Menopausal Frozen Shoulder

That is so very interesting Angelscry; I have had 3 pelvic floor repairs in recent years due to ligaments weakening during menopause, due to lack of estrogen and depleting collagen levels.

Have older injurues; weak and damaged ligaments in my foot and knee which flare up, knee also has cartilage damage. More recently injured my shoulder and that now is inflamed and stiffens up.

This study shows how important collagen is to health working ligaments and their ability to recover from injury.

Still wonder how much us down to depleting hormones ? As children often injure themselves and heal very quickly yet older adults are often left with inflammatory problems that don't go away!

X

I totally believe is a connection frozen shoulder and hormones.

Let us know the connection.

Is plenty of them here. I do not need to repeat.

What better evidence, then the ones suffering ourselves???

Hi Oliveria,

I have been doing exercises that physio has given me to do for a week now to keep my shoulder joint mobile and hopefully loosen things off.

I do two × 5hour shifts on Sunday, Monday at checkout; repetitive motion causes me to stiffen up and by Monday night in agony.

Did mention to thosr in charge that my GP said to try and get a move to either hybrid which faces other direction or self scan for at least half the shift. But in actual fact normally do hybrid and checkouts on Sunday; but ended up on checkout for whole of Sunday morning shift as football on and checkouts are faster. So was much worse this week.

Anyway by today much of pain and stiffness has eased off. Still using anti-imflamatory gel but can't use co-codemol as it causes constipation and having had pelvic floor repairs last year this is not good as I'm not allowed to strain as it could cause repairs to fail so struggling.

Physio reckons same as GP; I had injury which has caused imflamation and impingment and repetitive motion at work is contributing to further imflamatory.

Anyway only two more shifts then I am off on holiday for two weeks which will mean actually 18 days so hopefully will give me a chance to properly rest in between doing exercises.

My neck is still pretty stiff and keeps jerking like muscle going to go into spasm. Not sure why it's not slackening off more than it is.

So go back to physio in 3 weeks hopefully by then will be well on road to recovery.

Phyl x

Wishing you all the best in your recovery. I wish someone that suffer this condition can tell us on detail how the thawing phase develops???Im pretty sure that after my surgery 4 months ago, my leg and hip feels like slowly is getting in to place. I just to had my leg shorter and almost seems like it was inwords. After going everyday at the community center, first going in hut tub for 20 min then going and walk and do some exercises in the pool for another 30 to 50 min, coming back to hut tube for another 20 min. Slowly I feel things are changing, different kind of pains from nerve, tendons and muscle pains thinking they are trying to accomodate in the right place.

Sometimes I have a tremendous tendon pain at night or all day, only to find out the next day my hip feels much better and I can walk a little straighter. I still dont have flexion and exterior rotation but for some reason I feel a lot of improvement.

I finally feel that I can do a couple of steps without my cane, after almost 5 years of this horrible condition. I really feel that finally Im recovering.

If someone can describe the thawing phase I would really appreciate it.

Thanks a lot and all my best wishes to you Phyl.

Many blessings!!!

Thank you Oliver is, hope things get much better for you soon.

X 💖

It has been awhile since I posted and I am happy to report that I have officially moved into the thawing phase! I first began symptoms of FS in April 2016 and finally went to a Dr and got the FS diagnosis in August. At this same time, I was having a couple of very heavy periods (have not had one now since Sept, and labs indicate I have moved into menopause this fall). I felt all along that this simply had to be related to hormonal issues and my integrative physician agreed. I had been a long term birth control user and my Dr feels that my hormones started fluxuating wildly when I stopped taking BC pills at the beginning of 2016. As a yoga teacher, I am constantly moving and just didn't agree with the thinking that we so often hear: "you injured yourself, quit moving, and developed frozen shoulder." What a bunch of BS.  No injury, and I move all the time!

I have tried a variety of things: anti-inflammatory diet, fish oil, tumeric, Physical therapy, untrasound guided cortisone shots, accupuncture, and hormone therapy. For me, the things that have helped are the cortisone shots (eased pain, but didn't do too much for ROM), and hormone therapy. I started with some small amounts of testosterone (labs indicated this had plummeted and is common after BControl ), then added progesterone and finally, when I was in menopause officially, estrogen. (Dr would not give me estrogen early on as I was having heavy periods and she did not want this worsening). All of my hormones are taken as topical creams and are prepared at a compound pharmacy. The progesterone seemed to be the small start of the thawing for my shoulder...but the addition of estrogen in December was key.

I know in the US that hormone therapy has been discouraged in recent years after a study linked use to an increase in breast cancer. These results are now being reconsidered as it was one study and hardly conclusive in all situations.

So, I am no Dr, but as far as I am concerned, my FS is directly related to hormonal issues and only when these were addressed and stablized have I found relief. Honestly, I don't think the PT exercises did much for me. The hardest part of FS is the fact that symptoms seem to vary widely (from some folks having only mild pain and 4-6 months of stiffness) to those in agony and suffering for 2+ years. Since the length and severity vary so much, it is really hard to say that one thing or another is effective vs it simply having run it's course.

My thawing process started in December and continues now. I still have difficulty with some movements, but overhead reach and strength is now coming back and I can reach behind my back a bit now too. While my shoulder has been thawing, I noticed that my pain was worsening at night. I realized it had been 3 months since my last shot and went in for another (I have had 3,given every 3 months) and now have NO pain at night, so this shot has been the most helpful.

