Joint pain in menopause

[rattling]

I see a lot of women list joint pain as a menopause issue. Can I ask what level of pain you are experiencing (if you do), and whether HRT helped? I have previously had a few aches and pains related to injury or over-use, but over the last 18 months I've had much more serious pain which has hit one joint out of nowhere, then after a while (assisted by targeted exercises?) that pain has gone, only to pop up elsewhere. I've had it hit both knees and hips, one elbow and shoulder my back and an ankle! I've been considering HRT for a while for a variety of issues and perhaps this is the final straw which will drive me to attempt to get a doctor's appointment.

I didn't sorry but I did take lots of vitamins that turned my life around.
You can be very deficient in vitamin d and b vitamins during the menopause.
I started taking vitamin d+k in the same tablet.
B1 (thiamine)
B12 tincture
Magnesium
All of which help with joint pain
My body was so much in pain I'd be curled up on the floor.
It's a few years later but if I stop taking B12 for a few weeks the crippling joint pain comes back.
I also started an autoimmune/ anti inflammatory diet.
I know this isn't what you asked but that was my experience.

I take Ashwaganda and it’s made a marked difference. Im already on HRT, if I go away and don’t take my Ashwaganda I can tell the difference.

I was starting to get knee pain when exercising. I lost 20lbs and don't have that now. I also take ferroglobin and collagen, and magnesium occasionally.

I get hip and lower back pain. I’ve have a mri and i have osteoarthritis plus 2 dehydrated/prolapsed discs. I’ve started hrt to see if it will help with joint pain. Not seen an improvement from it yet. I also use a cream called flexiseq which does seem to help. I take magnesium, calcium, vitd and mostly follow an anti inflammatory diet. I’m also trying to lose weight (I’m not huge but slightly overweight so will hopefully benefit. I’ve taken up weight training to try and strengthen core.

I had elbow pain so severe I couldn’t keep my arms by my sides as my hands felt too heavy. Could not lift anything. Started to ease as soon as I started on HRT.

As others have said you need supplements.

Menopace and
glucosamine chondroitin with added vit c, rosehip, turmeric and ginger.

when I don’t take them I really notice joint pain and also my mood dips.

I’m not in hrt

Really interesting to read this. I always assumed joint pain meant a background ache rather than what I am experiencing (which makes the exercise I'd like to do difficult). I think I will give HRT a go. Probably worth trying for the hot flushes and associated lack of sleep anyway.
I've been taking magnesium which seems to have helped with the anxiety, and I take a high dose vit d most days. I do need to work on my diet - I try for anti-inflammatory as DH has rheumatoid arthritis, but while I do eat lots of the good stuff, I follow that up with a lot of the bad. Perhaps it's time to try a bit more willpower too!

Similar to other posters, I had a lot of joint paint (amongst many of symptoms). A regime of HRT, supplements and yoga have helped. I now sporadically have hip pain. But should I stop this mix, after only a short while the pain starts back up.

note, I started the HRT firstly with just a mirena coil, later added estrogen patches. Much later upped the estrogen patch level.

this isn’t a one and done thing. You may need to tweak things as time goes by and new things crop up. Digestion, hair loss, weight gain, sleep issues to name a few.

What supplements do you take @tempname1234 ? I’m trying to get a general picture of what works for joint pain as I’m not allowed HRT.

@rattling To be honest, rather than 'throwing mud at the wall' (and spending months to see any improvement) it's better to get a diagnosis.

HRT isn't prescribed 'for joint pain' although it may help by building collagen and cushioning the joints.

You should go down a diagnostic route first-

1 X rays to see any wear and tear of osteoarthritis
2 blood tests for RA or other similar rheumatoid issues
3 Physio to assess your posture/ strain etc. (probably need this privately.)

It's only after ruling anything out that you should try supplements if all tests show nothing.

There is a lot of research into supplements and the results are 'mixed' to say the best- there is not evidence that any of them help.

I’ve had quite bad hip pain at night, which wasn’t really helped by HRT (I have mirena coil plus oestrogel) however, I’ve had my mirena replaced last week, and since that day my hip pain has been much better. I’ve no idea why it’s helped this time but not previously 🤷🏼‍♀️

I developed bad joint pain (neck, elbow, foot, knee, hip) at around the time I was going through the menopause … it turned out to be ankolysing spondylitis (a type of inflammatory arthritis). As PP said, I would get it checked out rather than assuming it’s the menopause.

I have knee pain and leg stiffness. Takes me a few mins some days to going, and if I've been sat for a while.

That's 'just' osteoarthritis which a lot of people get from midlife onwards- even men.

I had awful hip pain. Hey completely solved it

I have a lot of pain in my hip lower back neck ankle since perimenopause. Wake me up several times every night. Ra factor has been negative all along but I have strong family history of osteoarthritis. I tried muscle building, weight loss, supplements and hrt and convinced its the hrt that helps the most. I am on evorel sequi. Hope this helps.

Hi there,
It doesn’t seem likely that you have this from your post but for anyone else reading I want to mention an illness called acromegaly. It is caused by excessive growth hormone produced in the pituitary gland.
Acromegaly can cause a wide range of symptoms, which tend to develop very slowly over time.
Early symptoms include:

• swollen hands and feet – you may notice a change in your ring or shoe size
• tiredness and difficulty sleeping, and sometimes sleep apnea.
• gradual changes in your facial features, such as your brow, lower jaw and nose getting larger, or your teeth becoming more widely spaced
• numbness and weakness in your hands, caused by a compressed nerve.
• periods becoming irregular
• fatigue
• aching joints

If you have these symptoms you want to see an endocrinologist and have your IGF1 levels checked. It’s probably not this. Acromegaly is a rare disease. Unfortunately that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. It’s worth checking if you have any concerns. The earlier it is caught the more likely it is to be curable!