One student's story
Hi all,
Megan asked me to write about the challenge of continuing my yoga practice while dealing with/healing from frozen shoulder. At least that's what I think she meant when she said, "Please write a blog entry about it."
This time last year, I was a pretty functional yogini. I could do downdogs, headstands and handstands, all with good range and no discomfort. But by the end of the year, I was doing downdog with one hand (looks hard, but isn't) and other inverted poses not at all. My left shoulder had frozen.
Adhesive capsulitis is a spontaneous tightening of the shoulder joint. The soft capsule that holds the bones together inflames and binds the connective tissues, making it impossible to raise your arm above chest level. And it really hurts.
Eventually the pain subsides and the shoulder loosens, even becomes nearly normal again--but the whole process can take from 6-36 months. Doctors don't know what causes it, but it seems to strike fine-boned women in their 40s more than any other group.
If any classmate thinks she might be facing frozen shoulder, please talk to me. It can be very scary if you're dealing with it for the first time.I had it on the right side from 2002 until early 2005. Just when I thought it was finally gone, my left side started tightening up. I was horrified--"It's not fair!" I ranted.
Fortunately, my joint-care team was able to help me stall the process for about 18 months. Treatment included daily physical therapy to keep the shoulder mobile. Somehow daily PT became a daily yoga practice, which led me to SMYC last spring. Imagine my disappointment when I felt my left shoulder tightening again last fall.
I scrambled to "outsmart" the condition again. My care team proposed various alternative treatments--prolotherapy, hormone-replacement therapy. None of them worked. The pain and restriction overtook the left shoulder, and it followed the same freezing/frozen/thawing schedule that my right shoulder had followed in 2002. It was locked from December until early May, then gradually started to release.
Now it's July, and my left shoulder is getting looser and stronger every day. I've just started doing downdog on two hands again (still can't sink into my armpits, but that's coming), and I can sort of stand on my head again. I feel like my yoga practice is helping me regain my strength and range of motion faster this time. Last time it took years for the pain to completely fade and full range of motion to return.
I'm grateful for yoga in general and SMYC (my teachers and fellow yogis/yoginis) in particular. There were days when I didn't feel well/strong enough to get on the mat or come to class. But on the days when I could do even one brief, one-handed downdog, the power of the practice--and our community--helped me stay focused and hopeful.
Thanks--Megan and everyone--for asking about my shoulder and cheering me through the dark, painful months and back into the light. It feels good to put both hands on the mat again!
Namaste--Bonnie
Megan asked me to write about the challenge of continuing my yoga practice while dealing with/healing from frozen shoulder. At least that's what I think she meant when she said, "Please write a blog entry about it."
This time last year, I was a pretty functional yogini. I could do downdogs, headstands and handstands, all with good range and no discomfort. But by the end of the year, I was doing downdog with one hand (looks hard, but isn't) and other inverted poses not at all. My left shoulder had frozen.
Adhesive capsulitis is a spontaneous tightening of the shoulder joint. The soft capsule that holds the bones together inflames and binds the connective tissues, making it impossible to raise your arm above chest level. And it really hurts.
Eventually the pain subsides and the shoulder loosens, even becomes nearly normal again--but the whole process can take from 6-36 months. Doctors don't know what causes it, but it seems to strike fine-boned women in their 40s more than any other group.
If any classmate thinks she might be facing frozen shoulder, please talk to me. It can be very scary if you're dealing with it for the first time.I had it on the right side from 2002 until early 2005. Just when I thought it was finally gone, my left side started tightening up. I was horrified--"It's not fair!" I ranted.
Fortunately, my joint-care team was able to help me stall the process for about 18 months. Treatment included daily physical therapy to keep the shoulder mobile. Somehow daily PT became a daily yoga practice, which led me to SMYC last spring. Imagine my disappointment when I felt my left shoulder tightening again last fall.
I scrambled to "outsmart" the condition again. My care team proposed various alternative treatments--prolotherapy, hormone-replacement therapy. None of them worked. The pain and restriction overtook the left shoulder, and it followed the same freezing/frozen/thawing schedule that my right shoulder had followed in 2002. It was locked from December until early May, then gradually started to release.
Now it's July, and my left shoulder is getting looser and stronger every day. I've just started doing downdog on two hands again (still can't sink into my armpits, but that's coming), and I can sort of stand on my head again. I feel like my yoga practice is helping me regain my strength and range of motion faster this time. Last time it took years for the pain to completely fade and full range of motion to return.
I'm grateful for yoga in general and SMYC (my teachers and fellow yogis/yoginis) in particular. There were days when I didn't feel well/strong enough to get on the mat or come to class. But on the days when I could do even one brief, one-handed downdog, the power of the practice--and our community--helped me stay focused and hopeful.
Thanks--Megan and everyone--for asking about my shoulder and cheering me through the dark, painful months and back into the light. It feels good to put both hands on the mat again!
Namaste--Bonnie
posted by Jan at 5:57 PM
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