Joint pain is a typical symptom of menopause and can affect any joint, including hands, knees, elbows, and shoulders. Declines in hormones, which cause menopause, can affect numerous body areas, including the bones and muscles.

Part of the aging process for women is menopause. A person who is menstruating is considered in menopause when they have gone a year without having a period. The average age for menopause in the U.S. is 52.

Perimenopause is the first stage of menopause, which typically begins in the early to mid-40s and can last an average of four years. Menopause that happens before age 45 is considered early menopause. 

Read to find out the causes of joint pain during menopause, what joint pain from menopause feels like, and more.

 

Does menopause cause joint pain?

Estrogen is a sex hormone responsible for several body functions, including keeping cartilage, bones, and joints healthy. It also helps prevent joint inflammation and pain and natural bone replacement. Additionally, estrogen directly affects ligaments, muscles, and tendons and contributes to strength and muscle mass.

Muscle and bone function is bettered with optimal levels of estrogen. Research shows balanced estrogen levels can decrease stiffness in ligaments, tendons, and muscles, reducing injury rates and improving joint performance.

As many as 50% of people in menopause report joint pain. A significant symptom for 21% is joint pain.

Swelling and joint pain related to the decline of estrogen often affect the small joints of the feet and hands. Other joint areas, including the neck, knees, and elbows, can also be involved.

 

What does joint pain feel like during menopause?

Menopausal joint pain is frequently at its worst in the a.m. and improves with increased activity. You might also wake up to stiff joints.

Some additional joint systems could include:

• Pain with activity
• Decreased range of motion
• Back pain
• Joint stiffness
• Crepitus (popping and cracking sounds) with joint movement
• Muscle pain
• Soreness in the neck, shoulder, or joints

Joint pain during menopause can affect your ability to complete daily activities, along with your overall quality of life. Consistent stiffness and pain make performing day-to-day tasks more difficult and affect the enjoyment of favorite activities.

You might also experience stiffness, limiting your range of motion and making walking and other activities difficult.

Joint pain can lead to feelings of depression and anxiety and also affect your emotional health. You could also experience trouble with sleep because the joint pain makes it challenging to find a comfortable position to sleep in or pain in the joints might wake you up at night.

 

Additional possible causes of pain in the joints during menopause

Shifts in hormones during menopause can lead to stiffness and joint pain. However, menopause isn’t the only possible cause of joint pain during this time.

 

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA), the wear-and-tear type of arthritis, affects people who are female at birth in more significant numbers than those born male, with an increased risk for knee and hand OA. The effects of hand and knee OA seem to increase with age and tend to be brisker between ages 50 and 75.

The risk for hand OA peaks following menopause more than 3.5 times more significantly in women ages 50 to 60 when compared to men in the same age range. Researchers believe an estrogen deficiency is to blame for females’ increased risk.

 

Osteoporosis

Declining levels of estrogen may also lead to osteoporosis development. Osteoporosis is a bone disease that makes bones weak and more vulnerable to fractures.

Although osteoporosis doesn’t contribute directly to joint pain, it might also do so indirectly. For example, osteoporosis can lead to wrist, hip, and spinal fractures, which can cause joint pain.

 

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder that affects the joints’ synovial linings. Autoimmune diseases happen when the immune system malfunctions and begins attacking healthy tissues.

RA typically begins between ages 25 and 45 but can also develop in older adults. RA following age 45 is considered to be late onset. Normally, RA can develop during menopause, but hormonal imbalances might not be joint systems’ cause. No evidence suggests menopause leads to RA. 

The earliest symptoms of RA are tenderness and joint pain. Other symptoms include:

• Joint stiffness and swelling
• Low-grade fever: Body temperature between 99 and 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
• Stiffness in the morning that lasts 30 or more minutes
• Small joint involvement (feet and hands), particularly early on
• Chronic fatigue
• Symmetrical involvement — joint symptoms on the same joints on both sides of the body, for example, both wrists or both knees

Psoriatic Arthritis

Like RA, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an autoimmune disease during which the immune system malfunctions and attacks healthy tissues.

PsA affects both the joints and the skin. Its similar connection to menopause is the dropping of estrogen levels, which can increase your risk for the condition.

Menopause and PsA may also share some symptoms that overlap, which makes it more difficult to distinguish between the two conditions.

Symptoms include: 

• Dry, itchy skin
• Sleep difficulties
• Fatigue
• Mood swings

 

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a disorder that is characterized by broad musculoskeletal (joint, muscle, and other body tissues) pain. It can also cause problems with memory, mood, sleep, and severe fatigue.

Researchers believe that fibromyalgia can intensify painful sensations by affecting how the spinal cord and brain respond to unpainful and painful stimuli. 

Symptoms are frequently triggered following an effect, like psychological stress, an illness, physical trauma, and infection. The condition is more common in females.

Some individuals report symptoms of fibromyalgia start after menopause, suggesting a link between widespread musculoskeletal pain and hormonal imbalance. Symptoms of fibromyalgia also appear to worsen with menopause’s onset.

 

How can you relieve joint pain from menopause?

Modifications to lifestyle, including diet and exercise, can reduce joint pain from menopause and even reduce the risk for osteoporosis and OA. Other lifestyle changes include quitting smoking and stress management. Options for treatment include over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, hormone therapy, nutritional supplements, and acupuncture.

 

Consume more anti-inflammatory foods

Your diet plays a critical role in managing joint pain from menopause. You should eat a well-balanced diet with many vegetables, fruit, fish, healthy fats, whole grains, and lean meats.

