Shoulder Pain and Your Cycle: Could Hormones Be Making It Worse?

Read Time: 5-7 mins 🕰️

Ever noticed your shoulder pain flaring up just before your period? You're not imagining it. Hormones don’t just affect mood, energy, or cravings—they also have a huge impact on your musculoskeletal system.

Yep, your joints, ligaments, and even pain sensitivity can change across your cycle.

Hormonal fluctuations throughout the month influence everything from coordination and stability to inflammation and pain threshold. These changes don’t just affect your mood—they can alter your body's physical performance and the way you recover from training or injury.

Today we’re unpacking how your menstrual cycle could be playing a role in shoulder pain, discomfort, or old injuries flaring up—and most importantly, what you can do about it.

🌿 What the Science Says

Recent studies have shown a strong link between fluctuating hormone levels and joint stability, proprioception (your body’s sense of positioning), and even pain thresholds. These hormonal shifts don’t just have internal effects—they’re playing out in your tendons, ligaments, and muscles.

• A 2020 study in Physical Therapy in Sport found that shoulder strength peaks during ovulation – when estrogen is at its highest. That’s often the time you feel most energised and capable in training.

• The same study also noted reduced proprioception during the luteal phase. Think: balance, coordination, and joint awareness can be a little off.

• Pain sensitivity? Research shows it increases when estrogen levels fall, particularly just before your period. This can make you feel more vulnerable to pain or flare-ups of old issues.

• Another fascinating discovery: estrogen and progesterone receptors have been identified in shoulder tendons. This means hormone fluctuations can potentially trigger inflammation or discomfort directly in the tissues.

This is especially relevant for active women, those rehabbing injuries, or anyone managing persistent shoulder pain. The hormonal interplay may be silently influencing how your body feels and functions.

📅 Where in Your Cycle Might It Flare?

Let’s break down the menstrual cycle into its key phases and what you might expect when it comes to shoulder pain:

• Menstrual Phase (Days 1–5): Estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest. You might feel tired, sensitive, and more prone to pain and stiffness. Your shoulder may feel achy or harder to mobilise.

• Follicular Phase (Days 6–14): Estrogen rises steadily. This is usually the best time for performance—shoulder pain often improves here. It’s a great window for upper body strength work or rehab progress.

• Ovulation (Around Day 14): Estrogen peaks. You may feel at your strongest and most balanced. Coordination, proprioception, and strength all get a natural boost. Shoulder stability tends to be at its best.

• Luteal Phase (Days 15–28): Estrogen dips, progesterone climbs. Some women experience increased joint laxity, bloating, and fatigue. This can be a tricky time for managing old niggles or staying on top of training goals, especially if shoulder pain is an issue.

Understanding these phases can help you tune into your body and adapt your training or recovery accordingly.

✅ What You Can Do About It

1. Track your symptoms: Start logging your shoulder symptoms along with your cycle. You might start seeing patterns you never noticed before.

2. Plan your training: Use your follicular and ovulation phases for your harder, upper-body-focused sessions. Reduce load or volume during the late luteal and menstrual phases if pain flares.

3. Don’t ignore the niggles: If shoulder pain consistently returns at certain phases, it’s a sign your body is trying to tell you something. Seek an assessment—especially if it’s impacting your daily life or training progress.

4. Prioritise recovery: During more sensitive phases, increase mobility work, use heat or soft tissue therapy (massage), and allow more time for recovery.

5. Support the system: Consider factors like hydration, sleep, nutrition, and stress—all of which can amplify pain perception when hormones are fluctuating.

6. Adapt your rehab: If you’re doing rehab exercises, communicate with your therapist about timing and symptoms. You may benefit from syncing rehab intensity to your cycle.

🛆 You're Not Making It Up

If you’ve ever felt like your shoulder pain appears out of nowhere around your period, or that it changes from week to week with no clear reason—you are not making it up.

The science backs you up. 

Hormones are powerful messengers in the body, and their impact on your musculoskeletal system is real.

This knowledge is empowering.

Once you understand how your cycle affects your joints, strength, and pain sensitivity, you can make more informed decisions. You’ll be able to anticipate when you might feel stronger, when to push harder, and when to pull back and prioritise recovery.

P.S. If shoulder pain is stopping you from training, sleeping, or simply feeling your best, don’t just grin and bear it.

Book in for an assessment or take us up on our free 15-min consultation. We’ll help you create a plan tailored to your symptoms, your goals, and your cycle.

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