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[Souris]

Does anyone else have bone pain with menopause? NOT joint or muscle pain, but pain that feels deeper like it's in the bone (or maybe a tendon)? I've had that type of pain in my shin for about a year and a half, dating to shortly after I stopped birth control pills and went into menopause. I had a TON of muscle pain and stiffness the first few months of being off the birth control, but that mostly went away and this feels different. I have some sort of ache in my shin most days, though it's hard to pinpoint to a specific spot; sometimes it's upper shin, sometimes lower, sometimes all over. I also have some similar bone-type-feeling pain that seems to move around (upper legs, arm, etc.). I know I have extreme amounts of anxiety and stress that could be contributing, but my health anxiety about it has gone through the roof lately.

I had an X-ray on my shin and some blood tests yesterday, waiting on the results.

I'm on the estradiol patch and progesterin.

[CLKD]

Have you pulled the muscle over the front of the shin, do U do sports?  There is a condition I think which affects the legs.

As oestrogen levels drop, muscles may become lax = aches and pains.  Let us know your results when they arrive.

[Joaniepat]

There is a condition called "shin splints". Is that the one? It's associated with exercise, I think.
JP x

[CLKD]

That's it Joaniepat 

[sheila99]

I'm not convinced it's shin splints. I had it in one shin from impact when I was doing a lot of high jump (it was a loooong time ago). Very painful but the pain was always in one place, it didn't move around. Unless you has an underlying bone problem I think it's unlikely you'd get it unless you're doing a lot of high impact exercise. It took a few months to recover, can't remember exactly but a lot less than 18 months. No other suggestions I'm afraid but maybe your tests will find the cause.

[Souris]

Thank you for the replies! It's definitely NOT exercise-related. I haven't done any running or jumping in ages, and I was never a sporty person. I've been so exhausted from stress and not sleeping well (can get to sleep fine but wake up an hour or two before my alarm and can't get back to sleep, probably from anxiety/stress) that my exercise has really ground nearly to a halt. I can manage a walk around the neighborhood every now and again, working in the garden some, and riding my exercise bike on a rare occasion. So I can't see it being shin splints, although that's the only thing that ever turns up when I've tried Googling.

My blood tests, urine test and X-ray came back fine, apart from high cholesterol. So no clues to the aching!

[Taz2]

Have you had your VitD level checked?

Taz x

[JoJo42]

I had something similar when I first went into peri menopause. I came on to this site badk then for advice and support when I was basically having a meno-meltdown. I just went through my messages and found a quote from what I posted at that time:


“Thanks for all the replies everyone. It's a real comfort to hear so many similar stories and also to know the fibroid won't get in the way of treatment. I have had the strangest pains in my shins for about 4 weeks now. It started off as pain like shin splints and has turned into the strangest sensation of having hypersensitive skin which comes and goes. I read something about paraesthesia in menopause which seems to sum it up. I've also got pains in my Achilles tendons!! I feel like a long distance runner and yet I couldn't run a tap!!”

I remember the joint pains, tendon pains and shin pain I had really well because it was agony and just awful, although mine cleared up after a while on hrt so I just presumed it was all related in some way. Hope you get some answers and it settles down soon.

[pepperminty]

Hi,

along with the anxiety , the bone pain , once any thing else has been ruled out is probably low estrogen related . I get aches in my bones regularly and in the shins ( feel like a deep ache but is not shin splints). I am also unable to exercise or walk , like yourself when it is bad. I recommend doing relaxation for 20 minutes a day, if you can and very gentle movements such as tai Chi.

The trouble is the less you do the more stiff you become. It is a viscious circle. If you are in great pain, I would ask your GP to refer you to the NHS pain management team. Most have an online course which is very useful in manageing and understanding pain .


Peppermintyxx

[CLKD]

How high is the cholesterol level and what was suggested?  It can be reduced by exercise and diet but may take 6-9 months to notice a difference.

Is it bad enough to take pain relief occasionally?

[Souris]

Thank you all for the replies, especially those who have felt something similar in their menopause journeys. It helps to hear that others have felt something similar. The pain isn't bad enough to require painkillers, more of a low-level ache. Noticeable and annoying and frequent, but not awful. I did have my Vitamin D checked, and it was fine.

I read a lot about people having joint pains during this time, but I haven't really experienced that -- except for the first few months after stopping birth control pills and feeling like my body just immediately fell apart. I felt like the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz. I was soooooo stiff and couldn't come close to doing yoga poses I could do easily a couple of months before, plus overall achiness. That got better after I started HRT, but the shin thing started weirdly. I was lying in bed in mid-January 2020 and all of a sudden out of the blue it felt like someone was stabbing me in the right shin. It was excruciating! That lasted a few hours, and ever since I've had the shin pain, though never as sharp and stabby as it was that time.

My cholesterol was pretty high at 266. My mother also has high cholesterol, so there's probably a genetic component. I've been unable to eat my usual high-fiber, whole-gain, super-healthy, pescatarian diet for the past year and a half, as my ulcerative colitis has been flaring most of the time. When that happens, I have to eat a very bland, low fiber, no-whole-grains diet to be gentle on my colon. So not how one wants to eat to lower cholesterol! Generally my good cholesterol has been super-high, but it's gone down a bit over this time period (though still pretty good). So my ratio is good, but the total isn't good. My "bad" cholesterol is classified as "borderline."