Hey ,

Two weeks ago, I wrote a post about menopause and MSM syndrome. Today's post is a Q&A follow-up to that big write-up. 

As I mentioned two weeks ago, the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause (MSM) is a constellation of symptoms that affects the musculoskeletal system—muscles, bones, joints, tendons, and ligaments—due to hormonal changes during menopause. Up to 71% of all women experience musculoskeletal symptoms during perimenopause and menopause, with 25% reporting severe pain.

Q: You talk about the yoga therapy balls removing adhesions. What's an adhesion?

A: Hey! Such a great question! In this context, adhesion refers to muscle tissues stuck together and not sliding around each other. For example, post-surgical scar tissue can be considered an adhesion - at the incision site, the tissues are glued together through the whole length and depth of the cut and sometimes, in extreme cases, even to the bone. You can picture how this will change the movement pattern around the scar in all tissues - muscles and fascia.

Muscles that have become glued together due to stress, injury, or poor movement patterns create an internal dam effect, not unlike a river dam that creates a reservoir on one side and barely a trickle on the other. 

In our case, knots and adhesions in connective tissues block the flow of nutrients into the hungry tissues and the removal of cellular waste products. This is one of the reasons knots can be so tender to the touch; the inflammation locked into the tissues irritates the nerve cells within the knots.

The good news: a study by Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky at McMaster University proved that it takes only ten minutes of deep-tissue massage to create a natural, pain-relieving effect and diminish inflammation. And hey, there is no need to book an appointment - you can roll out all on your ownsome!

Q: I am pretty active. I walk my dog almost every day and go to the pool twice a week. Am I doing enough to prevent bone loss?

A: Awesome question, and kudos to you! Being active is a huge part of maintaining physical and mental health as we age. Unfortunately, though, everyday activity is not enough to stop menopause-related bone loss.  

A recently published study in the Journal of Medicine & Science followed 189 women, with an average age of 52, from their perimenopause to postmenopause. The women mainly did light to moderate weekly exercise. The research found that regular weekly activity wasn't enough to slow hormonal bone loss during menopause.

Here are the three proven ways to slow down bone loss:

1. Hormone replacement therapy. (I know, not everyone's cup of tea!)
2. Strength training with weights or resistance bands.
3. Plyometrics ( jump training).

Of course, the biggest question is: how do you start weight training in your 40-ies, 50-ies or 60-ies if you've never done it before? And how do you do it if you hurt most of the time in most places?

More on that next time!

With warmth and gratitude,