Garrison: Menopause can literally be a pain in the butt. Or a frozen shoulder. - Star Tribune

What the report says

The Minneapolis Star Tribune published a health column by Garrison highlighting a lesser-recognized way menopause can show up: musculoskeletal pain that may be mistaken for a routine sports or exercise injury. Based on the headline and available snippet, the piece focuses on symptoms such as deep buttock pain and frozen shoulder, and says many women may not connect those problems to hormonal changes occurring during menopause.

The central point reported by the Star Tribune is that some midlife injuries or pain syndromes are not always isolated orthopedic problems. The column frames hormonal shifts as a possible contributor, particularly when women experience stubborn pain, reduced mobility or injury-like symptoms without a clear cause. That matters because people may pursue treatment only as an athletic injury while missing a broader health context.

General medical background supports the need for caution and evaluation: during perimenopause and menopause, changing estrogen levels can be associated with joint pain, tendon issues, changes in muscle recovery and inflammation. Frozen shoulder, or adhesive capsulitis, is also known to occur more often in women in midlife, though it can have multiple causes and should not automatically be attributed to menopause.

The available article text is limited, so details about any specific patients, recommendations or medical experts cited in the full Star Tribune column cannot be confirmed here. Readers with persistent hip, buttock, shoulder or mobility problems should consider seeking clinical assessment, especially if symptoms interfere with sleep, exercise or daily function.