Is CrossFit Good for Joint Pain During Perimenopause?
Joint pain is common in perimenopause. Find out whether CrossFit helps or harms, how to modify your training, and what to watch out for.
Joint Pain in Perimenopause
Joint pain and stiffness are surprisingly common during perimenopause, yet they often catch women off guard. Oestrogen has anti-inflammatory properties and supports the health of cartilage, tendons, and synovial fluid (the lubricant inside joints). As oestrogen falls, joints can become more prone to inflammation, stiffness, and pain. This often shows up in the hips, knees, wrists, and fingers. For active women, it can feel like sudden ageing in their joints and may make familiar exercises feel uncomfortable in new ways.
The Complicated Case for CrossFit
CrossFit includes many high-impact and high-load movements: box jumps, double-unders, Olympic lifts, and kipping pull-ups all place significant stress on joints. For women with existing joint pain, the unmodified version of CrossFit may aggravate rather than help. At the same time, the underlying principle of CrossFit, progressive loading of the body through varied functional movements, is actually very supportive of joint health when applied intelligently. The key distinction is between the programming and how it is delivered.
How Strength Training Helps Joints
Strengthening the muscles that surround and support joints reduces the load placed on the joint structures themselves. Strong quadriceps protect the knee. Strong glutes and hip flexors protect the hip. Strong rotator cuff muscles protect the shoulder. CrossFit, when properly scaled, builds this supportive musculature effectively. The resistance training component also stimulates collagen production in tendons and ligaments over time, which can improve joint resilience. This is the long-term case for continuing to train through joint discomfort rather than stopping entirely.
Smart Modifications for Joint Pain
The most important step is to find a CrossFit coach who understands how to scale for joint issues. High-impact movements like box jumps can be replaced with step-ups. Kipping pull-ups can be replaced with ring rows or banded pull-downs. Olympic lifts can be performed at lighter loads with more emphasis on technique. Warming up thoroughly before sessions and cooling down with mobility work afterward reduces the stiffness that perimenopausal women often experience. If a movement causes sharp or worsening pain, stop and tell your coach. Dull muscle fatigue is normal; joint pain that intensifies is not.
When to See a Physiotherapist First
If your joint pain is severe, affecting multiple joints, or has come on suddenly, see a physiotherapist or GP before starting CrossFit. There are conditions, including inflammatory arthritis and other autoimmune issues, that can emerge or worsen around perimenopause and require specific management. A physio can assess your joints, identify any structural concerns, and give you a starting point that will not cause harm. Many physiotherapists are comfortable advising on CrossFit specifically.
The Long-Term View
Joint pain driven by declining oestrogen is a perimenopausal phenomenon, not necessarily a permanent state. Many women find their joint symptoms improve significantly once hormones stabilise, particularly those using HRT. In the meantime, maintaining strength and mobility through training like CrossFit, appropriately scaled, protects joints better than inactivity. Resting a painful joint for months allows the surrounding muscles to weaken, which ultimately loads the joint more, not less. Movement, done thoughtfully, is medicine for perimenopausal joints.
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