Make dietary changes to lessen joint and muscle pain during menopause
The Straits Times|December 04, 2024
When Dr Vonda Wright, an orthopaedic surgeon, was in her early 40s, she regularly competed in half-marathons.
Make dietary changes to lessen joint and muscle pain during menopause

Then, at 47, she entered perimenopause and suddenly found herself struggling to walk even a short distance, crippled by total body joint and muscle pain. "I was in the best shape of my life," she said, and then, "I could barely get out of bed."

In her private practice in Orlando, Florida, she heard similar stories from women going through menopause, including other long-time athletes who now struggled to move comfortably. These patients repeatedly told her, "I feel like I'm falling apart," she said, despite not having endured any obvious injuries.

While doctors have long known that menopause affects bone health, Dr Wright and others now believe the transition affects the health of muscles and joints too. In a paper published in July, she gave this phenomenon a name - the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause.

The syndrome refers to a constellation of conditions and symptoms that become more prevalent during perimenopause and beyond, including joint pain, frozen shoulder, a loss of muscle mass and bone density, and worsening osteoarthritis, among other things.

Research suggests that more than half of menopausal women may experience musculoskeletal symptoms, some of which are severe enough to be debilitating - yet healthcare providers often dismiss them as unavoidable parts of ageing.

WHAT DOES THE SYNDROME LOOK LIKE?

Dr Wright described a vicious circle she sees in her female patients.

Starting in the menopause transition, women become more sedentary as a result of pain. The less they move, the less they are able to move - and the more frail they become, both in terms of cardiovascular health and in their muscles and bones.

Esta historia es de la edición December 04, 2024 de The Straits Times.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición December 04, 2024 de The Straits Times.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE THE STRAITS TIMESVer todo
The Straits Times

CALLIGRAPHY IS BIG WITH ARTIST

The boulders hiding in the alcove of Tong Yang-tze's (right) Taipei apartment testify to this Taiwanese calligrapher's daunting perfectionism. They are paper - remnants of discarded artworks, crumpled together like used tissues and soaked into inky wads of pulp. Hundreds of old drafts of writing, including many of her efforts to draw Chinese poetry at a monumental scale, have been recycled into these rocks over the years, most recently as she worked on her commission for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which debuted on Nov 21.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 05, 2024
Mattel sued over Wicked dolls with porn website link
The Straits Times

Mattel sued over Wicked dolls with porn website link

LOS ANGELES - Mattel was sued on Dec 3 by a South Carolina mother for mistakenly putting a link to a pornographic website on packaging for dolls tied to the blockbuster movie Wicked.

time-read
1 min  |
December 05, 2024
Taiwanese musician-director Liu Chia-chang a composer of hit songs
The Straits Times

Taiwanese musician-director Liu Chia-chang a composer of hit songs

Famed veteran Taiwanese musician and director Liu Chia-chang has died at the age of 81.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 05, 2024
Actress Kristal Tin reveals lung cancer diagnosis
The Straits Times

Actress Kristal Tin reveals lung cancer diagnosis

Former TVB actress Kristal Tin revealed on Instagram on Dec 3 that she has undergone successful surgery for lung cancer.

time-read
1 min  |
December 05, 2024
The Straits Times

South Korean entertainment schedules up in the air

SEOUL - Schedules of performances and interviews in South Korea have been thrown into a state of uncertainty by a sudden martial law declaration that was lifted only a few hours later.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 05, 2024
Host Dasmond Koh surprised by martial law edict while in Seoul for work
The Straits Times

Host Dasmond Koh surprised by martial law edict while in Seoul for work

Upheaval in Seoul, South Korea

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 05, 2024
Squid Game returns to end 2024 with a bang
The Straits Times

Squid Game returns to end 2024 with a bang

In this monthly column, The Straits Times' streaming picks for December include the long-awaited second season of the survivalist hit Squid Game (2021 to present) and its non-lethal equivalent.

time-read
1 min  |
December 05, 2024
Flow speaks Volumes, The Room Next Door a thin melodrama
The Straits Times

Flow speaks Volumes, The Room Next Door a thin melodrama

In the wake of a devastating flood, a cat finds refuge with motley stranded animals on a tattered sailboat.

time-read
1 min  |
December 05, 2024
Funeral rites come alive in The Last Dance
The Straits Times

Funeral rites come alive in The Last Dance

The Hong Kong drama offers fascinating glimpses into the city's funeral traditions

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 05, 2024
Tolkien and anime work well together, says Japanese director
The Straits Times

Tolkien and anime work well together, says Japanese director

NEW YORK - It has been a decade since the work of fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien last appeared on the big screen.

time-read
3 minutos  |
December 05, 2024