Understand
Aching joints in midlife
One of the most common and least expected complaints of these years.
4 minSource: Narrated
What women describe
Stiffness in the morning, aching hands, sore shoulders, hips and knees, frequently arriving without any injury to explain them.
It is often not connected to menopause by the women experiencing it, or by the first person they mention it to.
What tends to help
Movement usually helps more than rest, even when starting is uncomfortable. Gentle and regular beats occasional and hard.
Warmth in the morning, such as a shower before trying to use stiff hands.
Strength work supports the joints around them, and matters for bone as well.
Worth raising
Joint pain has many possible causes, several unrelated to hormones. Persistent pain, swelling, or one joint much worse than the others should be assessed by your doctor rather than assumed to be hormonal.
The years around menopause are when bone and heart risk shift most. Understanding them early is what makes them manageable.
General information, not medical advice. Narrated never diagnoses.
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