The Link Between Frozen Shoulder and Thyroid Disease
Wednesday December 12, 2007
It often starts with difficulty moving your shoulder. You can have dull, aching pain, difficulty with daily activities that involve lifting the arm (i.e., brushing your hair), and even pain while sleeping. It's called "Frozen Shoulder," or adhesive capsulitis, and you may not realize it, but it's more common in thyroid patients. Frozen shoulder is the topic of an interesting new overview article by AP health writer Lauran Neergaard this week. And if you want to delve into the topic and learn more, our About.com Orthopedics guide, Dr. Jonathan Cluett, has an excellent, in-depth review of this condition, including symptoms, diagnosis and treatment information. One thing we know, however, is that getting it diagnosed and treated right away can help prevent it from worsening, so it's worth getting evaluated.
Photo: clipart.com
Comments
God bless you, Mary, for once again pointing out something I had been totally unaware of. I can’t raise my left arm without wicked pain in my shoulder, and never higher than shoulder-level. I have never mentiomed it to my doctor as I thought it was arthritis and just part of growing old. I will follow the recommendations of Dr. Cluett and will most certainly bring it up at my next appointment with my MD. Again, thanks for keeping us informed. We’re indeed fortunate to have you.
Mary,
After living with various pains related to my thyroid condition for many years, I was very glad to find the consumer’s version of Dr. Janet Travell’s trigger point work by Clair Davies. Recently, he published an additional volume on the frozen shoulder which can be safely used by the patient in their own home.
It’s the Frozen Shoulder Workbook (http://www.triggerpointbook.com/frozenindex.html) and has been well received by the medical community. Non-invasive, non-chemical and effective.
His original work The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook is in its second edition and covers most pain problems with simple, self-administered techniques. Once again, they are non-invasive, non-chemical and effective. They won’t address an underlying medical component of pain, but it’s amazing how many conditions, for instance, migraine and other headaches and low back pain, may be helped significantly.
In our family, we check with our doctor AND with the Trigger Point Therapy Charts.
Mary, I couldn’t survivie without all the things I learn from you and have for years now. Last year I fell and fractured my humerous (shoulder). While it was immobilized I suffered the onset of “frozen shoulder.” The physical therapy was so helpful but the pain I endured was excruciaiting and I had pretty much lost most of my range in that arm. It took a very long time but I finally have my arm back and most dyas pain free, which is someting I never thought i would accomplish. To anyone suffering from frozen shoulder….don’t give up and no matter how hard and painful it is keep working it!!!!
I have TWO frozen shoulders – both idiopathic (of unknown origin) according to my doctors. As I was recovering from a Cushing’s surgery when this happened, there was no way I would allow any extra steroids to be injected into my body. I have read in other health groups for conditions that I have – hypoparathyroid – that many there have this as well and a high incidence as well. I agree that there must be an endocrine commponent to this but since most docs overlook anything endocrine – including endos – wonder if this will catch on. I am panhypopituitary so they need to do a lot of testing. As they should.
Has anyone ever experience a frozen hip relative to thyroid? Thanks, elizabeth
I had 2 frozen shoulders both in my 40’s while i was having issues with my thyroid.They came out of the blue but lifting lots of heavy packages made it get worse rapidly. I am telling you to run to the ORTHEpeDIC doc right away. If you don’t get the cortisone shot in the beginning, it doesn’t work as well to relieve the inflammation. i had to go through with both shoulders very painful physical therapy ans they try to rip the adhesions inside the shoulder joint so that the shoulder can rotate again. It’s horrible PT. You have to really whine to the orthopedic guy to give you the shot right away.They give you anti inflammatory pills too but they only work minimally in bad cases like mine. They will not correct the problem. there is a lot of bad swelling in the shoulder capsule in this condition. You should hear my horror story on my thyroid nodule debacle. I made some posts on it before. I have no thyroid now .
I have been on thyroid most of my life. I had my first frozen shoulder 20 years ago when I was in my middle 40’s. The first time this occurred, I waited too long to go to the doctor. I finally went and had a cortisone shot and eight weeks of physical therapy. Neither the shot nor PT helped. Finally I went into the hospital and was put to sleep and they manipulated my shoulder. Ten years later when my other shoulder began to give me problems, I went to the doctor right away and got the shot in the shoulder and only had four weeks of physical therapy.
I have had both shoulders frozen a year apart. My chiropractor was my best relief. He worked it out better than physical therapy. Took 2-3 months and it is so much better.
