If you’re a woman, over the age of 40 and you find yourself waking up feeling stiff, achy and NOT ready to seize the day, then know that you’re not alone. 

As a physio, I see a lot of women in this age bracket with a variety of joint aches and pains who want answers. Often, my patients complain that nothing has changed in their day to day life, but their body is no longer able to handle normal tasks and activities. This is very common, and not imagined. 

In this article, I’ll detail why women over the age of 40 may feel achy, what the science says and what this can impact both physically and mentally. Finally, I’ll share helpful tips on how to reduce these newfound aches and pains. 

There are several physiological changes that happen within the female body as it gets older, which can contribute to the symptoms of stiffness and achiness in joints and soft tissues. These include:

Hormonal changes 
Oestrogen (the primary sex hormone in females) starts to decline quite rapidly after the age of 40 and this has many widespread effects: 

• Collagen production slows down which means soft tissue structures like cartilage, tendons, ligaments and muscles lose their elasticity and springiness over time, so joints become less cushioned. This can make weight-bearing activities like walking, running and jumping feel more heavy and cumbersome. 

• A decrease in oestrogen also impacts muscle repair. During hard exercise, our muscle fibres are damaged on a microscopic level, and the recovery time of this muscle is longer when levels of oestrogen are lower. This means that Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) often hangs around for longer periods of time, so you recover slower than you used to.

• Lower levels of oestrogen are also linked to increased inflammation throughout the body. Chronic, low-grade inflammation can sensitise your joints and muscles, making them feel more achy, stiff and slow to recover, even without obvious injury. 

• Between the ages of 40-60 (on average) you are considered to be in ‘perimenopause’ which means that your oestrogen levels are on a downward trajectory, but may fluctuate day to day. In turn, that can cause symptoms to fluctuate, so aches and pains can feel unpredictable. 

Muscle and strength changes

Degenerative changes in muscle mass is expected as we get older and can include:

• Sarcopenia, which is the gradual loss of muscle mass, strength and function that naturally occurs as we age - and tends to accelerate from 40 onwards. It occurs because our bodies become less efficient at building and maintaining muscle due to reduced protein synthesis. Many people also become less physically active over time (due to aches, pains and general lifestyle changes) and without regular strength-based exercise, muscle is simply not maintained. 

• Reduced muscle mass means reduced strength and therefore more load placed upon joints. This can lead to an acceleration of degenerative changes within the joints and more pain and stiffness. 

Tendon and connective tissue changes

The structure of tendons, ligaments and other soft tissues change as oestrogen declines due to the reduction in collagen. This can cause these structures to become stiffer, less elastic and slower to heal when injured.

The key thing to remember as you get older is that your body isn’t failing you - you’re just working with a different physiological make-up than you were in your 20s. 

As well as the aforementioned symptoms of age-related physical decline, there are several important factors to mention that may explain changes in your quality of life:

• Fatigue - poor sleep is associated with perimenopause as hormonal shifts affect melatonin and cortisol production (the hormones involved in our circadian rhythm and sleep cycles). On top of this, pain can make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep and because sleep is so paramount to healing and recovery, this can then increase pain further - a miserable cycle!

• Slower recovery - DOMS last longer for reasons aforementioned and little niggles often linger and worsen rather than resolving quickly. 

• Mental decline - many of my patients begin to lose trust in their bodies, which can lead to a drop in confidence when it comes to movement. As a result, they often adopt compensatory or protective strategies that may feel helpful in the short term, but can actually trigger flare-ups elsewhere. This can be incredibly challenging both mentally and emotionally, especially when activities that once felt easy start to feel difficult, ultimately impacting overall quality of life.

Although it may seem that physiology is against us as we age, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Key lifestyle changes can have a positive impact on age-related changes, slowing down the progression or even stopping it altogether. Here are my top tips for combating age-related aches and pains:

A non-negotiable for all women aged 40 and over! Our muscles need more stimulus to get stronger and grow as we get older. Therefore, we should challenge them with resistance training. 

Strength training should be consistent and progressive - aim for 2-3 sessions a week, focusing on the muscle groups responsible for supporting and offloading joints (glutes for pelvis and hips, core for back, quads and hamstrings for knees and upper back for shoulders). 

If you’re new to strength training, it would be beneficial to join a local class or sign up to some personal training sessions to learn the basics and build a safe and steady routine that will give you results and prevent risk of injury. Add a high-quality creatine supplement to your stack which supports muscle growth, repair and recovery, like Extracted’s Creatine Monohydrate. 

On average, an adult’s protein intake is lower than recommended guidance. Protein is the building block of muscle and as protein synthesis slows with age, we need to support it as much as we can. Aim for 1.6-2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight for optimal function. 

Also ensure your diet is high in anti-inflammatory foods such as Omega-3s (found in fatty fish and Extracted’s high-quality, vegan Omega-3 supplement), Vitamin C and polyphenols, which can be found in fruit and vegetables like berries, grapes, apples, peppers and broccoli. 

It is also vital to control your blood sugar stability, so ensure each meal has a protein and healthy fat source alongside your carbohydrates. 

A consistent supplementation routine can really support an improvement in your joint pain. Extracted’s joint-pain supplement Flexee is packed with powerful ingredients in optimum doses. The hero ingredient, Ovomet®, contains over 400 proteins, collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid which nourish your joints from the inside out! 

It also contains powerful anti-inflammatory compounds turmeric and boswellia, glucosamine to support your cartilage stores and MSM, which is rich in sulphur to support overall joint health. It is the best, evidence-backed joint pain supplement on the market. 

Our bodies heal and recover during sleep. Prioritising sleep hygiene is paramount to safeguarding this recovery time and aiding improved joint health. Try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time everyday, avoid screens an hour before bedtime, and try a gentle sleep aid like Sleepee if you’re struggling to drop-off and stay asleep. 

In my clinical experience, women who have reduced their activity levels due to age-related aches and pains have found a profound improvement in their function once strength-based training is reintroduced alongside the prioritisation of good nutrition, supplementation, sleep and recovery.

Remember, these changes are normal and doesn’t mean your body is failing you or ‘past its time’. Implementing some of these small lifestyle changes can really optimise your function and boost your quality of life. You have more influence over how your body feels than you might think. 

Note: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.