Menopause Joint Pain & MSM: Causes and Treatment

For millions of women across the globe, menopause joint inflammation can be a daily occurrence that puts a serious damper on everyday life, turning an already challenging phase into what feels like an uphill battle.

The good news is that these symptoms now have a clinical name: Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause (MSM). Rather than being “just joint pain,” MSM is a newly recognized medical term that describes the combination of joint pain, muscle loss, and declining bone density that can occur during this phase of life. This acknowledgement is huge, because 70–80% of women experience these symptoms, yet they are often misdiagnosed as "just getting older" or general "wear and tear."

As with other menopause symptoms, there are steps you can take that make things better. Understanding what may be causing joint pain and discovering what you can do about it can help a lot. You deserve to enjoy your life, and pain doesn’t need to be part of it.

We’re here to give some of the necessary tools to reduce menopausal joint pain.

What Causes Menopausal Joint Pain and Musculoskeletal Syndrome?

Menopause can have a lot of different effects on the body. The symptoms of menopause are caused by the body’s decreased production of estrogen as we age. This is a naturally occurring phenomenon because our ovaries have aged with us and they produce less follicles which produce less estrogen. We have little cups that are called estrogen receptors all over our body. When our cups don’t get filled with estrogen because there is less to go around, we get symptoms. Symptoms can range from increased anxiety to hot flashes to hair loss. If you want to have a reason for your frustrations, blame it on decreased estrogen; this is a good place to start.

Joint pain is a little more involved than some of menopause’s other hormonal changes, however, so it’s important to understand exactly how lowered estrogen affects your joint health.

The Role of Estrogen in Maintaining Joint Flexibility and Health

While the impact of estrogen levels on your mental and emotional state may be mostly clear, the role that the hormone plays in your physical state may seem abstract at first. Our bodies are densely populated by receptors that are filled and react to all kinds of different chemicals released by the brain and other bodily systems.

When estrogen binds to these receptors in joints, it’s thought to have a protective effect that keeps the joints from getting inflammation and feeling too stiff or swollen. As estrogen levels decrease during menopause, the tissue around these joints loses some of that protection, thus creating the not-so-lovely joint pain and stiffness that so many menopausal women experience every day.

What Does Menopause Joint Pain Feel Like? Common Symptoms and Sensations

The severity and type of joint pain can vary for everyone. Some women may experience stiffness or tightness in their joints during physical activity, but it’s also possible for there to be a dull aching during moments of rest. Other women feel a burning sensation and occasional shooting pains.

Joint pain can vary in intensity as well. As with other menopause symptoms, there are good and bad days.

What Joints Are Most Affected by Menopause?

When it comes to where you’ll feel the most joint pain, the most commonly affected areas are the knees, shoulders, and hips. These are parts of the body that do a lot of work, and once the protection granted by estrogen has declined, this strain will begin to show as unwelcome aches and pains. It’s also possible to feel joint pain in your jaw, neck, back, elbows, wrists, and fingers.

What Time of Day Is Menopausal Joint Stiffness the Worst?

In most cases, joint pain will be the worst first thing in the morning, as that’s when your joints are generally at their least flexible. Once you’ve had time to stretch and move around a bit, your joints adjust and become less stiff.

Effective Treatments for Joint Pain and Menopausal Arthralgia

Effective menopausal arthralgia treatment focuses on addressing the hormonal root cause of pain while also supporting the muscles and bones that protect the joints. If you’re looking to get rid of painful joints, there are a number of things you can do to lessen the aches and stiffness. While not every technique may work for everyone’s unique situation, it’s better to know all possible options so that you can find the solution that works best for you. 

Weight Management and Musculoskeletal Health

Trying to lose weight can be difficult under any circumstance, and the effects of menopause can sometimes make it seem like a fruitless endeavor. When it comes to joint pain relief, however, shedding excess weight can help take significant stress off of your body. The knees and hips are especially vulnerable to the stress of body weight, and if the cartilage in your joints has also worn away with age, menopausal joint pain can have serious effects on those areas.

Because excess weight places added strain on already sensitive joints, Alloy’s Weight Care program can help reduce joint discomfort while supporting long-term musculoskeletal health.

We specialize in addressing midlife weight gain with GLP-1s. Our clinically supported, personalized treatment options helps you feel stronger, lighter, and more at home in your body—inside and out. Even if it’s just a few pounds, taking that additional strain off of your joints can significantly reduce your overall feelings of pain.

