Joint pain

Cartilage is the tough, rubbery tissue that cushions and protects joints, absorbing shock. But surprisingly, it’s made up of 80% water. Water is also important for synovial fluid, a sort of gel-like thing your body makes to lubricate joints, so they move nicely. 

It goes without saying that if you’re not drinking enough of the wet stuff, your joints are going to be oh-so-achy. 

Drink at least two litres across the course of the day. Add a dash of squash if you prefer a bit of flavour.

A common side effect of the menopause is to put on a bit of timber and this excess weight is hard on your joints. In fact, according to the Arthritis Foundation, being just 10 pounds overweight puts an extra 15 to 50 pounds of pressure on your knees.

There are plenty of things you can do to trim down without jumping on the latest diet craze or denying yourself anything that tastes remotely good. See our article on weight gain for some top tips.

Hormone Replacement Therapy – HRT for short – essentially does what it says on the tin. It replaces the hormones that your body is naturally losing due to the menopause, helping reduce your symptoms, including joint pain. 

There are a number of ways you can take HRT medications, including tablets, patches and creams. Most women can take HRT but there are some risks, which your doctor should discuss with you. 

Although it may seem like the only way to exercise these days is to fling yourself around the front room to a Joe Wicks workout, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is probably going to make your joint pain worse.

Weightlifting is low impact, meaning it’s easy on your joints. Even if you’re just using your own body weight, resistance training will help you shift pounds and build lean muscle, which in turn will relieve pressure on your joints.

Weight-bearing exercises also help you preserve your bone density, which is vital as a drop in oestrogen during menopause can lead to osteoporosis.

Research has suggested people who eat a traditional Mediterranean-style diet are more likely to live a longer life and less likely to become overweight. And more recently, a study by the University of Kent showed that eating this way reduces inflammation and improves knee flex and hip rotation in people with osteoarthritis.

The NHS has loads of advice on following a Mediterranean diet, which generally involves eating oily fish twice a week, loads of colourful vegetables and legumes, lovely breads and pasta drizzled with olive oil, and a lot less meat and dairy. Sounds alright to us…

t’s really important to make sure you’re getting enough Vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc. If you can’t do this through diet alone, you might want to consider taking an all-in-one supplement. 

If you’re looking for natural remedies for menopause joint pain, you may also want to consider rubbing arnica gel directly onto affected areas, or taking Devil’s Claw, a plant remedy which has anti-inflammatory properties.