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The connection between frozen shoulder and perimenopause and menopause?

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kristen39135
kristen39135

Hello All - so - classic frozen shoulder symptoms and diagnosis. I had a procedure called 'shoulder manipulation' done by an orthopedist under anesthesia (pardon the American spellings!) four days ago - not the saline injection or actual surgery. I have some range of motion back, but it will still take some intensive PT to get this sorted out. Since I am a sculler, I don't want this to take over a year with just PT, so the shoulder manipulation kind of fast tracked the healing... I hope! While I was initially being diagnosed, and with all the initial online research I did about this, NONE of the doctors, PTs, or online sources made mention of menopause or perimenopause being one of the big factors (for women, obviously). There would occasionally be a mention of 'hormonal imbalances' being a 'possible' cause, but otherwise, I didn't fit the profile at all of recently being injured, having surgery, having an auto-immune disease, or some other underlying health condition, etc. - so - it was a mystery... until I looked up 'frozen shoulder menopause' and found out how common it is among menopausal women. Estrogen is key to bone and joint health, and when we go through menopause, our estrogen levels plunge - hence the joint pain and other issues - and the connection to a condition like frozen shoulder. Doctors receive so little training about menopause in med school, and as I'm entering menopause, I'm finding out how little docs really know about it - which is discouraging. BUT - for those of us women who are suffering with frozen shoulder and have no idea why this happened, this could possibly be it. It's still worrying that this could happen again, and I'm still hoping that I can get my range of motion back and get back on the water again, but at least the 'why did this happen?' has an answer. Just look up 'frozen shoulder menopause' and you'll see videos and testimonials, and some of the research that has been done. Not much, since menopause is pretty much still ignored and we're just told to 'deal with it', but at least there is some...

2 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • barbara66703
    barbara66703 kristen39135

    Edited

    frozen shoulder has been linked to fibro nodules - scar tissue ...build up in the shoulder capsule.

    see link to Dupuytren's Contracture . i have this very painful annoying issue for many years.

    also DC in hands and feet. Hands have fibro nodules on the finger cords that cause the fingers to curl in a fist and cannot open. this is the same issue what happens in my frozen shoulders.

    ask your doctor for more info regarding your case and about xiaflex .

  • Piper2022
    Piper2022 kristen39135

    Posted

    have you started on HRT yet to help replace the missing hormones?

    my consultant said you can't get FS in the same shoulder twice but once it's happened in 1 shoulder you have a higher chance that it can happen in your other shoulder.....I honestly don't think I could cope going through it all over again on the other shoulder

  • claire57329
    claire57329 kristen39135

    Edited

    Hi,

    Your post really stood out to me, because recently my right shoulder has been giving me hassle. I don't think it's frozen shoulder but it's so achey and it feels like it spreads into the collar bone, breast and shoulder blade. I'd also recently been thinking I could be in Peri. A colleague suggested it when I listed some symptoms I'm experiencing, which are:

    random insomnia

    night sweats

    anxiety

    low mood

    emotional/weepy

    short tempered/snappy/quick to anger/irritable

    wanting to be alone

    urinating a lot

    getting the runs/constipation

    low sex drive (none existent really)

    itchy skin mainly on an evening

    breast pain/soreness/weird sensations

    tingly hands when in bed

    ringing ears

    hair thinning

    dizziness

    feeling like I'm losing control - this comes from nowhere and I feel like I'm going to die

    headaches - they have now eased

    lack of focus

    forgetting what I'm doing

    bleeding gums

    dry down there

    Oh such joy lol. so I was thinking maybe the shoulder thing could be related too.

    • Piper2022
      Piper2022 claire57329

      Edited

      yup all of those are symptoms of perimenopause / menopause. Would you consider going on HRT?. i am on body identical HRT sInce June last year and have noticed an improvement in pretty much all my menopause symptoms

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