Does menopause cause joint pain?

Why joints ache during menopause

Estrogen has an anti-inflammatory effect and helps keep joint tissue lubricated. As it falls, many women notice more stiffness and aching without any injury. Poor sleep, which lowers your pain threshold, and loss of muscle mass with age can make it feel worse.

It usually shows up as stiffness after sitting or when you wake up, easing once you start moving. Hands, knees, hips, neck and shoulders are the common spots.

Hands are often where women notice it first: tight rings, stiff fingers on a jar lid, an ache when gripping. Knees and hips tend to complain after a long drive or a day at a desk.

How to tell it from arthritis

Menopause joint pain is often mild to moderate and moves around. Other conditions need a diagnosis, so watch for these signs:

• Morning stiffness lasting longer than 30 minutes
• Swollen, warm or red joints
• Pain at the same joints on both sides of the body
• Pain that wakes you at night or comes with fever

What helps you keep moving

• Stay active. Walking, swimming, cycling or yoga keeps joints lubricated.
• Add strength work two days a week. Stronger muscles take load off joints.
• Use warmth, like a shower or heating pad, before you start your day.
• Protect your sleep and keep a steady weight, which eases pressure on knees and hips.
• Break up long sitting with a short walk or stretch every hour.
• Over-the-counter pain relievers can take the edge off bad days, used as directed on the label and if they suit your health.

If hot flashes and night sweats are also disrupting your nights, a menopause supplement may be one thing to discuss with your doctor for those symptoms. Supplements are not a joint treatment.

See your doctor if a joint is swollen, hot or red, if pain keeps worsening, or if stiffness lasts well beyond the first half hour of the day.

Sources

• NHS menopause symptoms: lists joint stiffness, aches and pains as common menopause symptoms.
• The Menopause Society patient resources: musculoskeletal symptoms and joint pain in midlife.
• National Institute on Aging (NIH) menopause pages: physical changes during the transition.