Back & Neck Pain in Perimenopause

A Pain in the Neck!

Neck and back pain often begins or increases with age, so women in perimenopause may begin experiencing pain during this period, which are two of the most stubborn conditions to treat. There can be dangerous underlying conditions causing the problem, which is why you must seek the help of a health care professional when you have new or worsened pain.
But sometimes, this pain is simply due to poor posture, bending the wrong way, or arthritis. Some women develop fibromyalgia during perimenopause, a chronic condition causing joint pain, during perimenopause. And finally, as estrogen levels decline, bones become more brittle, leaving women more vulnerable to osteoporosis.

Very common in perimenopause

"Back pain is particularly common among women between the ages of 30 and 45," says Dan Futch, D.C., chief of the chiropractic staff at Group Health Cooperative HMO in Madison, Wisconsin.

"Those ages are the window of opportunity for back pain," he says. "About the same time you start getting gray hairs, you'll probably start noticing twinges of pain in your back."
"The thirties and forties are the years when arthritis and other types of natural degeneration in the small joints of the back begin to catch up with us," says Robert Waldrip, M.D., an orthopedic spine surgeon in private practice in Phoenix.

Stress & Your Back

But stress, alone, can cause muscles to tighten, which may provoke pain in the back or neck. In fact, a London-based study of 5700 people showed that a stressful lifestyle in your 20s may increase your risk of developing back pain in your 30s. Participants who complained of stress at age 23 doubled their risk for lower back pain in their early 30s.
Surprisingly, more often than not, your back pain is just a result of bad posture, which can be corrected with some physical therapy. So if your neck or back pain is musculoskeletal in nature, there is help to be found! A good physical therapist can teach you methods to relieve your pain.

Endometriosis and menstrual cramps, which may worsen during perimenopause can contribute to low back pain. Slipped discs, pinched nerves, sciatica, and arthritis are other possible causes of back and neck pain.

Lack of exercise will certainly stress the body, and contribute to overweight, both of which can put pressure on bones and joints. Stretching and mild exercise can actually relieve back and neck pain.

Perimenopause & Back & Neck Pain

Natural Tips for Relief

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