Chronic Pain in Midlife and Menopause
Let's talk about the pain nobody warned you about.
Maybe it's your hips when you get out of bed in the morning. Maybe it's a shoulder that has "just been tight" since spring. Maybe it's headaches that come in waves, or a whole-body ache after another night of bad sleep. You mention it to a friend and she says, "Oh, me too." You mention it to someone else and they shrug: "Well, you're getting older."
Getting older is a privilege. Living in pain is NOT something you have to “deal with”.
October is Menopause Awareness Month, and Sunday, October 18 is World Menopause Day. This year the International Menopause Society chose the theme "Chronic Pain at Midlife." They note that chronic pain affects many women during and after the menopause transition, but it's still underestimated in both research and care (International Menopause Society).
I'm so glad they picked it. It's one of the most common things I hear from the women I coach, and one of the least talked about.
What "chronic pain" actually means
Chronic pain is pain that lasts, or keeps coming back, for more than three months (MenoMartha). It's estimated to affect about half of women in midlife (Irish Pharmacy Union).
It can look like:
Achy, stiff joints in the knees, hips, hands or shoulders
Muscle soreness that hangs around longer than it used to
Headaches or migraines that change pattern
Widespread, all-over pain
Pelvic pain
Low back and neck pain
If you're reading that list and nodding along, you are not just imagining it and you are not alone.
Why midlife can turn up the volume on pain
Pain is complicated, and there's rarely one single cause. Hormones, aging, sleep, mood and lifestyle can all shape how pain develops and how strongly you feel it (MenoMartha). During the menopause transition, a lot of those change at once:
Hormones. Estrogen plays a role in your joints, your muscles, and how your nervous system processes pain. When it swings and then declines, many women notice aches they never had before.
Sleep. Night sweats and 3 a.m. wake-ups mean less deep sleep. Poor sleep makes pain feel worse, and pain makes sleep worse. It becomes a loop.
Muscle loss. Without strength training, we lose muscle as we age (sarcopenia). Less muscle means less support around your joints. Less muscle also means lower bone density! Something we should all be holding on to.
Stress and mood. Midlife is often the most demanding season of life: work, kids, aging parents, all at once. Stress and low mood can amplify pain.
Moving less. When things hurt, we move less. When we move less, things hurt more.
One more important point from this year's World Menopause Day campaign: not all pain is "just menopause." The full theme is "From Recognition to Evidence-Based Care," and it specifically warns against blaming every persistent ache on menopause alone (Irish Pharmacy Union). Pain that sticks around deserves a real conversation with your healthcare provider, so nothing else gets missed.
What you can do, starting this week
I'm a coach, not a doctor. Please talk to your provider about your pain. But here's what I see work again and again for the women I train.
1. Strength train two to three times a week
This is the big one. Strong muscles support your joints and carry load so your joints don't have to. Major arthritis guidelines recommend exercise, including strengthening, for people with knee and hip osteoarthritis (American College of Rheumatology). And research on postmenopausal women with low bone mass has shown that well-supervised, progressive resistance training can improve bone density and physical function (LIFTMOR trial, Journal of Bone and Mineral Research).
Here are three moves I give clients with achy knees and hips:
Dumbbell goblet squat: builds your quads and glutes to support your knees. When my hips and knees are feeling extra inflamed, I will add a heel wedge and do these squats with a tempo of :03 down and then power up.
Dumbbell hip thrust or glute bridges: strong hips take load off your low back. Do these nice a slow. Focus on a proper set up and doing that squeeze for a second at the top. You can also use a resistance band for these. I will also do Toes elevated RDLS with dumbbells. These help me to get a solid stretch in my hamstrings while also engaging my glutes and core which will help support my lower back.
Single-arm row: builds your upper back, posture and grip strength. I also love doing lat pulldowns to help strengthen my back and give me a great full range of motion.
Start with 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps, two to three times a week. Go lighter than you think you need to. Discomfort during a set shouldn't go above a mild 5 or 6 out of 10. Consistency beats intensity every single time.
2. Move a little every day
A 10-minute walk after meals. A few mobility moves while the coffee brews. Motion is lotion for your joints.
A quick walk in the fresh air first thing in the morning as the sun comes up will change your entire day!
3. Protect your sleep
Keep a consistent bedtime and wake time, a cool and dark room, a caffeine cutoff after lunch, and no alcohol ( i know, but it is worth it). Sleep is where your body recovers, and it's one of the most overlooked parts of feeling better.
4. Eat to support your body
Get protein at every meal to help you keep and build muscle. Add colorful plants, healthy fats and fiber. You don't need a perfect diet. You need a realistic one you can stick with.
DO NOT avoid carbs. Healthy carbs are what fuel our bodies. These are esspecially important prior to weight training.
5. Track it
Write down when the pain shows up, how bad it is, and what was going on: sleep, stress, training, your cycle. That record makes your next doctor's appointment far more useful.
Also keep track of your day and what you do each day. I personally use a whoop to help me track and it has been a life changer. I can get specific analytics to things that are affecting my sleep and recovery.
6. Find your people
Women who talk about this openly tend to get help sooner. That's exactly why I created UNpaused and LVP Fitness.
We offer studied and proven information to help and always help YOU to guide your own success plan to feel your best.
For the people who love her
If your partner, mom, sister or friend is in midlife and hurting, here's how you can help:
Believe her. Don't say "it's just your age."
Ask how you can help, then actually do it.
Move with her. Offer to walk together, go to the gym with her, or come to a class.
Encourage her to get checked out if the pain has lasted more than three months.
Feeling understood is a big part of feeling better.
How LVP can help
As a Certified Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach and Certified Menopause Coach, I build training and nutrition around your body as it is right now, not the body you had at 25.
Menopause coaching: One-on-one support for training, nutrition, sleep and symptom tracking.
Personal training and small group training: Coached strength training that adapts to how your body feels each day, week, year. Goals change and so your training should follow suit.
1:1 nutrition coaching: A personalized, realistic plan with weekly check-ins.
The LVP Fitness app: Structured programming you can do at home or in the gym.
UNpaused: Our first UNpaused Retreat and Wellness Seminar this past April brought women together for an honest conversation about thriving through this chapter. It's coming back. Starting October 19, vote in our Instagram Stories to help pick the date and format.
Menopause is inevitable. Suffering is not.
[Book your free consultation] | [Reach out to us at LVP Fitness]
