Why is muscle & joint pain so common during menopause?
Women can experience many varied symptoms during menopause, one of the more unknown yet common symptoms is an increase in muscle and joint aches and pains. Many women don’t associate their aches and pains with menopause, often thinking it is just part of getting older. In fact, around 40% of women experience musculoskeletal pain between the ages 45-65 which can be associated with perimenopause and menopause.
Why does this occur during menopause?
Between the ages of 45-55 women can start to experience hormonal fluctuations, it is these hormone imbalances that can trigger muscle and joint aches and pains. The hormones responsible are oestrogen and progesterone.
Oestrogen plays a role in keeping our joints lubricated thereby helping to prevent joint inflammation and pain, the drop in oestrogen can reduce this joint protection. Another response to the drop in oestrogen is a rise in the body’s stress hormone, cortisol. This rise can cause an increase in stress and tension, as well as increase your body’s sensitivity to pain. We all know stress and tension often leads to an increase in muscle tension, especially in areas that we tend to ‘hold’ our stress.
Progesterone keeps us calm and relaxed; it then makes sense that a fall in progesterone can make you more susceptible to muscle tension and stress.
Hormonal changes can also make you more susceptible to weight gain, placing more stress on the joints.
Many menopausal women are also found to be low in magnesium which is essential for muscle function and relaxation.
Hormonal imbalance causes most of the muscle and joint pain prior and during menopause, but it is not the only cause. Other contributors include:
1. Stress & anxiety
2. Arthritis – which also increases during menopause
3. Lack of exercise
4. Posture
How can muscle and joint aches and pains be treated?
There are several things women can try to alleviate muscle and joint pain throughout menopause.
1. Exercise – regular exercise lubricates the joints, increases muscle mass, and strengthens muscles and bones, all which can help to reduce muscle and joint pain.
2. Weight control – being overweight places additional stress on bones and joints.
3. Posture – no one posture is bad except the one you stay in for too long. It’s important to keep changing your posture regularly throughout the day.
4. Massage – massage has been shown to provide real benefits for women suffering menopausal muscle and joint aches and pains (see below).
5. Stress & Sleep – it’s important to get quality sleep, this is when our body regenerates and recovers.
6. HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) – evidence has shown HRT can help with musculoskeletal pain caused by menopause. This is something you should discuss with your doctor.
Can massage help?
Massage can help increase blood circulation as well as muscle pain, tension, and stiffness; it can also promote relaxation and reduce stress.
One study showed Therapeutic massage reduced stress in various clinical situations such as that of depression, pain syndromes and auto-immune diseases. It was also shown to be beneficial for improving sleep quality in women with insomnia.
Reference
Effect of massage in postmenopausal women with insomnia – A pilot study
Denise Oliveira,I Helena Hachul,I,II Sergio Tufik,I and Lia BittencourtI 2011 Feb; 66(2): 343–346.