the shower to stabilize shoulder (that might be collarbone advice, I'm not sure)  Look up the YouTube video on sleep positions with pillows  Be nice to yourself.  Try to think of yourself as though you're someone you care about and do what's best for that person.

What's the cause of your FS?  Any ideas?  Do most people get it for "no reason"?  I have been dealing with it for a couple months due to having a fractured collar bone.  The pain from THAT was so bad that I clenched my shoulder forward and held my arm to my side for over a month.  And then I couldn't move my shoulder and it slowly became more and more painful and the whole time I thought it was my collar bone.  All the pain shot down my arm for some reason so I didn't really know where it was coming from.  Since my collarbone won't heal, I can't have MUA.   The depression and hopelessness from the intense pain is real.  The PT can be terrible actually.  I think it exacerbated my body's freeze response so I decided to stop that and get a massage instead.  So many muscles were just seized up.  (Don't get an aggressive painful massage, get a good one that is intuitive.) After that, the pain started to make more sense.  It wasn't concentrated in my bicep-humorous but I could actually feel my shoulder joint.  If feels like someone is pressing a carpet needle into it.  It can be pretty terrible.   You have to do what you're ready for and read a lot and listen to your body.  If PT is torture, don't do it.  Take a hot bath, try and move the in ways that just warm you up but don't stress your shoulder.  Get exercise endorphins where possible.  I continued my one on one Pilates class through it all.  At least I can strengthen other parts of my body.   I'm currently on a plane home from Kauai because I went out there for 4 days to work with someone who has much more body awareness than any PT person I've tried thus far.  Again you have to do what you're ready for.  And I was ready for some work.  The main idea with this person was to use reverse work.  I want to lift my arm, so she held it in the highest comfortable height while I tried to press down.  You can do this with pulleys too.  As you raise the FS side you also fight to keep it from lifting by pressing down  with the frozen side.  Engaging the opposite muscles is giving me much more traction than before.  And it takes some if the pain out of simply raising the arm.   You can use that strategy for all the 4 quadrants of the freeze.  It does take a lot of the sharpness away.  But it's still super painful and I need to use my breath. When I'm trying to reach something high (to me right now, that means eye level) I first clench the arm muscles that I would use to lower my arm and then I reach for the item.  I'm in a different kind of pain when I do that and I'm also rebuilding more muscle . The person in Kauai also used massage and manipulation to unlock some movement.  And taught me some exercises designed to target posture alignment which will prevent shoulder impingement.   I'm not expecting a 2 year path.  I don't think that's the reality for everyone.   Undressing hack to get a pullover off -- Close the end of the sleeve of the good side in a door and pull yourself free.  (If no one is home to help!) Use hair clip instead of pony tail for tooth brush, face wash etc.   If you have long hair, hold it with your bad arm across your chest on the shower to stabilize shoulder (that might be collarbone advice, I'm not sure)  Look up the YouTube video on sleep positions with pillows  Be nice to yourself.  Try to think of yourself as though you're someone you care about and do what's best for that person.

Like being shot. Sit on the ground and do nothing for 30 seconds while it subsides. Swear a lot. But it does go away. The dull pain can arise from lack of movement like at night, which would eventually wake me up. The dull pain is also a feature of the mid to late freezing stage. My zingers pretty much stopped after about 4 months but the occasional static shock from the car or a door would set one off. I'm six months in now and my range of motion is getting good again but it still hurts at the limits, especially behind the back. I stretch using the broom handle exercises and it is improving. I also use the child's pose yoga move to get the upper extention freedom Ever one is different. I wish you the best with it.

The worst pain is when you move it quickly when something unexpected happens, like touching a hot pan and yanking your hand back, or flailing your arms when you slip. Followed by some loud expletives and doubled over in pain until the zinger passed. I had it for months during the freezing stage, I think I’m in the frozen stage now since they are infrequent and the pain isn’t as bad when they happen. Either that or over several months I’ve gotten better at avoiding the triggering movements.

I agree the pain is “excruciating” in the freezing stage and if you knock your arm, it takes your breath away with the pain. 4 months in your nearing the end of the freezing stage but you won’t  be able to move the arm. The “frozen” stage is 6-12 months and then it can take a good year but the pain is okay but it took 3 years to get full movement. I’ve had 4 frozen shoulders (I’ve got a condition with my neck so predisposed to FS’s) so feel I am an expert. The 1st I got operated on (in the frozen stage) you’re put to sleep and wake up with the arm above your head!! It wasn’t too bad but I never got total range back. The 2nd I just preserved through it all. The 3rd and 4th I recognised the pain early enough and I stopped the freezing process with prescribed strong anti-inflammatories.

