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Q: Does the menopause stiffen up joints? I have had no period for over a year. I have and still am very active and competed in athletics from 11-years old. My fingers and knees are worse
Hi, Charlie4,
I totally hear you - I've definitely stiffened up and even the thought of doing some of the things that I did in my 30s (like two-hour tennis matches) no longer sounds fun due to the punishment it gives my joints.
Some of your joint issues may be due to menopause. In "The No-Nonsense Guide to Menopause," Barbara Seaman and Laura Eldridge point to a study that linked the changing estrogen and progesterone levels to joint pains, headaches and hot flashes.
To protect joints, Dr. Holly Thacker of the Cleveland Clinic recommends eating a healthy diet and getting enough vitamin D, lose excess weight, and warm up and stretch before and after exercise. She also recommends trying exercises that are easy on the joints (such as swimming and water aerobics). Finally, you may want to get glucosamine. "Try 1,500 mg for at least two months before deciding whether it helps your joints," Dr. Thacker writes in "The Cleveland Clinic Guide to Menopause."
Take care and keep us posted!
Dorian
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