I also had both shoulders frozen 2 years apart. Both times it took exact 9 months to go away (without any medication, physical therapy did not help much). My doctors never told me it could be a thyroid connection. ( I have Hashimoto Thyroiditis with high antibodies)
I have a question. My mother had her thyroid removed on last year. It had cancer cells. The doctor said he got it all. She took one radiation pill. But recently she has been complaining of body pains and aches. The doctor has ran numerous test and he says he dont know what could be causing it. He first thought it was the cholesterol pills she was taking so he gave her some medicine to take that was suppose to run it out of her system. That didnt work either, because she’s still having the pains. Could the pains she’s having be associated with the lose of her thyroid? I feel helpless because nothing helps her to make her comfortable. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.
I had a severe, but mercifully short, espisode of frozen shoulder post-throidectomy.
After my total thyroidectomy I was put on100mcg of Synthroid. I was very, very tired at this level, feeling as if I could barely move. I would look at how dirty the ground or floor was because all I felt I could do was slump down and rest. I never actually did, but the fatigue was almost overwhelming.
However, shortly before my first whole body scan (WBS), my left should began to feel sore when I woke up. Since I had injured that shoulder in a skiing fall, I figured I was just sleeping so deeply from my fatigue that I didn’t move my arm when I was uncomfortable–thus the pain.
It came on very suddenly: One day I could not move my arm more than 30 degress away from my body, then it was down to barely any space at all between arm and body. The pain if I moved it mere degrees away from my body was excruciating, bringing me to tears. I went to my internist after three days of this and saw their sports medicine specialist who told me this was classic frozen shoulder. She referred me ASAP to a sports med ortho doc.
I saw him the next day, and, while I had the symptoms, he was perplexed as to why it happened so suddenly. Usually, he said, it is gradual, more gradual than I described. An x-ray showed nothing, and he couldn’t do a CT because of the iodine.
Well, my endo increased my Synthroid based on the WBS and unsuppressed blood work–and the frozen shoulder just disappeared! Before the insurance company would even give permission for an MRI!
So, what I’ve learned from other thyca patients and this experience, is that low thyroid can lead to unexplained joint pains–and, of course, even when the numbers say we’re perfectly dosed, our bodies can indicate otherwise.
Just a suggestion to check thyroid hormone and perhaps try increase in dose to see if that helps. People on the thyca site have gone through endless tests, even surgery, for this kind of idiopathic pain.
I get cramped and very sore hand joints when I’m having Synthroid problems, which for some reason happened after this year’s WBS. I went unsuppressed using Thyrogen, not cold turkey, but never returned to the “balance” I’d reached for about 8 months–now I’m fatigued on the same level of Synthroid, gained weight almost overnight, and the endo won’t increase dosage due to palpitations and really low suppression. Numbers, great; body, not so. My endo is not concerned about the fatigue or achiness, btw. Tells me to be patient. For the past two months, my knee has been very sore. Related? who knows? Getting MRI results soon, I hope.
BTW, this is the “Good Cancer,” until it’s not.
I had several bouts of frozen shoulder after being diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I did not connect it with the thyroid problem, and got physical therapy and pain pills–never cortisone. Then when I switched from T4 meds to a combo of T4 & T3 meds because my T3 was testing a little low in the range, my frozen shoulder disappeared.
What I deduced was that the swollen tissue one gets with hypothyroidism –myxedema– was happening inside my shoulder. Using T4 alone was not improving it, as I was not converting T4 to T3 sufficiently. As soon as I started adding in the T3, the frozen shoulder condition went away–within 72 hours. I think the T3 allowed the swollen tissue to return to healthy tissue. I would like to see more discussion of this. I did raise this on the forum here years ago when it happened–and several others mentioned that they had had frozen shoulder as well. I have had no recurrence of frozen shoulder since I have been on the T4/T3 combo. Tweaking med doses may be an art form, but it can have dramatic results.
Shortly before I started back on my thyroid meds (had been off for a while and “forgot” to start back) my left shoulder started to bother me. We had just scrubbed the gooey glue off a 25 foot wall after removing wallpaper (residue was like the back of scotch tape). I thought that I had an injury and nothing seemed to help although I tried several things. Tried a new deep tissue massage therapist in the fall and seemed to be getting much better, but now we are in the middle of December and where I am we really have winter and have had several weeks of minus 20 or so. My shoulder started to bother me again and just this afternoon I was thinking that it could be because of the lower thyroid levels caused by the colder weather. I would bump up my meds, but I am already at the top high dose of time release T3 and 100 mcg of T4 (don’t have a prescription for more T4 yet). I am rather reluctant to increase when I am at this level …. ??? what to do??
