This week has been a busy one at our house with both kiddies having their birthdays. Florie turned 4 on 16th February and Kit yesterday on 22nd February. I’m due to referee today at Kit’s football birthday today, wish me luck.
We managed half term, with a big finale on Friday with a trip to London where we took the kids to the science museum. We only lasted 30 minutes as Florie screamed the whole way round as I insisted that we would not be going to the toy shop first. In hindsight, the science museum on a Friday in half term was a bad choice, it was like being at Glastonbury when the headliner is about to perform, you could not move.
This week’s topic is something that up until about 2 years ago I knew very little about. I would also like to caveat this and say that I still know very little about it. The purpose of today is to get mor people talking about menopause and women’s health.
As I watch and try to help my amazing wife navigate her third pregnancy it made me see again that the ladies have a lot more to do compared to the men when it comes to pregnancy, then there is the menstrual cycle and to top It all off menopause. And I know I’m only scratching the surface, but it seems that there is a “crack on with it attitude”. So please take everything I say with a big pinch of salt and know that it comes from a place of shining a spotlight to help.
It was a couple of years ago that I was listening to a podcast with Davina McCall that it really hit home for me. Menopause is one of the most significant periods in a woman’s life and seems to be one of the areas we talk about the least.
It was the diary of a CEO and Stephen Bartlett (like him or hate him) does get some great guests and asks some probing questions. He asked her some very detailed questions around menopause and the impact it had on Davina physically and emotionally.
It got me thinking a lot more and when I see ladies in the clinic who are going through menopause, I have started to ask different questions about how it impacts their physical and emotional health and how their back pain could be different. This allows us to tailor a plan specific for them according to what they are going through.
The reason I took an interest in this was due to CrossFit.I know what you are thinking “it always leads back to CrossFit, give it a rest Jeremy.” I know, but bear with me.
There is a CrossFit athlete called Tia Claire-Toomey who has been the “fittest women in the world” 7 times and has dominated the CrossFit games. She gave birth to her first child in 2023 and one of her goals was to win the CrossFit games in 2024. She won her 7th title in 2024.
She spoke a lot about the changes that a woman’s body goes through during pregnancy, labour and post pregnancy and how she adapted to those.
However, this was not what got me intrigued more about women’s physiology and training. It was before she fell pregnant, she was discussing her training schedule, and it was all based around her menstrual cycle. (I want to add a side note here, I’m not the person to come too for menstrual cycle or menopause health, I’m just trying to shed some light on an area that I don’t think gets enough of a spotlight).
She mentioned that during her follicular phase which is from her period to ovulation she would train hard and work on endurance and strength. A lot of her personal bests came in this time, and she was optimally training. Then in her luteal phase from ovulation to her period she was taking more rest days.
This is different to how professional athletes used to train. It would be 4 days on 2 days off regardless of the menstrual cycle.
After reading and listening to more material on the menstrual cycle and how professional athletes adapt their training it naturally phased in to menopause and how this impacts women.
I must admit I was completely oblivious to the extent of the impact this had on women. I had heard my Mum talk about hot flushes at night before, but nothing like what I was reading and hearing.
After listening to the podcast with Davina Macall I realised that menopause was far bigger than just hot flushes.
I took a module on Endocrinology when I was a Bristol Uni. I knew about the physiological impact of menopause in that oestrogen reduces and this has an impact on joint stiffness, bone health and muscle mass reduction which can all lead to back problems, we will get to this shortly.
But what I never knew is the impact that the hormonal changes have on psychological health. Davina talks about mood swings, anxiety, depression, severe fatigue and brain fog so bad she was struggling to read words on a page.
I was shocked to learn that this was not a one-off event, and many women go through this and some of them describe it as completely “losing their mind”. For years they have struggled through without proper help from the medical system and a culture of “this is what happens, crack on with it.”
I don’t know if that is fair and coming from a man, I know I need to tread carefully here. But it does feel like the tide is turning and there is more of a spotlight being shone on menopause and help is coming. I don’t think the “crack on with it” attitude is the right thing to do and more medics are taking an interest in this to try and help, with the emergence of HRT providing some great results.
Why am I talking about menopause as a Chiropractor?
How does menopause impact back pain?
As oestrogen secretion is reduced around menopause, this has a profound effect on the rest of the body.
- Bone health-this is one of the most known issues, as oestrogen reduces it reduces the amount bone growth which can lead to osteoporosis. If the bones are weaker there is less support in the spine which can lead to a change in posture and pain.
- Muscle changes-loss of muscle due to less core and glute support for the pelvis and spine
- Weight gain-menopause is associated with mid-section. Even a 1kg increase in weight puts more pressure on the joints and the back.
How to help with back issues during menopause
There are two areas that my research has led me over the years. Let’s start with my clients who want to stay fit, active and mobile long term.
- Exercise-we talk about maintaining low level exercise, even just a walk of 30 minutes 3 times a week puts demand on the body and will cause the joints to stay supple. I always advise walking with small weights, either wrist weights or some weight in a backpack, even just 1kg-2kg weights puts demand on the muscles which place demand on the bone and keep them strong and will help the bone density.
- Weights-using resistance weights is one of the best ways to build bone density when oestrogen declines. The reason is that “bone adapts to the demands placed upon it”. If you just walk or just swim, this is good, but it could be much better if you add a light weigh routine in to your week. It does not need to be much, perhaps two 20-minute sessions with some light weights to force the bone to adapt and stay strong, this can help prevent osteoporotic fractures.
- Diet-trying to consume as much raw calcium in leafy greens such as kale, spinach and broccoli. Vitamin D in nuts and oily fish, but mostly supplements can help with this. Plus, a trip to the South of Spain occasionally never hurt anybody.
- Posture correction-with a Dowagers hump and forward shoulders this compresses the thoracic spine, this is where spinal wedge fractures can occur. If you are upright and have strong back muscles, it reduces the chance of a fracture occurring.
- Chiropractic and Massage-adjustments of the spine and joints help keep the body moving in the right way and align it to keep moving. Getting the nervous system optimised helps the body to communicate properly.
Chiropractic care is more than just helping with physical pain, we are trying to balance the nervous system, particularly the two sides. The parasyphilitic and the sympathetic sides which potentially has an impact on the endocrine hormone cycle. (Budgell et al., 2006).
If you are feeling lost with your menopause or peri-menopause then please come and chat to us and let us know how we can adapt your care accordingly. I’m not claiming to be an expert In this field, but I know a bit and how we can adapt the structural side of your body in order to help your spine, joints and muscles adapt through this change.
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If you do know someone who wants more advice, please send them our details. You can send them this assessment as well to diagnose their back pain. It is a great tool to understand where your back pain is coming from, it is free and takes 60 seconds. Click here for assessment
