Frozen Shoulder & Menopause: Symptoms and What to Know
If you're reading this blog post, you may be experiencing shoulder pain as a menopausal or perimenopausal woman and are wondering if you have a frozen shoulder.
You may be experiencing some shoulder joint pain and stiffness, weakness, fullness, and just feel like something isn't in the right spot inside of your shoulder.
Inside this blog post, we'll cover what frozen shoulder is and the symptoms you may see if you do have a frozen shoulder during your menopausal years and what to do about it.
If you want to read my comprehensive guide on frozen shoulder and menopause, which includes treatment options, exercises, and a lot more, you can read that blog post here.
What is frozen shoulder?
Frozen shoulder, also called "adhesive capsulitis" is a condition in which the shoulder joint gets stiff and painful and leaves you with limited range of motion. We know that typically there is also inflammation within the joint capsule that leads women to self-limit their range of motion of their arm and shoulder, which further feeds the limitation. Unfortunately, it can be extremely painful and extremely frustrating to deal with.
What's the connection of frozen shoulder and menopause?
In short: hormonal changes, which is a risk factor for developing frozen shoulder. But let's dive in deeper.
During menopause, women experience a decline in estrogen levels, which can have several effects on the body.
Estrogen plays a crucial role in maintaining joint health by promoting the production of synovial fluid, which lubricates the joints and reduces friction.
The reduction in estrogen levels during menopause can lead to a decrease in synovial fluid production, resulting in joint stiffness and increased risk of conditions like frozen shoulder because, as we just chatted about, that inflammation can lead to limited range of motion and pain.
Symptoms of frozen shoulder during menopause
You might be wondering if the shoulder pain and stiffness you have is due to frozen shoulder.
Some of the symptoms that are classic for frozen shoulder include:
You experience joint stiffness at the shoulder- it may feel tight or like there's a little bit of pressure in the joint
You may have pain in the front/outside of your shoulder that you'd describe as "achy" when you're at rest and "sharp" if you were to move your arm to it's end ranges (such as reaching up as far as you can)
Shoulder pain at night
Pain when reaching behind your back, like if you were trying to fasten or unbuckle your bra.
You feel like you can't move your arm as much as you used to be able to. You can't reach as high or as far.
You have pain with lifting, reaching, and dressing
While these are not every symptom that you may feel, these are the most-commonly seen ones.
What to do next if you think you have frozen shoulder or are unsure
If you read those symptoms and are concerned that you may have frozen shoulder, you have options as far as treatment goes.
I would recommend that you seek out a professional to assess you in full as soon as you are able, because we want to make sure we try our best to catch frozen shoulder early so we focus on treatment.
Treating frozen shoulder in menopausal women is one of my specialties as a physical therapist and menopause coach.
In-person options:
If you are local to the Washington DC area, I would love to see you at Core Physical Therapy and Wellness located at 2440 M Street, NW #316, Washington, DC. Please click here to contact me about in-person physical therapy services and treatment for frozen shoulder.
Virtual options:
If you are not local to Washington, DC, I am offer virtual coaching calls in which we can work together to determine the next best steps for you. To get started, feel free to schedule a virtual consultation here.
Not sure where to start? Feel free to submit the contact form on this page and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
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