DEAR DR. DONOHUE: After months of increasing shoulder pain coupled with decreasing mobility, I was diagnosed with frozen shoulder. My doctor says that nothing I can do will help my shoulder heal, but it will heal after it runs its course of approximately two years. Most troublesome is the pain at night, which wakes me hourly. I tried Vicodin, but it kept me awake. Is there anything that can be done? — T.R.

ANSWER: A frozen shoulder is one that has become immobile and painful. Sometimes it happens after an injury, particularly an injury that forces a person to keep the shoulder motionless. It also can occur after a period of overuse. Tissues around the shoulder joint thicken and lose their elasticity. They shrink and constrict the joint. Strands of scar tissue form within the joint and keep it from moving.

Physical therapy will help you. The therapist shows you exercises that gradually unfreeze the joint. He or she will teach you safe exercises, ones that won’t add insult to injury.

Try some nonmedicine pain-relieving techniques. At night, put a pillow under your shoulder. Otherwise, your shoulder drops down toward the bed when you lie on your back, and that intensifies pain. Take a warm shower before going to bed and direct the stream to your shoulder. If heat doesn’t work, an ice pack might. Don’t fall asleep with it on your shoulder, though; keep it there for no more than 15 minutes.

Has your doctor ever suggested a cortisone shot? It often can ease the inflammation that causes the pain.

Have you tried any of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, NSAIDs — like Motrin, Advil and naproxen? A new one called Pennsaid comes as a liquid you put on the shoulder’s skin. There’s also Voltaren gel, applied in the same way, and the Flector skin patch. Compounds with both acetaminophen (Tylenol) and codeine soothe pain. Nucynta, a newer medicine, takes care of more severe pain.

An abundance of pain relievers exists. You shouldn’t have to suffer without sampling many of them.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 68 years old and was diagnosed with osteopenia at age 62. I began a rigorous exercise program and walked five miles three or four days a week. I took calcium and a multiple vitamin every day. I now have osteoporosis. My doctor gave me all the bisphosphonate medicines — Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva. I also tried Miacalcin and Evista. I saw a rheumatologist, who said I am a prime candidate for Forteo. I have fractured three vertebrae; Forteo is the only medicine that rebuilds bone, where the other ones slow or stop bone loss. Why haven’t we seen Forteo advertised? It’s been on the market since 2002. It is costly. If it works, it’s worth the expense. I value your opinion. — M.W.

ANSWER: Forteo is a lab-made replica of parathyroid hormone, the hormone that keeps calcium in balance. It does stimulate new bone formation. I can’t give you a good reason why it’s not advertised. I consider it somewhat laudatory that it isn’t. The constant bombardment of advertising of prescription medicines makes people believe they’re missing out by not taking them. It’s definitely a one-sided presentation of their merits.

Forteo does carry a warning that it has caused bone tumors in lab animals given many times more than the safe dose used in humans. It is expensive, and it has to be given by subcutaneous injection — injection under the skin, like the way insulin is given. It’s not painful. I consider Forteo a very worthwhile investment for those not responding to other osteoporosis treatments. There is a new drug, Prolia (denosumab), that’s taken only twice a year. It’s an antibody that retards bone breakdown. It’s expensive, too.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have ripples on my fingernails but not on my toenails. What does that mean? — L.V.

ANSWER: If you mean somewhat thick, elevated lines that run from the bottom of the nail to its tip, they’re not a sign of illness. They happen with age.

Toenails don’t always show the same changes that fingernails show.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.