The Hidden Connection: Why Perimenopause Makes Everything Hurt (And What Your Doctor Isn't Telling You)

Are you in your 40s wondering why your neck constantly aches, your shoulders feel like concrete, and you wake up feeling like you've been hit by a truck? You're not imagining it - and you're definitely not alone.

If you've been to your GP about these mysterious aches and pains, you've probably been told it's "just stress" or "part of getting older." But what if I told you there's a hidden connection between your changing hormones and why everything hurts - and more importantly, what if there was something you could actually do about it?

The Perimenopause Pain Connection No One Talks About

As a chiropractor with a Master's in Women's Health Medicine, I see women every week who are struggling with the same pattern: they're in their 40s, feeling exhausted, and their bodies are rebelling in ways they never experienced before. The frustrating part? Most healthcare providers are missing the connection between hormonal changes and physical symptoms.

Here's what's really happening in your body during perimenopause:

Your Stress Response System Goes Haywire During perimenopause, your body experiences something called "pregnenolone steal." Your adrenal glands become so focused on producing cortisol (your stress hormone) that they "steal" resources from other hormone production. This leaves you with elevated cortisol levels, which directly affects your muscles, breathing patterns, and pain perception.

Your Breathing Changes (And Your Neck Pays the Price) High cortisol levels alter your breathing patterns. Instead of using your diaphragm properly, you start breathing with your neck muscles (called the scalenes). This creates constant tension in your neck and shoulders - that concrete-like feeling so many women describe.

Your Nervous System Becomes Hypersensitive Fluctuating hormones, especially declining progesterone, leave your nervous system in a constant state of alert. This means you feel pain more intensely and recover from physical stress more slowly.

Why Your Doctor Isn't Connecting the Dots

Traditional medical training focuses on hormones OR musculoskeletal issues - rarely both together. Most doctors will either:

• Send you to a gynaecologist for hormone replacement therapy

• Refer you for physiotherapy for the physical symptoms

• Prescribe pain medication or muscle relaxants

But they're missing the crucial connection: your hormonal changes are directly causing your physical symptoms, and addressing one without the other won't give you lasting relief.

The Symptoms That Finally Make Sense

Do any of these sound familiar?

• Waking up with neck and shoulder tension that wasn't there in your 30s

• Headaches that seem to come out of nowhere

• Feeling like your ribcage is tight or you can't take a deep breath

• Lower back pain that's worse when you're stressed

• Muscle tension that massage only temporarily relieves

• Feeling exhausted even after a full night's sleep

These aren't separate issues - they're all connected to how your changing hormones are affecting your nervous system, breathing patterns, and muscle tension.

A Different Approach: Treating the Whole Picture

At Vitalia Health Chiropractic in Palmwoods, I take a completely different approach. With my background in both chiropractic care and women's health medicine, I understand how to address both the hormonal changes AND their physical manifestations.

This might include:

• Diaphragm release techniques to restore proper breathing patterns

• Gentle spinal adjustments that support your nervous system during this transition

• Visceral techniques to address the gut issues that often accompany perimenopause

• Nervous system regulation to help your body cope better with stress

You Don't Have to Suffer Through This Alone

The most important thing I want you to know is this: what you're experiencing is real, it's common, and there IS help available. You don't have to accept that "this is just how it is now."

Many of the women I work with on the Sunshine Coast tell me they wish they'd known sooner that their physical symptoms were connected to their hormonal changes. Once we address both aspects together, they often experience relief they didn't think was possible.

What's Next?

If you're reading this thinking "this sounds exactly like me," you're not alone. I see women from Palmwoods, Nambour, Montville, and throughout the Sunshine Coast hinterland who are experiencing exactly what you're going through.

The first step is understanding that your symptoms are connected - and that there are gentle, effective ways to address them that go beyond just managing pain or replacing hormones.

Ready to find out if this approach could help you? Book an initial consultation where we can discuss your specific symptoms and create a personalised plan that addresses both your hormonal changes and their physical effects.