Thanks for posting this. I am happy you've had such success and improvement. I have only one FS and I am seven months in and finally thawing but still not feeling great. Joint pain for me, too, and general lack.of motivation to do things that were physical (skiing!). I can appreciate the concept of wanting to get your life back. It seems that this has been a full body improvement beyond FS. Do you feel that you have less discomfort directly rated to FS? Do you have more ROM? It was your internist who set up the supplements? I need to see this guy!

I went to the ortho today suspecting I have a torn rotator cuff but he seems to think I have frozen shoulder. Which I never heard of but have been giving myself a google education. The pain I have is very sharp with movement of my upper arm. Level 8 pain at least. It's not dull pain like google says with frozen shoulder I'm not sure how much I can actually move my arm because it hurts to much. I want it to be the rotator cuff so I can get it fixed through surgery and have this over with. Probably wishful thinking on my part but the Dr is going to do an MRI just to be sure. It's been 4 months of pain and having a hard time dressing myself, doing anything that involves more than my hand and forearm. How does one work if this is their dominant arm? Does this really last for years?

Not the same but I developed biceps tendonitis and frozen shoulder in my left shoulder likely as a result for compensating for my right shoulder after I dislocated it (again). Heavy doors are evil.

I took the oral form (I have gut issues) and I have frozen shoulder and frozen hip. I took 2 months worth and although it offered some initial boost, I didn’t find it was worth the money. I still had extreme pain. I found diet way more beneficial.

I agree the pain is “excruciating” in the freezing stage and if you knock your arm, it takes your breath away with the pain. 4 months in your nearing the end of the freezing stage but you won’t  be able to move the arm. The “frozen” stage is 6-12 months and then it can take a good year but the pain is okay but it took 3 years to get full movement. I’ve had 4 frozen shoulders (I’ve got a condition with my neck so predisposed to FS’s) so feel I am an expert. The 1st I got operated on (in the frozen stage) you’re put to sleep and wake up with the arm above your head!! It wasn’t too bad but I never got total range back. The 2nd I just preserved through it all. The 3rd and 4th I recognised the pain early enough and I stopped the freezing process with prescribed strong anti-inflammatories.

I just had my MRI result for my right shoulder back this week. I was told i have an early stage of FS, caused by inflammation on my bursa and my tendon. It begins back 8-9 months ago, i notice my right shoulder is in pain whenever i did my morning stretching. I couldn't raise my hand all the way to my head while lying down on my back with interlace fingers. It didn't affect my daily life so I went to physio and Chiro but, didn't get any better. I also stopped going to the gym completely thinking to rest it and it got worse. The sharp pain started to shoot around my neck, my upper right back, and near my armpit. My ROM started to be limited, can't do internal rotation, i had blind cortisone injection which put me in agony for 2 weeks, sharper shooting pain to all those three areas and couldn't sleep. The pain from injection slowly got better but my shoulder pain remained. The second doctor suggest an ultrasound guided cortisone. I went to see 3rd GP and finally got MRI who now refer me to orthopedic, i am hoping to see one if i can manage to get a booking before Xmas. But the radiologist suggested the CT guided hydrodilatation. Not sure if there's any way to shorten the FS full cycle. But would like to know if anyone ever heal in less than a year or 2?

I had been on HRT for ten months before my shoulder froze. I am homozygous for the C677T MTHFR mutation and take methylated B vitamins. My vitamin levels are all optimal, with exception to vitamin D. I struggle with that due to multiple gene mutations. Quest says my level is normal. Functional Medicine Nurse says not quite optimal, so I am supplementing vitamin D, vitamin K, and magnesium. I have a seronegative autoimmune condition that I am taking a biologic for. I have tried BPC-157 and TB-500, two cortisone injections, PT, and had MUA four days ago. My ROM is about the same since MUA and my pain levels have increased to the point that I am crying out in my sleep again. Seven months of BS at this point. So damn tired of this.

All my bloodwork has been tested multiple times very extensively and nothing was found. I have bilateral frozen shoulder and am only 22 years old and male. I take all those supplements daily and they do nothing. I go to PT 2x/week.

I needed to reach something at the very back of a high cupboard shelf. Normally, I would have used my right arm to reach up and easily grab it but because my right shoulder is frozen I tried to use my healthy left arm to grab it - only problem is to reach the object I stupidly forced myself to make an awkward twisting motion while my left arm was fully extended and now I've gone and really irritated my left rotator cuff! I am praying my left side now doesn't start freezing. Be careful out there folks. It's very easy to further injure oneself while protecting an injured shoulder/arm/leg by overcompensating (or in my case doing something stupid) with a healthy part of your body. When injured, we need to slow down and think before moving. I didn't and now my other shoulder is hurting. Frustrating!