UKC

I was recently diagnosed with adhesive capsulitus after shoulder surgery 5 month previously. I’m concerned with the continued level of pain, restriction and also the audible crunching from the capsule. 
does anyone have any experiences of similar sensations and recommendations as to how to fix this 

You have my sympathy.

I had this quite badly ten years ago. It was occasionally excruciating and very debilitating. After a few months of painful physio, I had a distention arthrogram which sounds horrible but was fine. I went in unable to raise my arm higher than about chest level and came out with almost as much movement as my good shoulder. I then had a long haul of physio to get full movement back. This was more or less successful, but I'm still doing exercises in a battle to even out imbalances I have in my shoulders (which existed prior to the frozen shoulder). I should add that afaik not everyone needs this procedure, just that mine was particularly acute.

Keep an eye on it an if it gets worse go straight to a doctor or physiotherapist, preferably one who will be sympathetic towards your athletic ambitions.

Nickinscottishmountains who posts on here has experience of it and is also a Dr. He gave me a lot of very good advice at the time.

Good luck with it.

I'm in exactly the same position. Went in to a bankart repair surgery with a frozen shoulder. They fixed the labrum and cleaned up a bit of the frozen shoulder. It's been 5 months since surgery this week and I've still got a frozen shoulder. Physio is helping and I'm getting my movement back at maybe a couple of cm a week. My surgeon is thinking about injections however I'm not in any pain. It's just stiff. What surgery did you have?

Do you happen to have Nicks contact details in an effort to get some advice from him please. 

At the time, did your shoulder feel and sound crunchy? 
 

You can find Nick’s profile on here. I’ll ping him a message to let him know about the thread. 
My shoulder was a little crunchy, still is actually, but it was more the feeling of being twisted, like the playground bully at school would do, with surprisingly little movement. 
 

Gordon - I feel your pain; Stuart - thank you.

So I'd recommend seeking rereferral to the orthopaedic shoulder team as they've seen the inside of this shoulder and you need to consider the frozen shoulder in the context of the surgery.

In the meantime, blitz the physio exercises. No half measures, no days off. Physios often recommend the exercises three times a day; I opted to do then every waking hour on rhe hour and did not have a single waking hour without them for several months. If you go on to have a distension arthrogram or MUA, that will only get you to the start line for you to do the rest of the work through physio.

Are you doing exercises? How often? If you aren't, don't wait for a NHS physio appointment, paying for a one off physio appointment to show you what to do is worth its weight in gold. 

I wouldn't base any decisions on how similar or not your experience is compared to that of othera with AH; the bottom line is stretch it and get seen by the shoulder pros.

If the physio says go to A&E to get an xray first before the phtsio gets to work, I am afraid that is not appropriate unless you have definitely recently injured it enough to have dislocated it or broken it, but in those cases you would clearly know to go to A&E anyway.

Become an olymian in your shoulder exercises!

I hope that helps. 

I am under the care of a physio who has also suggested shock wave therapy as a means of progression, as well as exercises. 

I’m very much one for overdoing things and appeared to have developed some form of tendonopothy in fighting the stiffness prior to diagnosis so I’m in a bit of a tricky spot. The joint seems to “flare up” with any form of movement but maybe that’s just the way AC goes. 
Did yours flare up whist walking or doing simple tasks? Do you just charge on through it? 
 

I'm not really sure what you mean.

Mine got steadily worse until the distension arthrogram then steadily better afterwards and four months later was 100%.

Yours sounds more complex with surgery, tendonopathy and now adhesive capsulitis. I think you need ortho as well as physio.

If it's any use, am currently regularly having shock wave therapy for a different injury in a different part of me and it does seem to be making a difference!