Hi
I’m new to this website and nearly 6 months post right acute pontine stroke. About 3 months ago I developed shoulder pain and stiffness which has been diagnosed as tendonitis but despite a steroid injection, ice packs, heat pads, physio and pain killers it’s not improving at all, in fact I think the stiffness is getting worse and my arm is getting weaker. I’m not sure I’ve even got the right diagnosis. Has anyone had anything similar?
@NorfolkBroad Hi & welcome to the community. Sorry you’ve had cause to join us but hopefully you’ll find it a useful place to be.
I developed a frozen shoulder some time after my stroke. It was excruciating initially…well for months but did start to improve after some physio and acsteroid injection. I was warned it would take 18 months plus to get better though. I was also told if the first injection didn’t work thar I could have another. Have you tried having a 2nd injection?
There’s also a thing called subluxation of a shoulder which can occur after a stroke. Has this been considered?
If it was me I would go back for a 2nd opinion & double check the diagnosis. Maybe request a scan as there might be something going on that they can pick up on a scan.
Hope it eases soon.
Best wishes
Ann
I would say anyone who has had a serious stroke has had, yes, something similar. In fact there are far worse cases. Keep moving it through max ROM (range of motion). Free your thoughts, or your fascia will tighten and your arm will feel heavy. Try PBM or NIR, grounding, Qigong and isometric exercise. Good luck, Roland
Thank you Ann, you’ve confirmed what I’m thinking, either frozen shoulder or dislocation. I’ll go back to the Dr on Monday for a scan and guided steroid injection. It’s been a month since the first one so Ive given it time t work.
Thanks Roland, I’m doing the exercises given by the physio but the pain is so bad that I can’t do as many as I need to. I was recovering really well from my stroke, gained full movement of my arm and was able to drive within 3 weeks (had to wait until the legal time was up tho) and was back to work within a month but this has set me right back. This is far worse to recover from.
Where is the pain, exactly? around your scapula? that’s usually a weak spot so look up SITS muscles. My arm also hurts, unless I develop it (work muscles) but if I overwork or underwork a particular area, it starts to ache, particularly at night. Take magnesium to relax muscles. Do you get spasms? Some clues would help, though I have no magic wand. An iTeraCare wand is actually a great tool to combat pain. Ditto Red light therapy. It’s a must, really,
good luck, Roland
Hi Roland, the pain is on the top of my shoulder at the front but feels like it’s deep within, also get referred pain running down my arm. It alternates between an ache and throbbing pain, it’s pretty much constant. The pain is worse at night, I can’t get more than 2 hours sleep at a time. Some nights I’m awake between 1am and 5. Nothing relieves the pain except a hot bath. I don’t get spasms. I already have a red light therapy kit on order but I will look into the other stuff you recommend.
Thank you.
Hey there,
thanks for the details. What’s your muscle tone (Tonus) like? If low, check there’s no subluxation (I think you would know about this) but worth ruling out. Does it hurt going past your rotator cuff as you lift your arm up straight? I survived on 1 hour sleep per night, about 3 months post stroke ; it’s a real setback. CBD under the tongue helps me. Also I’d get a wristband grounding kit, better still get 2 , and put it around your arm for the inflammation. Does your red light kit do 850 nm ? also called Near Infra Red ? NIR. Great news about the hot bath. Great clue. Anyway get started with grounding plug to reduce inflammation ; where there’s pain , there’s inflammation. Good luck, Roland
Just ordered a yoga mat with inbuilt grounding, arrives tomorrow.
Which mat did you get? That’s a start… research it all you can ; the free electrons that will permeate your body, and neutralize inflammation ; make sure you understand how that’s done, if possible. I would also strongly recommend 2 wristbands to put around your bad arm ; start with an hour or two a day. I did because there was an intense detox period (increased bowel movement purging metals etc) ; but my body chose to heal my digestive tract first ; so, whatever it needs ( and our body knows exactly what needs the most attention ).
There’s so much you can do to help yourself !!
Chip away ! Good luck grounding
ciao, R
It sounds like that pain might be coming from the Rotar Cuff, either from muscle tightness creating all over tension building up which can go right into the neck over time. Or maybe a tear in the Supraspinous tendon there. Has that been considered/checked out.
I’ve had tension tightness in the rotar cuff in the past. This has caused pain and discomfort, problem’s with pain to raise arm above higher than shoulder hight, pain when lifting/pushing weights. There are exercises, stretches and manipulations for that that you can find on the internet.
But get the shoulder scanned for damaged or tears first before you go down that route. The last thing you want to do is make it worse/irreparable due to the wrong treatment.
Non of us on here are medically qualified. We are only qualified in our own personal experiences.
Lorraine
Stroke Improvement Group
I had Cortisone injections, had the scans it didn’t work work had operation 4 weeks ago.
Had my stroke 9 years ago, best thin hot water bottle to calm down but now cold pads from amazon seem to work.
I was never mentioned rotator cuff, not an expert though.
Hope this helps
What is PBM and NIR please
what is photobiomodulation?
ChatGPT
Photobiomodulation (PBM), also known as low-level light therapy (LLLT), is a therapeutic technique that uses low-level lasers or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to stimulate, heal, and regenerate tissue. It involves the application of light, typically in the red or near-infrared spectrum, to biological tissues to induce beneficial cellular effects.
PBM is generally considered safe, non-invasive, and painless when used appropriately. It has no significant side effects when used within proper dosage parameters, although overexposure could potentially lead to overheating or tissue damage.
My Husband Stephen who had a stroke in 2021 started to have pain and weakness in his right shoulder last year . He had 2 steroid injections , the second one was guided . Unfortunately after the 2nd injection it seem to cause the condition to worsen and his mobility and pain in his arm became increasingly worse . He was finally given an MRI scan which showed a thickness tear of the supraspinatus tendon . The specialist said they can operate but there is no guarantee it will work especially as the window of time for success with this type of operation is limited . However as it will not improve on its own we feel that there is no alternative but to have an operation as this seems to be best way forward . The specialist suggested physio for 3 months to build up the surrounding muscles before the operation . Hopefully you find this helpful and will get some results soon to enable you to move forward with your condition . Regards Anne
I’m with @Annabella1 on this one. Get it checked out for a tear before you do anything else. Exaggerate if you have to, to get it investigated correctly and thoroughly.
My sister is just recovering from surgery on a torn ligament in her ankle. She suffered for 2 years with it seeing gp, cortizone injections, and physios before going private to get it correctly diagnosed then fixed.
Lorraine
Stroke Improvement Group
Going for a private ultrasound tomorrow. Earliest appointment I could get to ‘talk’ about a scan with GP is not until the 30th and then it’ll be several weeks, maybe months, to get a scan on NHS.
So the ultrasound showed no tears, the tendons are in good nick, so it’s probably as I feared - frozen shoulder. In the meantime I’ve thrown everything at it - earthing mat, red light therapy, home ultrasound machine, physio and yoga.
The pain is very much better. Whether it’s due to any or all of the above or the steroid injection finally kicked in or I’ve moved from the first stage of frozen shoulder to the second or it’s psychological. I don’t know, all I now is that I’m not in constant pain anymore and I can finally sleep. The shoulder is still stiff and there’s little improvement in mobility but I can work on that with the physio and yoga.
That’s excellent news that there’s no muscular damage 
Or it could be that it’s start to thaw perhaps. 5 to 26 months to fully thaw out, so only time will tell unfortunately.
Without the pain your muscle will better be able to relax more, particular now that you can sleep better with it. Hopefully this should speed up the recovery now.
Thank you for updating me, I’m so pleased for you 
Lorraine
