Joint Pain During Menopause
Also known as Arthralgia, joint pain refers to pain, rigidity, or inflammation in or around a joint. Among the 360 joints in a normal body, joint pain is likely to occur in joints of the knees, hips, and back. However, many women also experience pain in the joints of their hands. It is found that women become more vulnerable to joint pain as they get older. As joint pain is one of the common symptoms in menopausal women, it is also termed as ‘menopausal arthritis’.
We know that in menopausal women, who are usually between the ages of 45 and 55, drastic hormonal fluctuations has the power to impact the mind and body in many ways. And of this, joint pain is undoubtedly one of the symptoms. Now, a correct approach to treat this joint pain would be to first know its causes, symptoms, and treatment. So, check them out!
- Types of Joints
Listed below are the different types of joints in the human body, which are mostly linked with the joint pain.
- Ball and Socket Joints:These are located in the shoulder and hip, which permit many rotations and movements.
- Condyloid Joints:Found in jaws and fingers, these permit only movement.
- Gliding Joints:Seen in the ankles, wrists, and spine; these joints permit bones to slide.
- Hinge Joints:These are the knee and ulna part of elbow permitting movement similar to a door hinge.
- Pivot Joints: Situated in neck and the radius portion of the elbow, these joints facilitate spinning and twisting of bones.
- Saddle Joints:One of them is seen in the thumb, which allows back and forth and side to side restricted motion.
- Causes
 Like with most of the menopausal symptoms, joint pain is also primarily caused by the hormonal imbalance. In menopause, hormones begin to ebb and flow before they reach to their permanent decreased levels. These hormones include estrogen and progesterone. Although it is yet not clear as to how the hormones affect joints, doctors have accepted the fact that low level of estrogen affects joint pain during menopause. This is because, normally, estrogen plays a role in maintaining joints by controlling inflammation that is the prominent cause of joint pain. So, as the estrogen levels drops, joints will receive less estrogen resulting in inflammation that can take place any time.
Keeping the hormonal reasons aside, there are many more causes of joint pain listed below.
- Wear and tear
- Injury
- Weight
- Diet
- No exercise
- Muscle loss
- Stress
- Genetics
- Joint inflammation
- Metabolic disorders
- Bone diseases
- Tumors and cancer
- Symptoms
 A joint pain can prove to be a tremendously uncomfortable disorder wherein you cannot even carry out simple tasks and movements. For instance, if there is a pain in knee joint, you might find it almost impossible to get up after sitting on the floor at home. To treat this, you first need to know its symptoms and causes. The symptoms of joint pain actually are based upon the particular cause of the pain. But, listed below are the typical symptoms of joint pain related to menopause.
- Pain
- Stiffness
- Swelling
- Warmth in joints
- Restricted morning stiffness
- Intense pain with exercise
- Relief from pain with rest
- Osteoporosis
- If you are having an injury or a type of arthritis, you are more prone to joint pain that has the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Redness
- Joint swelling
- Joint stiffness
- When to Visit a Doctor?It is recommended to visit a healthcare professional as early as possible on the onset of a joint pain to eradicate it completely. If you notice a joint pain for more than three days, pain shifting to other joints or worsening, fever, or progressive weight loss; you need to compulsorily speak to a doctor.
- TreatmentLifestyle changes are the best to begin with, which includes a physical therapy to ease joint pain, walking, simple stretches, and muscle-strengthening exercise. It is suggested to visit a doctor or physical therapist before practicing a new exercise routine. Along with this, it would be ideal to take up some alternative medicines for the best results - different herbs and techniques like acupuncture. This is because they directly throw away the root cause of a joint pain.
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More Topics
- Night Sweats SymptomsWe know that the episodes of night sweats are the buddies of hot flashes, both of which are the common symptoms of menopause. The night sweats symptoms are therefore quite similar to those of the hot flashes experienced during the day. The only difference is that the main feature of these night sweats are excessive sweating.
- Symptom of Muscle TensionMuscle tension is described as the feeling in which the muscles tend to be stiff or strained sometimes giving rise to frequent or continual pain. This symptom can lead to pain or cramps in any part of the body's muscles. Muscle tension is known as a menopausal symptom that occurs due to stress and anxiety when a woman who is between 45 and 55 begins to experience the effects of hormonal fluctuations.
- Menopausal AllergiesAllergies take place when the immune system responds strangely to the alien substances that do not tend to harm at all. Among all the allergies, the most common is the allergy against pollen that is technically termed as an allergen.
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