🪷 MENOPAUSAL ACHING JOINTS AND PAINS
One common symptom of the menopause is joint pain and along with many other menopausal symptoms, it’s all due to one thing; Low oestrogen.
Oestrogen protects our joints and reduces inflammation, and with reduced levels occurring during the menopause, it increases the risk of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.
Loss of oestrogen can affect joints and the connective tissue that 'glues' the skeleton together. This results in general muscle and joint aches, pains and stiffness.
Menopause-related joint aches are particularly common, and in one recent survey, they were experienced by almost 40% of women aged between 45 and 65.
It is difficult to differentiate between menopausal joint pain and arthritis and if you are unsure, please do seek medical advice
During the menopause, women can be more likely to get osteoarthritis (particularly in the hands) and possibly rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is caused by wear and tear to the joints. By contrast, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. This means your immune system (which usually fights infection) mistakenly attacks the cells that line your joints, making the joints swollen, stiff and painful.
Back pain, and particularly lower back pain can become a problem for many women as they go through menopause. In fact, one survey of 5,325 women found that postmenopausal women were twice as likely to report lower back pain as premenopausal women.
Your spine is made up of multiple joints, including facet joints that allow movement in your back. Decreased oestrogen results in greater inflammation of these joints and also causes your spinal (intervertebral) discs to wear down.
Ensuring you maintain a healthy weight, exercising regularly, sleeping a minimum of 8 hours each night, reducing stress and also ensuring you consume a healthy, balanced diet with calcium, omega oils, vitamin C and good fats have been proven to help reduce aching joints.
Gentle stretching, icing or heating the affected areas, having a bath and practising mindfulness techniques have also been known to help
Collagen has been reported to reduce aching joints. Collagen is a protein that’s naturally occurring in all living organisms. It is a vital component of bones, joints, cartilage, skin, gut & more and makes up between 25-35% of our protein content.
If you’re suffering the effects of the menopause in any way, please feel free to join our ladies only group!
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