Every situation is different, but don't give up! The other thing that I noticed was that I had become quite depressed in late fall. The addition of the progesterone at that time really helped my mood. After one week I realized that I had not cried at all for a week!

I am lucky to be working with an integrative physician who specializes in menopausal issues, so she is open to a variety of treatments and was the one medical professional who agreed with my own medical intuition that my FS was related to hormone changes.

Good luck to all of you....it is certainly a difficult and misunderstood problem. Hopefully more research will be done to pinpoint effective treatments.

Hello Karenus,

Thanks a lot for all the information you are giving us here, is really much appreciated fromo all of us.

Every time one person post and share her thoughts and believes is great, so we can start understanding the reasons what, when, why and where an this all start up.

Is really frustrating that is not a complete study done regarding this condition. Every where you read about afhesive capsulitis, seems like the writters are just guessing without a real understanding of this condition. If some Dr. Or scientist will put some facts together quetioning all woman through menopause even when this condition is not just female related so many questions would be answered.

Even when they explain the phases of this condition they fail to explain the pain severity and disability this really causes.

Is also some controversy regarding the symptoms (ej. Thawing stage, most of them asume is no longer painful, I think for some it is painful and lots of discomfort, specilly every time you feel like tendons or ligaments change to find the right position) and duration of every stage of the condition.

Thanks a lot for all your info is very valuable and appreciated.

Manny blessing to you, seems like you are at the end of this painful condition, hoping you have a fast recovery in the thawing stage.

I agree that more research is needed. I plan to be sure to tell my orthopedist and my Physical Therapist of my experiences. Sometimes it takes a number of individual case studies to point researchers to an area of study. The upside of all of this for me, is that I will no longer EVER take movement and freedom from pain for granted. It's a good reminder that there are folks that are truly suffering from chronic pain, even though they appear just fine to the outsider.

Best of luck to all. This fourm is a big help too, as you realize that you are not alone (and not crazy) when others don't take your symptoms seriously!

Hi karen, thank you so much for your post, out of all of the posts in this forum (and I think I've read them all!) I have found yours the one I resonate with the most.  I hope your frozen shoulders is a distant memory at this point.

I now have two frozen shoulders.

We are different in that I had a complete hysterectomy at age 34 - I am now 63.  I took synthetic HRT for years (before I knew better), then about 20 years ago or so I started on bio-identical hormones.  Over the last several years I have not been faithful to this protocol.  Had I only known!

I have generally been very healthy, I am slim, plant-based and a walker with a short daily yoga practice for years and years.  About 11 months ago I got FS in my left shoulder.  The pain has diminished a lot since it began, and ROM has improved, but still has far to go.  About 2 months ago I got FS in my right shoulder. This one is even more extreme in its pain and immobility.  

I have generally been doing nothing for either shoulder except to manage pain with an herb called Akuamma which I've found great for pain, a tens unit, topical essential oils, and to become faithful to my hormone regimen, which I started doing a few months ago.  I declined a hydrodialation with vigorous PT which is what the ortho doc I saw recommended.  I have also declined cortisone at this point as I am afraid of side effects, particularly necrosis, as I have been diagnosed with that condition in my hip already many years after a hip break rollerblading.  So I grin (not so much at times) and bear it.  I know this too shall pass.

I wanted to let you know that I read a very interesting blogpost on a site called Health Kick (can't post a link here but it ends with dot info) where the woman had FS and recognized that it is hormonally related and even caused.  What she did was to put her hormone cream right on the shoulder! - and within two days it was gone.  Gone!  I am trying that right now, I just applied my morning estro cream to both shoulders, neck, arms, and will apply the progesterone tonight.  Wow, can you imagine?  You can probably put it right on any joint that is painful instead of the usual application site and get rapid improvement if this works!

Anyway, I will keep you posted and if it works, I will definitely shout it from the rafters!  Fingers crossed!

 

Glad to know that more people are recognizing the connection of FS and hormones (at least for many). My initial FS on the left is completely resolved, but my FS on the right has continued. I have lots more mobility and less pain, but it has lasted longer! I have not heard of trying the hormone creme right on the shoulder. Will give it a try! Why not??!! Also, I recently started taking MSM (supplement) and I do think that it helps slightly....but the only supplement I have taken where I noticed anything.

I'll keep you posted on my progress!

Hi, 

I am a 48 year old yoga teacher going through last phase of peri-menopause. Last year I had a frozen left shoulder from a minor injury. Daily pushing it to its limit breaking the adhesion in all directions, support of excellent oesteopath and weekly deep tissue massages enabled me to get rid of it within 8 months. This year, after another minor ski fall, I developped another frozen shoulder. No physio’s or Dr’s  recognised as such even though it’s been locked for 4 months as I have relatively good range of movement still. I can’t lie flat on my stomach with my arms out front or get anywhere near my bra strap and it is just as painful as the previous frozen shoulder.  My Oesteo has just properly diagnosed it and given me license to again push it to it’s limit in all directions to ‘unstick’ the adhesions. It is painful but effective.

I am going to try estrogen/ progesterone cream and soya based products too and will keep you posted.

Hi Paula

I'm on hrt, it def helped with general aches, pain and joint stiffness but still had frozen shoulders. So I am sure hrt will the general lousy menopause symptoms but not nesecarily the frozen shoulders. Although it does replace dropping hormone levels, it doesn't restore you totally restore you or your ligaments to the person you were before! Hope this helps x