My shoulder has hurt for over two years
For reference only. Not medical advice.
Question
My shoulder has hurt for over two years with a normal MRI, and I wonder about perimenopause. Can hormones cause joint pain, and does it improve later? Real household: caregiver juggling school week and one elder or sibling nearby. Schedule: Wed; PT session Friday. Kitchen/home right now: heat pack, exercise sheet. Already tried: stopping all exercise. Please answer as a practical family-care guide: what to do next tonight/today, what to avoid, and a clear decision tree. Constraints: respect «No diagnosis, no medication changes»; no dosing kids/pets/elders yourself; no mystery powders or buying prescription meds online; keep steps screenshot-friendly under ~25 minutes where cooking/care applies. Structure your help as (1) what I already tried vs better alternatives, (2) constraints/avoid list, (3) red flags—when to stop DIY and get clinical/urgent help. Keep the voice concrete and kind for a tired caregiver; stay inside kitchen/home-care/communication levers only. Name what success looks like in 24 hours without promising cures. Avoid brand shopping lists; focus on routines, food already at home, and communication scripts caregivers can screenshot.
Answer
Tonight's move: heat, not rest — 15 minutes with the heat pack over a towel, then the two gentlest moves from your PT sheet, once, in a range that doesn't make you hold your breath. Stopping all exercise for two years is not protecting the shoulder; complete rest is the one thing most likely to leave it stiffer by Friday.
Can hormones do this, and does it get better later?
Yes to the first — "muscle aches and joint pains" is on the NHS list of menopause and perimenopause symptoms. To the second: it is not a quick fix and not a promise. The same NHS page ("Symptoms of menopause and perimenopause", checked 2026-10-07) says symptoms "usually last for 7 to 9 years, sometimes longer," and that joint pain can continue after menopause has ended. So plan for it as something you manage, not something you wait out.
This is not a diagnosis. That NHS page lists joint pain under perimenopause, and other things cause a long sore shoulder too — sorting that out is the clinician's job, including whether hormones are the whole story or only part of it.
What you already tried vs. what to do instead
| You already tried | Better next step |
|---|---|
| Stopping all exercise | Restart gently — the sheet's warm-up range, short and frequent |
| Heat pack | Keep it, but time it: 15 minutes, towel under it, then move |
| Two years of coping around it | Put it on the Friday PT list as the main topic |
Today and tonight (Wednesday) — about 20 minutes
- Heat 15 min → 2 gentle moves from your sheet → 5–10 min easy walking.
- Write three lines in your phone: when it's worst, what you did that day, how you slept. That log is what makes Friday count.
- One message to your PT: *"Shoulder pain 2+ years, normal MRI. Friday is my main slot — can we go through graded loading, and do you want me to see a doctor first?"*
Friday, and this week
Bring the log and the exercise sheet. Ask three things: is this something that needs a doctor, what can I safely do daily, and what should make me stop. If the answer leans toward "needs a doctor," book a non-urgent GP/clinician appointment yourself rather than waiting for a referral.
Avoid list
- No buying hormone creams, "menopause" supplements, or powders online — the label is not a dose anyone checked.
- No starting, stopping, or changing HRT or any pain medicine on your own — that is a prescriber or pharmacist decision, and bring your current list.
- No going back to "rest it completely" as a strategy.
- No comparing hormone blood tests on your own; one number doesn't settle this.
- No forcing or stretching into sharp pain to "test" it.
Red flags — when to stop DIY and get seen
Urgent / same-day care (or your local emergency service if you can't be seen today):
- The shoulder is hot, red or swollen, with fever or feeling generally unwell, or you cannot lift the arm at all
- New weakness, numbness, or the arm or hand feels unreliable
- Sudden severe pain after a knock or fall, or pain far worse than whatever caused it
Same-day, non-emergency clinician:
- Pain that wakes you at night every night, or night sweats alongside the joint pain
- Periods changing pattern (heavier, more often, or lighter), or any vaginal bleeding more than 12 months after your last period — the NHS page lists both as reasons to contact a GP
None of those tonight? No rush: heat, gentle range, log, one message to your PT.
What "success" looks like in 24 hours
Not less pain — I'm not promising that. Success is: you did the 20-minute routine and can say yes, it happened; you have a three-line log; and Friday is booked with one question written down. That's the whole target for today.
One question so I can keep helping: is the pain ever worst at night with the joint hot or swollen, and have you noticed any change in your periods recently?