As part of menopause awareness month this October, we’re asking the question, ‘Can the menopause affect backs?’
According to the national institute of health, yes.
Women spend nearly one-third of their life in menopause. In this period, women suffer from the onslaught of various musculoskeletal disorders. One such problem is chronic low back pain (LBP) which is more prevalent in women than in men, and it also increases with age.
According to a study carried out by Dedicação et al., about 70% of perimenopausal women have symptoms related to oestrogen deficiency, such as decreased bone mineral density, lipoprotein changes, and musculoskeletal pain, the latter being reported by more than half of the perimenopausal women.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6947725/
According to Dorset Menopause Support, recently, a whole new category for menopause has been recognised as the MSK Syndrome of Menopause. This is due to Dr Vonda Wright and her team working hard to get it recognised.
To alleviate symptoms there are a number of actions that women can take:
- Speak to your GP if you’re interested in finding out more about HRT
- Stretch regularly
- Gentle exercise daily
- Stay hydrated
- Maintain good posture
- Try herbal remedies to relieve stress and inflammation
- Speak to your chiropractor about ways to manage your back pain.
If you would like to speak to one of our chiropractors about your back pain, please get in touch on 01963 32986 or book an appointment online via our website.
Our good friend Rowan Chambers runs Dorset Menopause Support. We would encourage anyone wanting to discuss menopause to also get in contact with them. Their website is: www.dorsetmenopausesupport.co.uk