There are 360 joints in our body. With increasing age women and men have problems with their joints. There is a connection between menopause and joint pain. But, the exact mechanism is not yet known. Joint pain is a symptom of menopause. Typically a woman approaches menopause between the ages of 45 and 55. The drastic hormonal fluctuations can affect her in many ways. We know well that hormones play a major role in woman’s bone and joint health. With hormonal imbalance during menopause she can get and experience joint pain.

Joint pain often occurs in the knees, hips and back. Many women feel the joints in their hands become stiffer which gives more pain. The age plays a role also here. Joint pain can give many problems and can make simple tasks and movements almost unbearable. The common symptoms of joint pain related to menopause include:

• Pain
• Stiffness, may be also a limited morning stiffness
• Swelling
• Warm joints
• Pain with physical activity
• Pain relief while resting

Estrogen, the female sex hormone has influence on joints. It keeps the joint inflammation low. Inflammation is the major cause for joint pain. As the estrogen levels begin to decrease during perimenopause which normally takes 5 to 10 years leading to menopause the problem starts slowly. The joints get less and less estrogen to control the inflammation and the result is mostly joint pain.

Osteoporosis is also another symptom of menopause which can cause joint pain. It is because of the decrease of bone mineral density due to calcium metabolism.

At the same time, we should think about the other conditions which can also cause joint pain and they include: excess weight, lack of exercise, injury, muscle loss, inflammation of the joints, bone diseases and wear and tear with age. Stress and tumor or cancer can cause joint pain. Heredity can also play a role here.

The first important step is you must consult your doctor. Thus it can be treated in the early stages and cannot become a big health problem. The guidelines to go to your doctor include: the joint pain lasts more than 3 days, joint pain and weight loss or fever and joint pain.

Alternative medicine is also a good option for menopausal joint pain.

What are the treatments for this serious problem? They include:

• Lifestyle changes
• The right food and food or herbal supplements, if necessary
• Regular physical therapy
• Regular walking
• Regular stretching
• Drugs and surgery
• Acupuncture

It is in your hands to do many things properly and then you have the best chance to be healthy irrespective of your age or in the menopause.