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> From: Wanda Banks <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: "Frozen shoulder" > Date: Tuesday, 22 April 1997 2:07 > Has anyone else had a diagnosis of "frozen shoulder"? > My question is ...is this familiar to anyone? ...Is a frozen shoulder > a symptom of Parkinsons? Does anyone know any sucessful treatments for > frozen shoulder? Hi Gail, I am not qualified to speak on the medical aspects. But, due to the limited (sometimes non-existent) degree of movement in PWP's, they often maintain poor postural positions in bed, where those without the disorder would turn over. Often, the position is one with the torso supported on the point of a shoulder. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with this, just if it is maintained for long periods. This can cause, over time, intense and lasting pain. I, among others, find that using a slightly higher pillow than I was used to, to lift the head, and thereby take some of the pressure off the shoulder, is one answer. Using a large "banana" pillow helps others. Another aid is satin sheets, or the new three-part cotton-satin-cotton sheets, to facilitate turning over. A relatively firm mattress (such as an orthopaedic mattress) also helps. If the cause of the problem is rotator-cuff syndrome, the above won't cure, but may alleviate. One clue as to whether this is the cause, is whether or not the shoulder involved is on the side the sufferer prefers to sleep. A treating doctor should (in my humble opinion) be informed that the patient has PD, and "reminded" of the movement problems associated with it. Just as an aside, one GP told me that he had had one hour of PD, in five hours of neurological disorders generally, in the whole of his initial training. Jim (57/12)