Let’s be honest for a second — how many times have you told someone “everything just hurts” and had them nod like that actually explains anything?
I get it. When you’re dealing with pain day in and day out, it starts to feel like one big blur. Your knees ache, your head’s been off for weeks, your gut’s cramping, your lower back won’t quit — and somewhere along the way you just start calling all of it “pain” and leaving it at that.
But here’s what I’ve learned after years of working hands-on with women’s bodies through massage therapy and fire cupping, plus everything I’ve studied about hormone health: pain is not one thing. It’s actually your body’s way of sending you a very specific message, and different kinds of pain come from completely different root causes.
Once you know which kind of pain you’re actually dealing with, you can stop throwing random fixes at it and start actually addressing what’s underneath. So let’s break down the 5 main types of pain, what’s really driving each one, and where to start.
1. Inflammatory Pain
This is the big one, especially for women in perimenopause and beyond, and it’s honestly where I see the most confusion.
What it feels like: Achy, swollen, warm to the touch, worse in the morning or after sitting still, and it tends to move around — your knees one week, your hands the next, your lower back after that.
What’s actually causing it: Inflammatory pain happens when your immune system is in a constant, low-grade state of “attack mode.” Sometimes that’s from an autoimmune condition. Sometimes it’s from chronic stress, blood sugar swings, gut imbalances, or a diet that’s quietly feeding inflammation (hello, processed food and seed oils). And here’s the piece almost nobody talks about — estrogen actually helps regulate inflammation in your body. So when estrogen starts declining in perimenopause, inflammation can quietly ramp up, and that achy, puffy, “why does everything hurt” feeling shows up out of nowhere.
Where to start: This is where food becomes medicine, no exaggeration. Reducing inflammatory triggers and adding in anti-inflammatory foods — think leafy greens, fatty fish, turmeric, ginger, berries — makes a real, felt difference here. It’s genuinely the foundation of everything I teach inside Eat to Beat Inflammation, because this type of pain responds so well to what’s on your plate.
2. Nociceptive Pain (Mechanical Pain)
What it feels like: Sharp, localized, and directly tied to movement or injury — you twist wrong, lift something heavy, or sit hunched over your laptop for six hours and suddenly your neck is screaming.
What’s actually causing it: This is your body’s most straightforward pain signal. Nociceptors are pain receptors that detect actual physical damage or strain — a pulled muscle, a compressed joint, tight fascia. It’s mechanical, it’s structural, and honestly, it’s the type of pain most people picture when they think “pain.”
Where to start: This is exactly where hands-on bodywork shines. Massage therapy releases the muscle tension and fascia restriction that’s often driving this kind of pain, and fire cupping is incredible for pulling tension out of tight, overworked muscle groups and getting blood flow back into the area so it can actually heal.
3. Neuropathic Pain
What it feels like: Burning, tingling, numbness, “pins and needles,” or a shooting/electric sensation. It often doesn’t match up with anything you did — no injury, no obvious trigger.
What’s actually causing it: Neuropathic pain comes from the nerves themselves being irritated, compressed, or damaged, rather than from muscle or joint tissue. Blood sugar imbalance is a huge hidden driver here (this is why so many women with insulin resistance report tingling hands or feet), along with nutrient deficiencies like B12, nerve compression from posture or old injuries, and — yep — hormone fluctuations again, since your nervous system is deeply hormone-sensitive.
Where to start: Blood sugar stability is non-negotiable here. Pairing protein and fiber with your carbs, not skipping meals, and getting key nutrients like B12 and magnesium back on board can make a noticeable difference. This one often needs a little patience, but the nervous system does respond to consistent care.
4. Hormonal / Cyclical Pain
What it feels like: Pain that shows up like clockwork — cramping before or during your period, breast tenderness, migraines tied to your cycle, or that “everything hurts more this week” feeling that rolls in right on schedule.
What’s actually causing it: This one’s tied directly to the rise and fall of estrogen and progesterone throughout your cycle. Prostaglandins (compounds involved in inflammation and muscle contraction) spike right before your period, which is exactly why cramping happens. In perimenopause, this pain pattern often gets louder and less predictable because your hormone levels are swinging more dramatically than they used to.
Where to start: This is where cycle awareness becomes such a powerful tool — learning to anticipate what your body needs in each phase, supporting your liver’s ability to clear excess estrogen, and using warming, circulation-boosting practices (this is another place fire cupping and massage genuinely help) in the days leading up to your period.
5. Stress-Induced (Tension) Pain
What it feels like: Tight shoulders creeping up toward your ears, clenched jaw, tension headaches, a knot between your shoulder blades that never fully releases no matter how many times you stretch it.
What’s actually causing it: When you’re in chronic stress mode, your body holds tension in predictable places — jaw, neck, shoulders, upper back — as part of that fight-or-flight response. And here’s the sneaky part: cortisol, your main stress hormone, doesn’t just cause tension, it also feeds inflammation over time, which means stress-induced pain and inflammatory pain often end up feeding each other in a loop.
Where to start: You can’t “food” your way entirely out of this one — it needs a nervous system approach. Consistent bodywork (massage really shines here), breathwork, and simply identifying where your biggest stress loads are coming from all matter. Reducing inflammatory foods still helps break the cortisol-inflammation cycle, but the tension itself needs to be physically released, not just nutritionally managed.
The Big Takeaway
Here’s the thing I want you to walk away with: pain is information, not just an inconvenience. When you can actually name what kind of pain you’re dealing with, you stop guessing and start treating the real cause — whether that’s what’s on your plate, what’s happening with your hormones, or tension your body’s been holding onto for way too long.
And if you’re standing there thinking “okay, but mine feels like three of these at once” — you’re not wrong, and you’re not alone. Inflammation, hormones, stress, and gut health are all tangled together, which is exactly why I built Eat to Beat Inflammation the way I did — to address the root, not just chase symptoms one at a time.
Want a done-for-you plan that tackles inflammatory and hormonal pain at the root? Join the Eat to Beat Inflammation waitlist and be the first to know when it opens.