It’s one of the most common menopause symptoms you’ve probably never heard of. Arthralgia essentially means joint pain and stiffness. And is a common discomfort experienced by many women during menopause.
In fact, it’s estimated that 50% of women experience menopausal arthralgia. But all we mainly hear about is the night sweats and hot flashes. Find out why stiff, achy joints can’t just be blamed on our age.
Menopausal arthralgia doesn’t just cause joint pain. It can be extremely disruptive and impact our daily lives. It can stop us from participating in activities and social events or doing things that we enjoy. This can cause secondary symptoms such as depression, low mood, and fatigue.
It’s always important to see your doctor if you have chronic joint pain that is impacting your quality of life. Joint pain is a symptom of several health conditions, such as arthritis. It is always best to rule out potential health problems with a medical professional. But rest assured, joint pain during menopause is extremely common.
Menopause is known for causing hormonal changes. And one of those hormonal changes involves none other than estrogen.
Estrogen plays a highly important role in many functions of the human body. From the reproductive system to cognitive and cardiovascular function.
And it’s especially important for the health of our bones and joints. Estrogen helps in the production and maintenance of synovial fluid. This protects, lubricates and cushions the joints. It also has anti-inflammatory properties.
However, during menopause, estrogen levels decline. This results in less synovial fluid to cushion the joints. It means we have less protection against inflammation. All of which can contribute to joint pain.
But that’s not the only thing estrogen decline contributes to. It also plays a role in increased fat storage. This is because estrogen helps to regulate metabolism and body weight.
With less estrogen, we burn fewer calories and it also changes how our bodies store fat. While this may seem unrelated to your joints, it’s not. Let’s dive into why.
During menopause, many people notice a shift in where their body stores fat. It is common for women to accumulate more fat around the abdomen. The problem with this is it’s not just any type of fat- it’s visceral fat.
If you’ve heard of visceral fat before, you’ll know it’s dangerous. It can cause several serious health issues. For example, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. And even increase the risk of certain cancers.
Visceral fat is biologically active. This essentially means it releases inflammatory substances into the body. This means that the more visceral fat we have, the more of these substances get released. This can cause havoc for our bodies- especially our joints.
Unfortunately for us, this increase in inflammation doesn’t limit itself to one area. It’s systemic, which means it impacts the entire body.
Chronic, low-level inflammation can weaken joints and degrade cartilage. The inflammation eats away at cartilage that protects, shields, and cushions your joints. Without enough healthy cartilage, joints become painful, stiff, and swollen.
Weight gain is extremely common during menopause. By the time women enter menopause, it’s estimated they gain approximately 10kg. That’s a whopping 22 pounds.
And it’s no surprise that this extra weight isn’t always the kindest to your joints. The additional weight puts extra pressure on the joints. In particular, the weight-bearing ones like the knees and hips. This can cause them extra stress. Leading to the acceleration of wear and tear. Ultimately, causing more discomfort and joint pain.
With hot flashes and night sweats, menopausal women can experience sleep disturbances. And if never feeling well slept wasn’t enough, it can increase weight gain and inflammation.
Poor sleep can lead to higher levels of stress hormones such as cortisol. Cortisol is associated with unhealthy weight gain.
When we haven’t slept well, we don’t always make the best food choices. This is because we are low on energy and crave high-calorie foods to give us a boost. But unfortunately, this all contributes to fat gain. Which as we know, only exaggerates the burden on our joints.
Suffering from joint pain is no fun for anyone. It can stop you from doing what you love, and have an impact on your quality of life. It’s important to know that there are ways to help you manage it.
Always make sure to rule out other health conditions with a doctor. You can always discuss medical treatment too such as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). It can help ease menopausal arthralgia by replacing lost estrogen levels. But it has its risks and is not for everyone. But thankfully there are things we can do at home to help our joint pain.
Daily life is stressful enough. But menopause can make it ten times worse. Always take a little time out to put yourself first and destress. It will help reduce cortisol levels.
Things that can help you relax:
Low-impact exercise can be great for joint pain. It helps reduce inflammation, improve joint health, and aid fat loss. Low-impact exercises include:
Reduce foods high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and refined carbohydrates. These can increase inflammation which leads to joint pain. And won’t help on a weight loss journey.
Incorporate anti-inflammatory foods into your diet including:
For most women, menopause causes weight gain. And as we now know, this can cause extra stress and strain on our joints. So weight loss can be a great tool to reduce and soothe menopausal arthralgia.
Inner Glow is here to help. Shift unwanted pounds and take the load off your joints to regain the spring in your step again. It can help you sleep better and have more energy. All of which can help you move more and live a healthier lifestyle. Saying goodbye to menopausal weight gain, and menopausal joint pain.
Menopausal arthralgia may be common, but common doesn’t mean it has to be your normal. It’s all about helping your joints so they can help you.
Little changes can go a long way. Minimizing our stress levels, eating anti-inflammatory foods, and moving around a little more. You can always speak to a doctor about HRT too. All of this can help soothe menopausal arthralgia.
For weight loss, Inner Glow can help you take back control. Less weight on your joints will be less weight on your shoulders.
Thankfully, there are things we can do to lessen the load of joint pain. By easing joint pain, you can finally feel free again.
Sources
Arthralgia of menopause – A retrospective review – Janice Blumer, 2023 (sagepub.com)
19-BMS-TfC-Menopause-Nutrition-and-Weight-Gain-JUNE2023-A.pdf (thebms.org.uk)
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/stress-and-weight-gain
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6947726/
https://onlinemenopausecentre.com/menopause-joint-pain/
https://www.physio-pedia.com/Menopause_Associated_Arthralgia
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By cellabeauty-admin
April 12, 2024
