Iquwstion

Is it normal for a persons shoulder to hurt constantly, post-stroke? My left shoulder hurts all the time. Several times i feel a “pop” and the pain is much worse. Scale of 1-10, 1 being very low pain. 10 being unbearable. It is always about a 4. When it pops the pain can jumps up to about an 8. Also at night left arm tends to stiffin some.

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Hi @shawnw1 I haven’t experienced this personally but understand that it is very common and is one of the questions I always get asked if I’m at the hospital.

I would suggest speaking to your GP who should be able to prescribed a suitable pain relief.

I hope you get something sorted soon.

Regards Sue

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@shawnw1 I agree with Sue that this is common after stroke. There is a condition called subluxation that it might be it could also be a frozen shoulder. I would speak to your dr as they can advise the best course of treatment/ pain relief for you.

Best wishes

Ann

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As the others have said, it might be worth seeing your doctor about this. I’ve included a recent post from another member with who’s suffered with similar issues, which you might be able relate to :slightly_smiling_face:

Lorraine

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I’ve been to Dr who diagnosed tendonitis. It’s not that as I had a private ultrasound which shows the tendons are in good condition. It’s not subluxation either. It’s very much looking like frozen shoulder. Unfortunately the ultrasound can only tell me what it isn’t not what it is.

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Unfortunately, if it is frozen shoulder it can take time to recover


And unfortunately it is an issue stroke survivors are prone to, particularly with having any paralysis down one side. This causes a posture imbalance as you tend to lean towards your stronger side, thus creating a muscular imbalance which results in these type of issues.
Has your Dr recommended steroid injections or physio for it? A sports physio or osteopath are other options to try.

Lorraine

The thing is I wasn’t paralysed for long, the movement came back pretty quickly, I was able to drive within 3 weeks (had to wait until 4 weeks legally).

I’ve had a steroid injection, hasn’t really done anything and I’m having physio which is helping a little with the mobility but not much. The Physio has recommended an X ray to confirm it’s frozen shoulder. I started yoga as well which is helping with the mobility too. I know I’m in for the long haul but now that the pain is subsiding I can manage it.

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@shawnw1 and @NorfolkBroad ,
Now that I’ve link your two posts, don’t be surprised if I get myself a bit confused as a result. I’ve been on the computer and posts a lot today and my stroke brain is starting to scramble :crazy_face: :rofl:

Lorraine :wink:

No worries. My stroke brain forgives your stroke brain :rofl:

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I’m currently bouncing between two stroke forums, it’s a brain training exercises in itself keeping up with who I said what to, where and when :rofl:

Hello All,

I have a question which is:
does this problem apply only to the paralysed side of the body or both sides?
Having typed the question, I feel lime a dimwit as if the side is paralysed then presumably you woudn’t feel the pain? Anyway I’ve asked now, so let’s see.

I should say that I am asking on behalf of my Mum who seems to be troubled by the shoulder but as she is non-verbal aphasiaic following the stroke, it is difficult for her to explain and for me to understand.

Her communications are only by hand gestures and noises e.g. of pain so I do struggle at times to understand her, but we tend to get by in the main.

Thanking you in advance.

As I am not sure how to address everyone i.e. several of you can possibly answer my question and I’d like to make sure you all read this so I get a good response. I am used to using th @ symbol which I understand sends some sort of alert to the individual suffixed by the @.

This will be a bit messy, but here goes …
fao @shawnw1 , @Mrs5K , @Susan_Jane (sorry Sue, I know you said you haven’t experienced it, but I didn’t want to leave you out), @NorfolkBroad and @EmeraldEyes

:pray:

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No, as far as I’m aware it can be either one or both shoulders and pain can go into the neck also.


https://www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/muscles-bones-joints/frozen-shoulder

It’ll be a tricky one for you to diagnose because of mum’s lack of communication. Could she type out simple text on an ipad/tablet/mobile as a way to communicate. I really do feel for your mum having been that way myself. The aphasia was the most distressing part of mine, I think that’s a bit of phobia for me now.
It might help to do some research on the internet on how to communicate with the deaf and dumb and how they communicate their health issues.

Lorraine

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Hi Lorraine @EmeraldEyes

As always, I appreciate your help and depth of knowledge.

Mum is a truly incredible person. In her life she did so much for so many - a giver. Always giving and never expecting anything in return. She grew up in a time and culture where women did not have equal rights but she never moaned or complained. I could go on and on singing her praises but I’ll save it for another time.

What makes her so incredibly remarkable is she did all this with no formal education - she was never schooled and started working from a very young age. She is self-taught and she learnt basic reading and writing skills to be able to communicate in that format. Her verbal skills and ability to remember things is truly amazing though she has now been robbed of that by the stroke.

Quite simply she was just starting to using the mobile phone 3G before the stroke hit her and she could not read or write English (her mother tongue is Gujarati which she learnt by candle light during the nights).

So many times I think to myself, why couldn’t my Mum be given a computer as Stephen Hawking was given to help her? In this respect I feel so bad for her. It might sound crazy for me to compare her to someone like Stephen Hawking, but believe me in a parallel universe she could well be of that ilk.

Fate and life has been cruel to her, but yet she bears no grudges. Even today, we see the love and joy coming from her even as she struggles to live this awful life as a survivor of Stroke with so little help as has been documented by me quite a bit on this forum. Being totally dependent for all her needs must be so frustrating for her, yet she patiently waits for help after requesting and only raises the volume after she gets no response for a long time. Just as she never wanted to be burden when she was well, she still does not want to be a burden.

Her recovery from the stroke has been truly remarkable and against all odds. She has and continues to touch so many lives. She loves surprising people and she continues to do that each and every day. We are so blessed to have her in our lives.

Namaste|
:pray: :dove: :heart:

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So, my frozen shoulder was just one side - by coincidence stroke affected side but caused by a pneumonia jab of all things. What I can say was initially it was probably 8 / 10 on pain scale. I was told it can rake 2 years for it to resolve. Mine started in May 23 & i am still having physio. It is loads better & not really any pain now but I still can’t lift my arm out to the side. The physio did say that because of my stroke I might never get full movement back but I haven’t given up yet.

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@Mrs5K

Did you have full movement pre frozen shoulder?

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I had regained full movement in my arm following my stroke and then I got a frozen shoulder & literally had to start again. I was a bit miffed but as I’d done it once before I am determined to get full movement back again.

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I’m not surprised you’re miffed but stubborness and determination will get you a long way.

I’m a bit peed off too. I led a very healthy life style, doing all the right things but still suffered a stroke. I then did all the right things to recover from the stoke and then suffered a frozen shoulder. I’m just waiting for the third thing now.

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Hopefully there won’t be anything else.

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