Prioritizing Sleep for Joint Recovery

The time we spend sleeping is vital to our body’s ability to naturally recover from daily stresses, especially physical strain. If you don’t get a good night’s rest, you may find that your joints hurt more than usual because they haven’t had a chance to fully rest themselves. Getting a proper amount of sleep allows any possible swelling or stiffness in your joints to relax, that way they don’t feel progressively worse as days go on.

Resistance Training and Muscle Maintenance for Joint Stability

Joint pain can turn some exercises into a painful endeavor, but one of the best ways to relieve aches and pains is to remain as physically active as possible. While low-impact aerobic activity can help with flexibility, resistance training and lifting heavy is not only important, but a non-negotiable to protect joints during menopause. Progressive overload, meaning gradually increasing the amount of weight or resistance you use, helps stimulate bone growth, preserve muscle mass, and support joint stability.

Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition and Dietary Supplements for Joint Support

You can also focus on making anti-inflammatory foods and nutrients a large part of your diet. These include:

• Fruits and vegetables

• Whole grains

• Omega-3 fatty acids

• Dark chocolate

• Nuts and seeds

• Certain oils (oily fish, olive oil, etc.)

It’s also important to make sure you’re getting enough protein during menopause. A daily goal of approximately 1.0–1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight can help prevent muscle loss and better support joints. Supplements can also be a great help during this transition. We recommend [Alloy’s Synbiotic] to reduce systemic inflammation, turmeric and black pepper for absorption, creatine for muscle maintenance, and vitamin K2 to drive calcium to the bones.

Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) for Joint Pain Relief

As we mentioned earlier, menopausal symptoms are largely caused by hormonal changes that cause just about every other menopausal symptom. It only makes sense that menopause hormone therapy can get your levels back up to levels that are conducive to serve your entire body so that your body can feel like how you remember it before menopause began.

MHT is the gold-standard clinical treatment for menopausal arthralgia, targeting the hormonal drivers of joint pain, muscle loss, and bone density changes.

At Alloy, our mission is to help women feel strong and supported at every stage of menopause. Visit our Solutions page to see your treatment options and take the next step toward lasting relief.

When Should You See a Doctor for Menopause Joint Symptoms?

Joint pain is definitely uncomfortable, but it’s rarely an emergency that needs to be addressed by a doctor. However, sometimes joint pain can be serious.

Identifying Emergency Joint Pain Symptoms

Joint pain can become an emergency in some rare cases, and you should see your doctor if you notice any swelling, redness, warmth or tenderness in the area around a joint. These could be indicative of a greater issue and should be addressed immediately to prevent any damage.

Menopausal Arthralgia vs. Arthritis: Understanding the Difference

It’s also important to note the difference between Menopausal Arthralgia and Arthritis. Menopausal Arthralgia causes pain and stiffness without visible inflammation on imaging, which is why X-rays may come back “normal” even when symptoms are severe. On the other hand, osteoarthritis involves structural joint damage that can be seen on scans.

Turn to Alloy for Help with Joint Pain and Other Menopause Symptoms

You don’t have to deal with menopause symptoms like joint pain alone. Our hormone solutions are designed to rebalance your hormones and help you live your best life. 

We make menopause treatment easy: complete a quick medical intake, get connected with a menopause-trained physician within hours, and choose a treatment plan that works for you. 

Menopause is a journey. We’re here to support you through all of it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause (MSM)?

MSM is a newly recognized medical term used to describe the combination of joint pain, muscle loss, and declining bone density that often occurs during perimenopause and menopause. Research suggests that 70–80% of women experience these symptoms due to estrogen deficiency.

Why is menopause joint pain usually worse in the morning?

Joint stiffness often peaks first thing in the morning because joints are at their least flexible after long periods of inactivity during sleep. Once you begin to move and stretch, blood flow increases delivering oxygen and the joints typically become more flexible and less painful.

Does Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) help with joint pain?

Yes. MHT is considered the "gold-standard" treatment for Menopausal Arthralgia. It addresses the hormonal root cause by restoring estrogen levels, which helps protect the tissues around the joints and prevents sarcopenia (muscle loss) and bone density decline.

What is the difference between Menopausal Arthralgia and Arthritis?

Menopausal Arthralgia involves significant pain and stiffness caused by hormonal shifts but typically shows no visible inflammation or structural damage on X-rays. Conversely, osteoarthritis involves structural damage to the joint that is clearly visible on medical imaging.