Gloria
Now I know…..I always wondered what the heck….just out of the blue about the same time I started packing on weight, losing eyebrow hair, having severe hot flashed, and calf tendon aching, my should from my elbow to my rotator cuff just quit functioning. I never went to a doctor about it, but I did start have a ti massage therapist come to my home and he advised me to stretch the pictorial muscles which I did and it was amazing how much it helped…plus just about that same time I had finally been diagnosed with Hoshimotos and started on medication. Although I have been adjusting my medication for over a year now, I still have a long way to go. My hair is back, my depression is much better; I sleep a little better but am working on the adrenals to improve that a bit more. You are wonderful to have this site, I have read your book and others that you have recommended and although I still, feel, my husband do not quit get it, and I feel vindicated.
Thank you, again.
Rebecca
Haymarket, VA
When i was on synthroid(no thyroid), I had terrible shoulder pain. Problem was I had a reaction to it probably the fillers. This is a common problem with me and meds. I convinced a new doctor switch me over to levoxyl and all of a sudden my shoulder pains magically disappeared. It probably was the reaction to the Synthroid . The more they increaed the dosage, the worse the pain in my shoulder . i had bursitis in that shoulder but it was better so i knew it wasn’t a flareup of that.
also low thyroid will cause aches and pains so be aware. For me, the levoxyl has been very good but not perfect. it is never the same once your gland is removed. The meds just can’t simulate the real thing.
Thank you, I have been about to give up hope. The Doctors think I am crazy sometimes. I have had Raynauds since I was 22 yrs old and now hypothyroid problems throughout my lifetime and recently developed Ostopenia and Ostoporasis and terrible back, hip and leg aches.I have lost the feeling in both feet and started taking Lyrica which has help considerable. Sometimes I would lose weight to 98 lbs then gain up 214lbs. Eventhough my T4F and TSH levels seem to stay in within limits. I have received the shot in my Right Shoulder which has relieved the tremendous pain I have had 2 frozen shoulders. As person in questions #5 I have recently about 3 months or more, tremendous pain in my left hip and it runs down my leg. They are speculating now I have MS!!! Yet NO one wants to do anything. I sleep every night on a heating pad for my left hip and my leg pain. Thank you all for telling of your misfortunes with our thyroids.
Elizebeth and i have the same question— Does this also affect the hip at all? I’ve had horrible left hip pain. that feels like my hip locks up and i’ve lost range of motion in it. It started right after i was diagnosised with hypothryroidism. they have exrayed and i’ve had therapy and nothing works and nothing shows on the exrays or MRI’s.feels like it’s in the tendin or the muscle. No one can tell me anything about it. any input you might have would be great!
Our family is prone to hypothyroidism.
Association of thyroid disorder with frozen shoulder is not proven.
Very intesting. I have had right shoulder problem frozen about 15yrs ago, about the same time discovered my thyroid was low. My mother and brother have the same thing.
When my shoulder started acting up it hurt so bad I could barely move it. Then the pain went away, I just couldn’t lift it high or lift anything heavy. If I put strain on it (i.e. lifting something over my head) it would pop out of socket, but not painful.
Now it is fine. I heard that frozen shoulder, once it went back to normal, would cause excruciating pain again. I have not experienced this.
BTW, I am Hypo, 34, male, 150 ug of Synthroid. Soon to increase as I have new symptoms popping up quite often. I used to be so healthy, and now my body is deteriorating, it sucks. All this in 1.5 years, absolutely amazing.
am still interested in frozen hip/thyroid theory….believe I have it….anyone else?
I’ve suffered from a frozen right shoulder for around eight months (along with an under-active thyroid gland for the last two years) and had not made the connection between the two until I’d received some ‘manupulation’ along with a Cortisone injection. A friend rang me to see how I was and said she had Googled information and discovered the connection. Most people don’t know there is a connection between the two. I was asked by my consultant in the UK if I was diabetic (what???) but nowhere along the line was the connection made between the two.
My shoulder is a lot freer and now I’m trying to gain more movement, otherwise, I’m told it could seize up again. Oh no.
My advice to fellow suffererers is ‘don’t’. Go straight to your doctor and demand to see a specialist. Chiropractors, physiotherapists and osteopaths can do nothing to help you. The complaint is said to go after 18 months to two years, but if you want to speed up the recovery process, get a Cortisone injection, some manipulation (under a general anesthestic) and get your lives back.