Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Anybody had a locked shoulder?

Both my shoulders have been bugging me, and getting progressively tighter. It got to the point I had a hard time putting on my lab coats at work. The dr. says my left shoulder is locked and the right shoulder isn't much better. Off to the physical therapist, and he put me on some therapy exercises. One week in, and at least I can get my lab coat on without help now. Anyone ever had this and what kind of treatment did you receive?

Hoping these exercises keep loosening this up, or it's going to be a real adventure getting into a tree stand in a couple weeks here.

Something like that. Could not raise my arm past horizontal for ages. Some light weight workouts had me better in days. Wish I had done it sooner. Have to be careful though. I am fighting a bout of tendinitis right now in my left shoulder and weights are the wrong thing. Sucks getting old.
I am betting you will soon be just fine- and hopin that is the case. Are you taking any supplements?

I'd bet anything your labrum is torn

I couldn't put my coat on or even pull a bed sheet when my left shoulder needed a re-build

An MRI is in your future

I have a long history of shoulder problems bi laterally. Surgery w/ pins and staples in my left and several dislocations of my right. 3 years ago I started getting alot of arthritic pain in both shoulders, often severe enough to wake me at night.

I started taking Glucosamine and doing Kettlebell range of motion exercises and now largely pain free w/ a vastly improved range of motion and strength.

I used the Skogg training method and it is great. I started w/ just a 15# bell and now work daily w/ 35#. Working out daily and emphasizing reps over weight is the key and gives a good aerobic component. This has made a huge improvement in my overall quality of life.

Give it a try and good luck.


mike r

Both of mine locked up. Three months of physical therapy and exercises with this pulley gizmo got them back to working.

Very painful and aggravating.

A partial tear in the left shoulder ligament from throwing a softball. Something like 2 months of therapy and I am OK now. The pain was the last thing to go away.

I had pseudo paralysis in my left shoulder from falling about 25 feet from a ladder/scaffold. I could only move my left arm about an inch forward and an inch or so to the left. I had the best physical therapist in the the whole world. I have about 95+% use of that arm today and it continues to get better as well. If they tell you to work it, then work the heck out of it. Put In the reps you will be rewarded. I am back close to my all time lifts and am grateful to be where I am with it.

Hillbillybear nailed it, although for me it was only the left shoulder

I have had what is called a "frozen shoulder" on both my right (1996) and left (2010) shoulders. Both were caused by extended, repetitive overuse. On the first go around my regular doctor guessed it was something else and I underwent months of painful (and for me) unhelpful physical therapy. A tennis playing friend of mine suggested that I see a shoulder specialist. Went to see him, ran through a series of motion tests and he said "I can fix that" as he prepared a 6" long needle of cortisone that he injected about 3" deep from the top of my shoulder. Shot was not painful (it deadened as it went) and relief was near instant. Within a week it was back to normal. In 2010 it was a slightly different deal. Couldn't see him for months when the other shoulder flared up (dealing with a dying Mom). But, same drill, it just took a bit longer for relief to come.

Physical therapy..........yeah I had that too

After this though

I went through a "frozen shoulder" about two years ago. No surgery and no shots, just about four months of PT. My injury came from a manually operated snow plow attachment on my four-wheeler.

Good news, the PT worked and I regained my full range of motion. The doctor said if it didn't work that they would put you out and rip it free to be followed by four months of PT. Needless to say, I was motivated and did the at home exercises. Two years later - no issues at all.

The Physical Therapist said possible treatements include cortizone shots, and surgery, but felt pretty certain that the phys. therapy would handle this. Like I was saying, I've been able to get my lab coat on without help the last couple days. I go back in on Wednesday again and I'm guessing they'll add more exercises. The ironic thing is, I ran into both the chiropractor and the physical therapist that worked with my daughter when she was pitching. They both said they'd be happy to work with me too.

I dislocated my left shoulder last Monday.I wish it was frozen now.

I know when my daughter had trouble with her shoulder due to too much pitching, one of the treatments they did was resistance training with elastic bands. Has anybody used this for treatment? She still does it to this day and has had no more shoulder issues.

The W had this. Broke her wrist and screwed up her shoulder during a fall.

Had to have surgery and have pins put in her wrist. Her shoulder wound up "frozen". Couldn't lift her arm above shoulder level, and painful. Months and months of physical therapy did nothing for it. She finally went in for "surgery". Consisted not much more than her being put under, and the doc forcefully rotating her arm through its normal full range of motion to break apart whatever scar tissue was in there. Apparently quite the deal, as she was warned before hand the procedure could result in a broken arm.

I went into recovery after the procedure, and when she saw me she smiled, and lifted her arm above her head for the first time in a year. Yeah, she was a little sore for a while, but a very happy woman.

She's now back to about 95% range of motion, and it rarely bothers her.

I used one of the resistance bands too. It works.

Chiropractic treatment IMO is not your answer

When the trash in my right gets on the nerve i get a shot from my pain doc.

Seems about every 2 years or so it acts up.
I don't throw anything overhand any more and if i do i don't do it much.

I have had enough operations so anytime i can put off another,i am happy.
I have been using a new type of salve called 315 extreme relief and yep it's made with hemp oil.
Don't get you high but it has worked wonders so far.
I also use it on my right hand where old author has had me down for many years.
It has worked so far on everything i have put it on,just waiting for the shoulder to act up then will give it a try there.