Adding anti-inflammatory foods, including leafy green vegetables, nuts, oily fish, and olive oil, might help to prevent joint pain. You should also avoid foods that increase inflammation, including refined carbs (like white bread), soda, sweetened beverages, fried foods, red meats, margarine, and other shortenings.

 

Maintain your body weight

Keeping your weight at a healthy level is crucial to managing joint pain, with research showing that losing as little as 10 pounds can diminish the progression of arthritis in the knee by up to 50%.

Weight loss can take stress off the joints, easing joint symptoms. However, any joint damage cannot be reversed.

 

Regular exercise

If you experience joint pain, you might want to limit your movement. However, healthcare providers recommend regular physical activity to manage stiffness and pain.

Consistent physical activity can keep muscles strong around affected joints, control joint pain and swelling, and decrease muscle loss. Regular exercise can help increase joint cartilage lubrication and reduce stiffness and pain. It can decrease fatigue and improve sleep.

 

Stop smoking

Each tissue in the body is affected by smoking, including joints. Smoking can reduce blood supply to bones, slow down the production of bone-forming cells, increase your risk for osteoporosis, decrease absorption of calcium, and cause estrogen to break down too rapidly. Calcium is a necessity for bone mineralization.

Several effects of smoking can be reversed by quitting. If quitting is difficult, a healthcare provider can give you resources and information to help.

 

Give menopausal hormone therapy a try

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a type of estrogen treatment. It has been shown to decrease joint pain after menopause and during perimenopause.

There are numerous HRT options. Your physician or healthcare provider can advise you on the best options for your particular health situation.

 

Think about acupuncture

Acupuncture is an alternate medicine that uses thin, tiny needles that enter the skin at specific points on the body. Experts in Western medicine believe the procedure stimulates nerves, muscles, and other tissues.

Although limited, some research on acupuncture hints it may help the body to release natural painkillers. The risk of harm with acupuncture is minimal as long as the provider uses sterile, new needles for each client.

If you would like to try acupuncture, check with your healthcare provider. They can review your medical history and help you decide whether acupuncture is healthy.

 

Try OTC painkillers

Many medications that are OTC can help you manage your joint pain. Your OTC options for pain relief could include: 

• Topical pain relief creams, gels, lotions, or patches that contain lidocaine, capsaicin, salicylate, or menthol
• Tylenol (acetaminophen)
• Motrin or Advil (ibuprofen)
• Aleve (naproxen sodium)

 

Consult your healthcare provider if medicines purchased over the counter don’t help alleviate your joint pain. They can prescribe more powerful pain relief medicines as well as treat other joint pain causes, including RA, OA, and fibromyalgia.

 

Apply heat and ice

Applying heat to joints that ache can provide temporary pain relief. You can use a hot water bottle, warm compresses, a heating pad, or a soak in the tub for swollen and inflamed joints; use an ice pack to reduce pain and swelling.

 

Find ways to reduce your stress

Pain in the joints can be worsened by stress. You can reduce joint pain and manage it more effectively if you want other coping methods.

Consider consulting a therapist. A therapist can help you manage joint pain and menopause’s effects on your life. You might benefit from interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which can assist you to manage and better understand stressful issues.

Consider new relaxing ways, like talking walks, yoga, meditation, and deep breathing.

 

Supplements

Some dietary supplements can help manage joint pain and improve your joint health.

The supplements that follow are believed to relieve inflammation and joint pain:

• Chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine: Chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine are the most widely promoted and used supplements for joint pain. They are believed to provide pain relief and are the components of natural cartilage.
• Fish oil: These supplements contain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids comparable to those in fatty fish like mackerel and salmon. These fatty acids have powerful anti-inflammatory benefits, and research has shown fish oil supplements can improve swelling, stiffness, and pain.
• Curcumin: Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric, a spice frequently used in Indian curries. The spice has been found to have inflammation- and pain-relieving properties. If you don’t want to add turmeric to your meals, consider taking a supplement.
• Vitamin D supplements: Vitamin D is vital to promoting numerous health functions, including calcium absorption, which is critical for building strong bones. It can also help slow and minimize the effects of lowered estrogen, including those leading to joint and bone problems.
• S-adenosyl-methionine (SAMe): SAMe is a compound that occurs naturally in the body with cartilage-protecting and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s available as a supplement, with research showing it has a similar effect to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Aleve, Advil, and Motrin.

 

Consult with your healthcare provider before beginning any new supplement. They can review your medical history and decide if a supplement could help with your joint pain and if it’s safe to take with your specific health situation.

 

When should you contact your healthcare provider?

You should inform your healthcare provider if you are experiencing ongoing joint pain. They can rule out other conditions, identify the cause, and find a treatment plan that works for you.

Additionally, you should contact your healthcare provider for joint pain accompanied by severe fatigue or fever or if you have substantial pain that affects your ability to perform regular tasks.

 

To summarize

Menopause is the time of life that happens when you no longer have menstrual periods for a year. Declining levels of hormones can affect your body in several ways. Joint pain is commonplace during menopause as well as the time before periods stop, called perimenopause. The risk of arthritis and osteoporosis also increases during this time.

Menopause joint pain can be treated and managed in many ways. This includes changes in lifestyle like exercising, eating a healthy diet, quitting smoking, and managing stress. Options for treating and managing menopausal joint pain include acupuncture, natural supplements, OTC pain relievers, and hormone replacement therapy.

Contact your provider for severe pain, persistent joint pain, or pain accompanied by low-grade fever and severe fatigue.