Asian woman suffering from shoulder pain massaging on shoulder by hands sitting on armchair in living room at home.

I cried in pain with a frozen shoulder - this is the only thing that helped

We spoke to a physio for six expert-approved ways to manage the pain

June 12, 2025Jun 12, 2025, 7:00 AM GMT+1

The morning I woke up with what I now know to be a frozen shoulder, the pain was so excruciating I felt like chopping my arm off.

The slightest wrong move would send a sharp, searing sensation shooting down the length of my arm and up into my neck and head, making me gasp in agony.

What causes frozen shoulder?

A study by Duke University School of Medicine reveals that a lack of estrogen can cause issues in bone growth, inflammation, and connective tissues, which may be the reason behind the link between perimenopause and frozen shoulder.

Frozen shoulder sees the lining of your shoulder socket become inflamed and thicken, causing it to act like a wall, stopping the joint from being able to move freely.

Say HELLO! to your Second Act

Three cut-outs of midlife women smiling at the camera against a dark pink background

HELLO!'s Second Act is a newsletter for women in midlife and beyond. It's completely free to sign up and is a one-stop-shop for advice and inspiration on the issues our Second Act community have told us matter most: health, relationships, travel, menopause, divorce, careers, finance and more.

It can happen spontaneously, and while the exact cause isn't known, diabetes and thyroid issues are thought to be one cause, and it can often be hereditary. I suddenly had a memory of my mum having keyhole surgery on her shoulder 20 years ago and realised she must have suffered the same condition.

Treating my frozen shoulder

I went to the doctor with my frozen shoulder symptoms, and without even checking my range of movement, they immediately prescribed a steroid injection. Wary of having drugs stabbed into my joint before I knew for sure that was the issue, I requested an MRI scan to see the extent of damage I was working with. I was prescribed strong painkillers but they did nothing to stop the pain.

Post-MRI, my scan showed that the socket of my shoulder had indeed thickened and was causing a lot of pain. Thankfully, I was referred to physio Carlos Cobeilla of The Shoulder Practice, whose patients include the Arsenal Football team, Oscar-winning actors, F1 drivers and PGA players. After examining my scans, he explained my treatment options. "Frozen shoulder is a strange condition that seems to correct itself within two years," he told me. "You can have surgery, but it might be better to manage the pain until it starts to ease."

Businesswoman has stiffness in neck and shoulders from work at computer, tech neck or computer syndrome. Young female feeling under pressure, overworked spending long hours in office. — Frozen shoulder is a symptom of perimenopause

I booked in for a steroid injection with ultrasound to make sure the correct place was being targeted. Within days, the pain had disappeared, and I was starting to get the feeling back in my fingers. But it took over a year for any kind of movement to return. "Physio alone won't help when you have a frozen shoulder," Carlos told me. "You have to give it time."

Thankfully, a year on from my steroid injection I am still relatively pain free and my mobility, while not perfect, has started to dramatically improve; I could thrust my arm up in the air while dancing at a party at the weekend, which I definitely couldn’t have done this time last year!

As estrogen levels drop, tissues around the shoulder joint become less flexible, leading to inflammation and stiffness

How to ease frozen shoulder

If you are in pain with a frozen shoulder, try these top treatment tips for pain relief.

1. Hot and Cold therapy

Using a combination of ice packs and hot water bottles on your shoulder can ease symptoms.

2. Surgery

You can have keyhole surgery to try and manipulate and release the tight tissue in the socket. This has varying degrees of success and is a last resort if the pain is unmanageable.

African American woman suffering from neck pain. Hispanic female working with laptop at home self massaging neck and shoulders. — Hormone replacement therapy can help with frozen shoulder

3. Steroid Injections

Ideally these should be paired with an ultrasound, so the injection can be targeted into the exact area of need. The procedure takes a few minutes and the pain relief can help.

4. HRT for frozen shoulder

Studies by Duke University School of Medicine in 2022 on 2000 women between the ages of 45 and 60 show that topping up your estrogen with HRT could lower your risk of frozen shoulder.

5. Physio

This only tends to work once the shoulder has started to be released from steroids or an operation. But it is needed to build the muscles back up and help regain the range of movement you once had.

6. Wait it out

Frozen shoulders tend to rectify themselves after two years - if you can manage the pain for that long.

LISTEN: I left a happy relationship to be single at 53

Sign up to Second Act for invaluable midlife advice and inspirational tales

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information please click here.