Common Injuries in Peri and Post-Menopause & How to Avoid Them
Common Injuries in Peri and Post-Menopause & How to Avoid Them
Did you know it’s very common to suffer from a soft tissue injury (tendons, ligaments and fascia) in your peri and post menopausal years?
Why?
It’s not fully understood (lack of research) but it’s generally thought that a reduction in estrogen is the source of the trouble. We do know that dropping levels affects bone turnover so it’s not too far a leap to assume that it also affects your tendons and ligaments as well.
Estrogen drives the regeneration process. Women can lose up to 20% of bone mass within first 5-7 years post menopause if they don’t take active steps to avoid it.
Some common injuries
Frozen shoulder (I’ve mentioned this before)
Achilles tendonitis
IT band
Outer hip
Front of knee
Plantar fasciitis (painful soles of the feet)
Pelvic floor issues
What can you do to avoid it?
Prevention is key. The stronger you are going into peri/post menopause the stronger you’ll be on the other side. But all is not lost if you’ve not been paying that much attention.
Strength training is a must.
You should incorporate it alongside any exercise/sport you’re already doing. Two sessions a week is recommended as a minimum.
One session should be full on hard strength training - lifting heavy weights. The second could be lighter like weight bearing racquet sports or ball sports (these are multi-directional movement sports), Pilates (I spit on Pilates, joke), balance work and proprioceptive control (this really improves neuromuscular connections). Stuff without shoes on that challenges your balance, for example, paddle boarding, yoga, trail running.
Rest and recovery is super important.
Muscles and bones are made in bed. You should also realistically look at your training plan to match your current ability. What worked in your 20’s, sadly, probably needs updating. A 10 day plan is a good start (rather than 7 days).
Eat protein.
Protein is very important as you age - you need a lot more of it. And also, fuel yourself properly for the exercise you’re doing. Yes I am banging on about it again! A high percentage of injuries occur from poor decisions in racing situations. If you were fuelled properly on your way round you might not make daft decisions!
Dynamic warm ups before activity (not static stretching).
Consider HRT if you’re suffering from the common symptoms of peri and post menopause: insomnia, night sweats, palpitations, hot flashes, anxiety, depression, tinnitus, itchy skin, the common soft tissue injuries mentioned above that don’t seem to want to get any better.
What if you’ve already got an injury?
Again, strength training. The physio thinking has also changed a bit on what works for these sorts of injuries as well. Research has shown that static holds work better. For example, if your achilles is killing you, do a calf raise (with some hand weights) on a step and hold it there. For hamstrings bend your knee and hold the contraction. Load up the muscle affected and hold it.
Avoid aggressive foam rolling on sensitive areas
Collagen supplements have zero research-backed thumbs up. There’s lots of anecdotal stories about how great they are but no hard evidence and lots of people trying to flog you stuff.
Further reading:
Claire Callaghan The surprising secrets to fixing sore hips
Dr Louise Newson is a specialist in menopause medicine and care. Her website is full of valuable info with fact sheets on all sorts of menopause-related topics https://www.menopausedoctor.co.uk
Davina’s recent programme on C4 was a very good all round case for women avoiding long term suffering and going on HRT.