We’ve talked about frozen shoulder on the blog in the past, as it is a condition that involves extreme stiffness and discomfort in the shoulder joint. Frozen shoulder can affect people of all ages and backgrounds, but it tends to be most common in women between the ages of 40 and 60 years old. This is also a common stretch for women to go through menopause, which occurs one year after their last period.
This has led many medical experts to wonder if there is a connection between the bodily changes a woman experiences during menopause and the onset of frozen shoulder. Below, we take a closer look to see if this link exists.
Are Menopause And Frozen Shoulder Connected?
Before we jump into the nuts and bolts of this topic, we want to note that there is no concrete medical evidence of a direct link between menopause and frozen shoulder onset. With that said, a number of the changes that occur in a woman’s body during perimenopause and menopause may be risk factors for frozen shoulder. We explain more below.
When a woman experiences menopause, her body no longer produces as much estrogen as it did in the past. Estrogen is a hormone that assists the body with many essential functions, but the hormone also has a protective effect on a person’s bones and joints. When there is less estrogen in the body, certain areas are more prone to irritation and inflammation. In fact, one study found that more than 50 percent of women who go through menopause experience joint stiffness. This drop in estrogen production could certainly put a person at a higher risk for joint issues, including frozen shoulder.
The drop in estrogen production isn’t the only reason why women who are going through menopause may be at risk for frozen shoulder. A number of other issues that are common during menopause could increase your risk of frozen shoulder. For example, it’s not uncommon for women to deal with sleep issues during menopause as a result of fluctuating hormone levels. Disjointed or poor sleep can negatively affect your immune system, leading to an increased risk of joint inflammation and the possibility of frozen shoulder.
Of course, skeptics say that menopause tends to occur at a time when natural joint deterioration is more common, so it’s difficult to say whether natural degeneration or menopause-related changes are really driving frozen shoulder onset. There may be a link between menopause and frozen shoulder, but it’s certainly not the only risk factor. Other risk factors for frozen shoulder onset that have been medically documented include:
- Diabetes
- Sedentary Lifestyle
- Underlying Thyroid Conditions
- Underlying Autoimmune Diseases
- Stroke
At the end of the day, there’s nothing you can do to stop the onset of menopause, but you can be aware that some of the changes you are experiencing may increase your risk of shoulder issues or frozen shoulder. To combat these potential issues, we recommend that you maintain an active life and work to control any underlying health conditions like diabetes, hyperthyroidism or an autoimmune disorder. Working to strengthen and mobilize your shoulder and maintain an active lifestyle can help you ward off shoulder issues that may or may not be connected to menopausal changes.
If you are dealing with shoulder stiffness, or you’ve noticed that shoulder discomfort is becoming more noticeable, reach out to Dr. Holloway and his team today at (865) 410-7887.
