Can menopause cause widespread musculoskeletal and joint pain, including central sensitisation?

[101trees]

I've had some really awful issues with chronic musculoskeletal pain, mainly back and pelvis, over the last few years.

But now it seems like it's also leg, shoulder, joints in my hands... everything really!

I'm under a hospital pain clinic, they say central nervous system issues have a role. But I recently read something about joint and muscular pain being a menopause issue.

Is it common ? Can it be really incapacitating sometimes?

I'm wondering if hormones might be behind the central nervous system issues. Nothing conventional seems to have worked to improve anything.

PS - I'm weirded out that AI has autocorrected my title to something sensible and coherent.

I knew about hot flushes, etc when I went into menopause but didn't know joint pain was A Thing.

Hips were the worst but IIRC all joints hurt at one stage or another.

Yes it can be. How old are you and have you tried HRT?

Never heard of central sensitisation, but I do have stiff joints and ache all over. All the ruddy time. It is better when I'm moving about but if I have to sit still for any length of time (such as a meeting at work, in the theatre, or after a long car journey) I stiffen up again.

Yes it can cause joint pain (only recently found this out myself).

I'm assuming they have checked your Vitamin D levels as insufficient levels can cause horrendous bone pain.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/symptoms/

Yes this is how I feel, OK when moving around but everything gets stiff when I'm in a fixed position. It is muscular stiffness as well as joints though. Also generalised aching in an area, usually my pelvis, back or shoulders.

I'm only 40 ! And I am on HRT, but my GP does think I might need a bit more.

I'm not sure if it is a bit of a reach to think it might be related to perimenopause.

No I haven't, I have never heard that before, thank you. I will look into it.

It was the worst symptom of menopause for me. A whole body stiffness, especially, after sitting down. KURK was the supplement that helped me- after a week stiffness disappeared. 1ml in the morning and 1ml in the evening helped me enormously. I have recommended it to 2 friends in the same situation recently and they both swear by it, too. I am not on HRT.

Yep. And it’s recognised and there is much research on it

Biological Men are at higher risk of these symptoms as they age, too.

Menopause can't be only reason these health problems are more common as we age.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I’d say definitely… pelvic/ lower back/ Sacro area
HRT wasn’t for me and thought I’d managed quite well thus far but more recently the joint and muscular issues are more prevalent… meno or age related 🤷🏼‍♀️ are these one and the same ? I’ve no idea.
My husband complains of it too but we think his issues are long covid/vacc related - we’re never going to know

It started like this for me, but also upper back and shoulder tightness It's worst when being in a fixed position for a while (at work or driving kids around). My hands hurt, I can't open jars anymore

I've had loads and loads of physio, but I feel like one area gets better and another gets worse.

I'd agree with everyone saying age related changes... but I'm 40 and feel like a 70 year old.

I'm fit too, have always run, swam, cycled, gym.

The only thing health wise which is unusual, is a family history of osteoporosis and early menopause. It's not osteo though.

Magnesium used to help a bit but it's getting worse.

Thank you, I'm going to try this

Continuous joint pain was my biggest symptom and I've just turned 40. Had been struggling for a few years with it getting worse and then started hrt in September - family early menopause history - and it had eased within a week.

Thank you for sharing. Perhaps my GP is right and I need a bit more estrogen.

I am due to have a blood test to check estrogen absorption and testosterone level next week.

I have found HRT helped lots of things, the feeling of overwhelm and migraines the most. But I still get hot flushes and the MSK pain is getting slowly worse, or at least spreading out !

Yes definitely for me and I just thought I’d say that regular yoga has helped a lot.
I do a gentle vinyasa flow class and it has helped with strengthening my joints. I’m more stable and more flexible and in less pain.

You're right... I've just gone off down a Google hole and read some of it.

It also mentions fluctuating estrogen can increase pain sensitivity, which I think is what the hospital was trying to explain to me.

Thank you for sharing :-)

I have tried regular yoga a number of times, but for some reason it makes it worse. I don't really understand why because in theory it should absolutely help !

from about 38 my ankles seized up in the mornings so I would have to sort of flex them before getting out of bed.
every night I had to stretch my legs and hips because they hurt so badly.

doctors just told me I was too young for it to be perimenopause.
funnily enough, now I’m at 44 and I’ve finally been prescribed hrt I don’t have any of those issues

Oh that’s a shame :( sorry to hear that. I was a bit worse for the first few months but two years in, much better. Just goes to show we’re all different I guess. I hope you find something that helps x

I have had back issues since I was in my twenties but they have got significantly worse in my forties an mri showed a 2 dehydrated discs 1 prolapsed and arthritis in my lumbar. I get pain in my lower back, hips and gluts. I’m on hrt and it has definitely helped with stiffness but not the pain. The central nervous system is definitely a thing. How it was explained to me was if your nervous system is stressed it will react more to pain so the level of pain you feel may be worse than it needs to be. I’ve taken up weight lifting/ pilates/ swimming and yoga to help and I’ve improved a lot.

If you are still having hot flushes sounds like rhe dose is too low. Are you on a low dose?

@101trees If your HRT isn't sorting your hot flushes, you need to increase the dose.

What dose are you on now?

Has your GP done blood tests to rule out rheumatoid arthritis?

Please don't assume all 70 year olds are full of aches and pains! None of my friends complain of those and it's not inevitable.

Have you had an x ray ? It could be osteoarthritis. I am 42 and was diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis in knees and hipps.

Apologies for the 70yo comment, that was very badly put. I think I'm quite frustrated because I've always felt since I've been extremely active throughout my adult life, I'd be the kind of 70yo who was still quite mobile, certainly didn't expect to feel this way at 40.

I am already on a high dose of HRT (100mg patch), but my GP said some women do need a higher dose. I'm due some blood tests next week to check I'm absorbing it OK, with a view to switching to gel if not, and increasing patch if it just seems to be not quite managing the symptoms. Also having testosterone checked with a view to trying this once estrogen is optimised.

I have had bloods for RA, negative. I'm also waiting (eternally) for a specialist MRI to check for inflammatory things.