Leg pain and menopause can strike without warning. It can be a shooting, sharp pain that wakes you up or disturbs your sleep. This pain may last for nearly 24 hours, making the area sore.
Menopause occurs when the levels of estrogen and progesterone in a woman’s body decrease and menstruation ceases for more than a year.
Menopause symptoms include irregular periods and hot flashes, mood swings, irritability, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness, and urinary tract issues.
Menopausal women may also experience stomach pains and leg cramps, and some may experience more sleeplessness than others.
Leg Pain And Menopause: How They Occur
Women going through menopause must also deal with other symptoms. There are some tips to remember for avoiding and treating leg pains so that you can deal with this issue.
If you have leg pains and feel a sudden pain in your leg, it could be due to a muscle or group of muscles suddenly tightening.
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The majority of pains occur in the calf muscles, but cramps in the thigh or foot are also possible.
Apart from menopause, other contributing factors to this type of pain include a lack of physical activity, a mineral imbalance, and problems with blood circulation.
Those of you who experience leg pains only on occasion during menopause should consult with your doctor about the medications you are taking, as leg cramps may be a side effect of certain medications.
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Pains in your legs during menopause do not cause serious harm and are therefore not cause for concern.
They can, however, disrupt your sleep. Leg cramps usually occur for a short period of time and then disappear.
Leg Pain And Menopause: Treatments
Many women report that massaging or stretching their legs relieves cramps. Consult your doctor, have your bone density checked, and make sure you’re taking your calcium supplements on a daily basis.
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Leg cramps can also be treated by taking calcium/magnesium supplements on a regular basis. Other complementary therapies include soaking in a peppermint oil bath and drinking a couple of glasses of tonic water. A tincture of St. John’s wort is also said to be beneficial.
Insomnia
Leg pains have also been linked to sleep disorders such as restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder.
Restless legs syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder can disrupt sleep in menopausal women, leading to additional issues such as insomnia.
Restless legs syndrome usually occurs before sleep and causes calf discomfort and restlessness in the legs, which can be relieved quickly by moving around.
Periodic limb movement disorder, on the other hand, can cause excessive sleepiness, and both conditions are more common in older women experiencing menopause.
The sensations felt during restless legs syndrome are not painful, but rather uncomfortable and akin to anxiety.
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The subsequent leg cramps and creepy crawly feeling are felt deep in the legs and often occur while lying in bed and may cause stress if not treated promptly.
FAQ Related To Leg Pain And Menopause
Can menopause cause pain in your legs?
Many women have asked me over the years whether achy legs, leg cramps, swollen ankles, restless legs, or hot (and very cold) feet are symptoms of menopause.
Yes, they can, and there are four major reasons why these symptoms can occur.
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Can hormonal imbalance cause leg pain?
Hormonal imbalances can result in a wide range of complications, including mood swings, anxiety, leg cramps, and more.
Does menopause muscle pain go away?
Most women notice that symptoms like joint pain begin to fade during menopause as hormone levels even out and stabilize.
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However, this can also be affected by your overall health, stress levels, diet, exercise, and so on. So, taking care of yourself is critical at this time.
Can menopause cause hip and leg pain?
Many women experience joint and muscle pain and stiffness during menopause that they had
not previously experienced.
Because estrogen receptors are found throughout the body, including the joints, declining hormone levels can exacerbate pain caused by inflammation, general wear, and tear, and simply aging.
What relieves menopausal muscle pain?
These are some examples: Paracetamol is a simple pain reliever. Ibugel is an anti-inflammatory gel rub for joints. Ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory medications.
How do you know when menopause is over?
When you are in postmenopause, your menstrual cycle has been absent for more than 12 months.
Your reproductive years have passed by, and you are no longer ovulating (releasing eggs). Menopausal symptoms you’ve previously experienced may become milder or disappear entirely.
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What are the 3 stages of menopause?
- Menopause
- Perimenopause
- Post-menopause
Does menopausal arthritis go away?
Some of these symptoms are frequently self-limiting and resolve within 2-5 years, coinciding with menopause symptoms.
Hormone replacement therapy has been shown in trials to alleviate these symptoms, indicating a clear link between arthritis and estrogen deficiency.
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When does menopause usually end?
Menstrual periods may become longer or shorter, heavier or lighter, and more or less frequent in your 40s, until eventually — on average, by age 51 — your ovaries stop producing eggs and you no longer have periods.
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A Word From GetMe Treated
Leg pain and menopause could also be attributed to dehydration, peripheral vascular disease, muscle fatigue, nerve dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy, electrolyte and mineral imbalances, lumbar canal stenosis, cirrhosis, venous insufficiency, medications, etc.
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