Most women start going through menopause, but it’s possible to start before the age of 40. Unfortunately, menopause and hip pain often go hand in hand.
Sometimes in their early 50s, other menopause symptoms already affect sleep and comfort, and different types of hip pain only add to the problem. Luckily, it’s possible to find some menopause relief if you understand the causes of hip pain.
The following guide will explain how the two issues are connected and what you can do to ease symptoms.
Menopause and Hip Pain Connections
In general, it’s normal to experience wear and tear around bones as we age. Female sex hormones also contribute to overall bone health.
Estrogen helps guard joints against excessive inflammation. So, when estrogen levels lower, it can reduce bone density and cause issues such as hip pain.
The hip joint uses large bones surrounded by strong muscles to help us stand straight and support our body weight. Because we use the hip joint so often, they wear down faster than others, and menopause speeds the process up even more.
Related Symptoms
It’s easy to misinterpret lower back pain as hip pain during menopause. But there are a few key symptoms to look for to determine if the pain stems from hip joint pain.
It’s likely related to your hips if you feel the pain on the inside of your legs or around your buttocks. The pain can feel dull or sharp and usually involves tightness during movement.
If you feel the pain more often when standing or walking, that’s probably because hip pain affects weight-bearing activities. However, it can also cause pain while sitting, more so when you cross your legs.
Hip pain tends to cause a lot of discomfort when sleeping, especially if you sleep on your side. You might also notice clicking in your hips while you’re moving during the day. Also, pay attention to any tightness within the pelvic floor.
Understanding Lateral Hip Pain
Lateral hip pain involves pain that comes from the outside of the hip joints. It’s called gluteal tendinopathy, and it’s common to experience this pain during menopause.
Movement usually strengthens legs, but only if they have enough time to rest and repair in between activities. When there’s an overload of gluteal tendons, small tears happen more often, making it difficult to recover quickly.
Menopause limits the body’s ability to heal, which makes the problem much worse. When the body can’t repair itself as usual, it can cause intense pain and discomfort.
Like with other menopause symptoms, the pain usually worsens at night. Inflammation, in general, spikes at night for all kinds of conditions. Enzymes that cause pain stay in the same area while we rest, which makes lateral hip pain much worse.
Hip Pain Prevention
It’s possible to reduce hip pain during menopause by losing weight and taking pressure off your joints. Certain products, such as Slimming Sprinkles can help lose weight and balance hormones during menopause as well.
It’s also important to get plenty of rest and relaxation so that your joints have plenty of time to recover each day. Avoid heavy workouts, and make sure to form a good cool-down routine after exercising.
Try not to push your muscles to the point of soreness to ease daily hip pains during menopause. Warming up and stretching before physical activity is just as important as the cool-down that follows.
Remember that hip pain might not originate because of menopause. It could be an underlying condition that’s made worse by menopause, and your doctor can help you determine other causes.
Examples of underlying conditions to look for include inflammatory arthritis, osteoporosis, and gynecological issues. Those kinds of issues must receive attention as soon as possible.
Note that finding and treating underlying issues might not eliminate hip pain during menopause altogether. But it should reduce the severity of hip pain and discomfort during menopause.
Stretching Exercises
Stretching is a simple method to treat and control hip pain during menopause. Consider isotonic exercises, isometric exercises, and bridging exercises each day to relieve pain and get better sleep at night.
Knee lifts help reduce hip pain, and it starts by laying flat on the ground while extending both legs. Then, you pull one leg towards your chest while keeping the other straight. Hold the stretch for about 10 seconds before switching to the other leg.
You can also pull both legs into your chest while breathing deeply to help relieve pain. For this stretch, hold your legs for around 20 – 30 seconds at a time.
You can also stand upright and slowly bend one knee and raise your leg while keeping the other straight. If needed, hold on to something to help you keep your balance during the stretch.
You can also perform hip extensions by standing up straight and holding onto a chair, wall, or surface in front of you. It involves keeping one leg straight while extending the other leg backward without bending the knee.
Herbs for Hip Pain
Try using turmeric to help reduce inflammation and swelling to fight hip pain during menopause. Flax seed also reduces inflammation and even helps balance hormones.
Garlic helps get toxins out of the body and also helps enhance blood circulation. Both of those benefits can help ease joint pain and improve sleep.
Soybean helps regulate hormones during menopause, and it’s easy to add to just about any meal. Try to add cinnamon to your diet when possible as well because it’s anti-fungal and antibacterial, which reduces inflammation.
You can combine herbs with other holistic practices, such as yoga, for the best results. Easy and effective poses for hip pain include the legs up the wall pose, child pose, and cow pose.
Managing Menopause and Hip Pain
Now you know why menopause and hip pain have such a strong link. Remember the causes, symptoms, and remedies found in this guide to manage your hip pain so that it doesn’t disrupt your daily life.
Browse our site’s health and fitness section for more easy ways to improve how you feel each day.
