Causes of muscle and joint pain during menopause.
Muscle and joint pain is common during menopause. The reason for this is not necessarily that women “get rusty” with age, because even women who are active in sports are sometimes affected. Rather, the cause often lies in hormonal changes: During menopause, the level of the female sex hormone estrogen drops.
Why joints need estrogen
Estrogen promotes fluid supply to the synovial membranes and the connective tissue around the joints and supports blood circulation. If both decrease, joints become stiffer, lose mobility and become more susceptible to wear and tear.
In addition, some immune cells need estrogen to do their defense work properly. If this is not the case, the body – and thus cartilage and joints – become more susceptible to inflammation. A common inflammatory joint disease is arthritis, the development of which is favored by menopause.
The influence of estrogen on muscles
Estrogen also has an influence on the structure and function of the muscles. If estrogen levels drop during menopause, this also affects muscle mass and strength.
Pain due to osteoporosis
Estrogen deficiency also promotes bone loss. Therefore, the risk of developing osteoporosis (bone loss) increases in women, especially after menopause. Osteoporosis often causes no symptoms at first. However, as it progresses, pain may occur in the back or in the legs – especially at the knee. Later, bone fractures become more frequent.
For detailed information, see the article on osteoporosis.
When and where does the joint and muscle pain occur?
In principle, joint and muscle pain can occur in any phase of menopause. However, women notice these complaints particularly frequently in perimenopause, i.e. in the years before and after the last menstrual period, and in postmenopause, which begins twelve months after the last period.
Peri- and postmenopause are the two stages of menopause when estrogen levels drop noticeably. The lack of estrogen can affect the whole body, such as bones, muscles and joints. Most commonly affected by joint and muscle pain during menopause are the legs and back, specifically:
- Hip
- Knee
- Neck
- Back
- Shoulders
In particular, you should have back and knee pain in and after menopause clarified by a doctor. These complaints could be an indication that you have developed osteoporosis.
Muscle and joint pain during menopause: What to do?
Menopausal symptoms such as joint pain and sore muscles are not a fate you have to endure idly. There are several ways to counteract them. First, consult your doctor to properly diagnose and treat your pain.
What the doctor does
Your doctor or health care professional will first check to see what is causing your muscle and joint pain. If it is a menopausal hormone deficiency, hormone replacement therapy (HRT or hormone therapy) is one of the most common treatments for menopausal symptoms.
In HRT, the doctor compensates for the hormone deficiency with the help of medications to relieve menopausal muscle and joint pain, among other things. Such medications are available in the form of sprays, gels, tablets or patches.
Disadvantage of HRT: In long-term use, there is a risk that the drugs cause undesirable side effects. For example, the risk of cancer of the breast and the endometrium is sometimes increased and, at least in the case of a corresponding hereditary predisposition, blockages of the blood vessels (thromboses) also become more likely.
What you can do yourself
Depending on the severity of the symptoms, hormone replacement therapy is not always necessary. Those affected can try to treat mild muscle and joint pain in menopause naturally. However, clear evidence of efficacy is often lacking here.
- Acupuncture: many sufferers find treatment with fine needles helpful against joint pain during menopause.
- Exercise: Physical activities that are easy on the joints, such as cycling, swimming, Nordic walking or Pilates, strengthen the muscles and mobilize the joints. Physical therapy can also be helpful.
- Nutrition: A balanced and varied diet with lots of plant-based foods provides the body with important nutrients. In this way, you support your organism in containing inflammation. Certain anti-inflammatory foods (such as turmeric) and nutrients (such as vitamin C) may help you prevent muscle and joint pain.
- Homeopathy and herbal remedies: For muscle and joint pain, the homeopathic remedy Rhus toxicodendron and the medicinal plants arnica, nettle, comfrey or devil’s claw root are considered soothing. For those who prefer cold to heat: peppermint or eucalyptus oil have a cooling effect.
Talk to your doctor first before taking herbal or homeopathic remedies.
