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My shoulder hurt. They told me it was tendonitis. It was not.
- Tamara Beckford
- Apr 16
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 3
I want to tell you something I did not fully understand when it was happening to me.
I started going to the gym.
Not because I love it. I want to be honest about that.
I go because I know what is at stake for my body as I get older.
It is less about the summer body and more about being functional, strong, and healthy in my 50s, 60s, and beyond.
So I showed up.
Consistently.
And then my left shoulder started to hurt.
I shrugged it off.
I assumed it was my form. I was not a gym person.
I figured I was just doing it wrong. But the pain kept coming. It got worse.
And I finally did what so many of us do.
I went to the orthopedic doctor.
I got the X-rays.
I sat in the office.
And I was told it was tendonitis.
What nobody told me was that I was actually in the beginning stages of frozen shoulder.
And the reason I am telling you this is because you may be living this exact story right now.
The shoulder that keeps aching.
The arm you cannot lift the way you used to.
The diagnosis that does not quite fit. The feeling that something is off but no one is connecting the dots.
This newsletter is for you.
You are not being dramatic. It is not in your head.
Your symptoms are real.
And there is a reason this is happening. It has a name.
And it is more connected to your hormones than anyone told you.
What frozen shoulder actually is. And why it keeps showing up in women like us.
Frozen shoulder, also called adhesive capsulitis, is a condition where the tissue around the shoulder joint becomes inflamed, thickened, and tight.
Movement becomes painful.
Range of motion shrinks. And it does not resolve quickly.
We are talking months. Sometimes years.
Here is what nobody puts on the intake form at the orthopedic office.
Three-quarters of frozen shoulder patients are female.
And the condition strikes perimenopausal and postmenopausal women more commonly than anyone else.
Read that again.
This is not a random injury.
This is not bad posture. This is not a gym form problem.
More than 70 percent of people who go through menopause experience musculoskeletal symptoms, and a quarter will be disabled by them.
A quarter.
And most of us are sitting in orthopedic offices getting told it is tendonitis.
Here is what is actually happening.
As estrogen drops during perimenopause and menopause, it affects far more than your cycle and your hot flashes.
Estrogen plays a direct role in keeping your connective tissue healthy, your joints lubricated, and inflammation in check.
When those levels fall, your shoulders, hips, and joints feel it. Estrogen plays a role in stimulating bone growth, reducing inflammation, and promoting connective tissue integrity.
When it drops, your body knows.
The frozen shoulder that appeared out of nowhere is not random. It is your body responding to a hormonal shift that the orthopedic world has largely ignored.
Until now.
What's in the News
Duke Health researchers recently published findings that stopped me in my tracks.
Postmenopausal women on hormone replacement therapy had a lower risk of developing adhesive capsulitis compared to women who did not receive estrogen. In fact, women who did not use hormone therapy had 99 percent greater odds of receiving a frozen shoulder diagnosis than those who did.
This is not a small thing.
Researchers noted that many menopause symptoms fall outside the FDA-approved indications for systemic hormone therapy, including those involving the musculoskeletal system. Which means most providers are not even thinking to connect your shoulder pain to your hormones.
But the research is catching up. And you deserve a provider who is too.
Menopause Stories Podcast
The newest episode of the Menopause Stories Podcast is out now. And this one is personal.
We are talking about frozen shoulder. The real connection to menopause that nobody explained when your shoulder started aching. The hormonal piece your orthopedic doctor probably skipped right over. The conversation that should have happened in that appointment but did not.
Download it. Listen on your walk, your commute, your drive to the gym.
And then I genuinely want to hear from you.
What landed for you? What surprised you? Did something in the episode finally put words to something you have been feeling in your own body?
Comment and tell me. I read every single one. I mean that.
And if you have a girlfriend, a sister, a coworker who has been quietly dealing with shoulder pain and has no idea why? Send it to her. Forward this email. Share the episode link. She needs to hear this too.
The more women who have this information, the better.
Two ways to work with me right now.
You do not have to keep guessing. You do not have to keep being handed a diagnosis that does not fit. You do not have to keep managing symptoms that nobody is connecting to the bigger picture.
Here is how we can work together.
Book a complimentary 45-minute consult call.
If you are struggling with sleep, mood changes, hormonal weight gain, or brain fog and you live in Texas, Iowa, Illinois, Georgia, or Michigan, this call is for you. We will talk about what is happening in your body, what it might mean, and what your next steps look like.
No pressure. Just clarity.
Have your hormone labs reviewed by a physician.
Already have labs? Want a physician to actually look at them and help you develop the language to advocate for yourself with your current provider?
This is for you if you are tired of leaving appointments feeling dismissed or confused about your own results. You deserve to understand what your body is telling you.
Your shoulder pain has a story.
And now you know part of it.
Talk soon,
Dr. Beckford
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