Postmenopausal Women: Are You at Risk? - SB Sports & Pain Clinics

This blog contains vital information for postmenopausal women. You may not be aware, but before working in sports injuries and pain control, I worked in women’s health. One of my more challenging and rewarding roles was in a specialist menopause clinic. Did you know that I can combine my expertise and experience to improve the symptoms of the menopause and reduce its long term impact on health?

There are three common, serious issues affecting postmenopausal women worldwide: osteoporosis, accidental falls, and stress incontinence. The remarkable thing about each of these issues is that you can stop their progression. Sometimes you can even reverse their effects with committed, intentional action.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a reduction of bone density, which can make your bones weak and vulnerable to fractures. It is considered a major health threat for over 200 million people worldwide. The effects of the disease vary depending on the severity of the diagnosis. However, you may experience:

Long-term pain
Impaired ability to do housework, chores, gardening or lifting heavy objects
Difficulty with dressing and personal care
Disability

How to manage osteoporosis

While there is no way to reverse the disease itself, there are ways you can ease the symptoms of the condition. In addition to any doctor recommended prescriptions and vitamins, the best way to manage living with osteoporosis is to commit to a healthy diet and an active, healthy lifestyle with regular exercise. An excellent way to get started on the right track to managing or preventing osteoporosis is with our free advice leaflet – Building Bone Strength.

Accidental Falls

Accidental falls are the second leading cause of unintentional deaths worldwide. Adults over the age of 65 suffer the greatest number of fatal falls. Each year, an estimated one in three senior adults experiences an accidental fall. One in five of those falls results in a significant injury, such as broken bones or a head injury. With the high rates of osteoporosis in women, you are more likely to sustain an injury from such a fall.

How to reduce your risk falling:

Ensure your home and exterior walkways are properly lit
Use handrails (install them if you don’t already have them)
Avoid loose carpets and cords and keep walkways free from clutter
Understand your medication and know if it makes you dizzy or lightheaded
Use a cane if you need one
Have your eyes checked
Exercise to maintain muscles for quicker reaction, and greater balance and stability

These are just some of the many things you can do to reduce your risk of falling. If you’d like to learn more, our free fall prevention advice sheet will have you covered. You can download Falls and Frailty here.

Stress Incontinence

Stress incontinence is experienced by 45% of all women, typically in their postmenopausal years, though it is also often an issue for athletes. It occurs when weak pelvic floor muscles fail under sudden extra pressure. This extra pressure can be brought on by simple everyday activities like coughing, laughing or sneezing. It can also be brought on when you jog, jump, or lift heavy objects. Weakening of your pelvic floor muscles is common and is caused by any number of things like childbirth or obesity.

How to treat stress incontinence

Stress incontinence might make you feel uneasy, but it doesn’t have to disrupt your social and personal life. We can teach you effective therapies that include exercises to strengthen and tighten your pelvic floor muscles. This is very effective for greater bladder control. You can learn the specific exercise you can do to significantly reduce instances of Stress Incontinence in our complimentary advice sheet, yours to download for free.

Be Active

Regular activity is good for your overall health at any age. and it gets increasingly important as you get older.

As a woman you may have special needs as your hormones change during menopause. Osteoporosis therefore becomes an increased risk and with that, falls become more dangerous.

Understanding your personal level of fitness and exploring ways to live a healthy active lifestyle will help you stay fit and avoid common injuries.

Preventative care throughout our lifetimes can prepare us for an independent, full life in our retirement years. We’re happy to provide guidance to help prevent and treat these common problems. Stay healthy and in the know with our free Ladies Lets get Physical prevention advice sheets .