Menopause Symptom Nobody Told Me About: Hip Pain
Right, let’s get one thing clear.
My first menopause symptom? Not hot flushes. Not brain fog. Nope. It was hip pain.
Proper, knock-you-sideways, “can’t-get-out-the-car-after-a-long-drive” hip pain.
I’d go down to Portsmouth to visit my boy at uni and arrive hobbling like I’d just done three rounds of the Tour de France with no training. Not glamorous. Not fun. And definitely not what the menopause brochures bang on about.
And of course, I blamed the yoga. Thought I’d overcooked Maha Mudra, didn’t I? As if my practice was breaking me. Turns out, that wasn’t it. Turns out, hip pain is common in perimenopause. Who knew?
Baby Weights, Big Lessons
Fast forward four more years to now. I’ve just started at Lift Club. Don’t laugh — I’m still on the baby weights. Haven’t even touched the big weights on that barbell yet. (Honestly, that thing’s heavy enough on its own. No thanks.)
Anyway, I’m feeling pretty chuffed with myself, keeping up with the sessions, when — bang! A few days before my period lands (yep, still bleeding at 53, thanks for asking 🙄), the hip pain is back.
And my brain goes:
Should I quit? Pack it in before I even get going?
Classic menopause mind game: the body’s screaming, the doubt creeps in, and you’re this close to binning off the very thing that’s good for you.
Why Does Menopause Cause Hip Pain?
The Science of Oestrogen and Joints
Here’s the deal, straight:
- Oestrogen dips = inflammation spikes. Your joints feel it.
- Less oestrogen also means less collagen, so your tendons lose bounce.
- Add in reduced synovial fluid (that slippery stuff that cushions your joints) and you’ve basically got hips that feel like rusty hinges.
- One study reckons 71% of women in perimenopause experience musculoskeletal pain. Seventy-one! So if you’re wincing every time you stand up, you’re in good company.
Why Strength Training Helps in Menopause
Here’s the kicker though: strength training is exactly what we need right now.
It builds bone density, balances mood, keeps the fire burning. It’s the antidote to the slow creep of fragility.
But — and this is the bit nobody likes to hear — you’ve got to do it differently. Recovery takes longer. Rest is part of the programme.
Skipping a session because your hips are screaming isn’t weakness. It’s bloody wisdom.
How Yoga Complements Strength Training in Menopause
Tantric Yoga says the body is your temple. Trash the temple, and you shut the door on practice.
Strength training can be tapas — discipline, fire, transformation — but tapas isn’t about breaking yourself. It’s about showing up, steadily, sustainably.
That’s why my mantra is: Build, not break.
And that’s why I wrap every lift session in ritual. Not because I’m precious. Because without it, I’d be lost in the noise of “more, faster, harder.” Ritual keeps me connected to practice, to prāna, to the part of me that knows what strength is really for.
My Pre-Lifting Yoga Ritual (5–10 mins)
- Ground + Centre – Mountain pose, eyes closed, belly breath. Mantra: I am steady. I am strong.
- Breath Activation – Kapalabhati if I’m sluggish, Bhastrika if I’m flat.
- Subtle Lock-In – Gentle bandhas. Just enough to remind me strength starts inside.
- Sankalpa – Whisper it: Build, not break. Strength in service of spirit.
My Post-Lifting Yoga Ritual (5–15 mins)
- Reset – Bhrāmarī (bee breath). The hum gets me out of gym-mode, back into body-mode.
- Counterposes – Supta Baddha Konasana, twists, child’s pose, legs up the wall.
- Integration Meditation – Sit. Feel the pulse, the heat, the space. Mantra: Om .
- Closing Gesture – Hands to heart. Acknowledge: Strength and stillness are one.
A Midlife Sadhana
This is what I mean when I call this journey a midlife Sadhana.
It’s not about powering through or collapsing in a heap. It’s about walking the middle path: listening, adapting, laughing at the madness of it all, and bowing to the tradition that shows us how to stay steady in the storm.
So no, I’m not quitting. And neither should you. Don’t let a dodgy hip or a wobbly week knock you off your path. Adjust. Ritualise. Revere.
And if you want company while you figure it out, you know where to find me. The Yoga Local App is where these conversations really happen. Bring your hip pain, your baby weights, your hot flushes. Bring it all.
Because here’s the truth: strength and stillness are one.
Find out more about some of our other membership options here.
Be great to have you join me!
