Most women have heard of menopause, but far fewer have heard of perimenopause. In fact, many women begin experiencing symptoms years before they realise hormones are changing. They are often told they are stressed, tired, or simply "getting older."
When most people think about menopause, they think of hot flushes and night sweats. While these are common symptoms, they are only part of the story.
One of the most important studies on women, strength training, and bone health is the LIFTMOR trial. Conducted in Australia, this trial challenged long-standing beliefs about lifting heavy weights in women at risk of osteoporosis.
For many years, women were told to be careful with strength training. Heavy weights were seen as risky, especially for the pelvic floor, joints, or bones. We now know this advice was misguided.
After having a baby, many women are eager to return to exercise. While movement is beneficial, returning too quickly to impact or heavy lifting without adequate preparation can increase the risk of pelvic floor symptoms, pain, and injury.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding place unique demands on a woman’s body. While these stages are often discussed in terms of pelvic floor recovery and sleep deprivation, bone health is less commonly addressed.
When children are injured, the instinctive response is often complete rest. While rest has a role in early injury management, prolonged inactivity can lead to physical deconditioning, reduced confidence and disengagement from sport.
Rehabilitation is most effective when it is a partnership between clinician and patient. Successful outcomes depend not only on exercise prescription, but on understanding, engagement and shared decision-making.
Tendon pain is common in young athletes, particularly during periods of rapid growth. Conditions such as patellar tendon pain, Achilles pain and shoulder tendon pain often develop gradually and are closely linked to training load rather than a single injury event.
Re-injury after ACL reconstruction is unfortunately common, particularly in young athletes. Preventing a second injury requires more than surgical healing.
Shoulder surgery in older adults can dramatically improve pain and function, but rehabilitation plays a central role in achieving these outcomes. Age alone does not limit recovery potential.
Load management refers to balancing training and competition demands with a young athlete’s capacity to adapt. Poor load management is one of the most common contributors to injury in children and adolescents, particularly during periods of rapid growth.
Stiffness is a common and often frustrating part of recovery after surgery. Whether following joint replacement, ligament reconstruction or soft tissue repair, many people experience difficulty moving the affected joint in the early stages of rehabilitation
Pain is a common and often misunderstood part of rehabilitation. Following injury or surgery, many people expect that pain should steadily reduce and that any discomfort during exercise indicates harm
Returning to sport after surgery is often based on time since the procedure, but time alone is not a reliable indicator of readiness. Strength, movement quality and confidence are more important predictors of safe return.
Older adults often underestimate their ability to recover after surgery. In reality, they respond very well to structured rehabilitation when programs are appropriately designed.
Strength training is one of the most effective tools for reducing injury risk across all age groups. It improves tissue capacity, coordination and movement efficiency, making the body more resilient to physical demands.
Overuse injuries occur when repetitive loading exceeds a tissue’s capacity to adapt over time
Cricket injuries in children most commonly affect the lower back, shoulders and knees. Bowling workloads are a key factor, particularly during growth spurts when tissues are more vulnerable to overload.
Netball and basketball involve frequent jumping, landing and rapid changes of direction. These movements place high loads through the knees and ankles, particularly in adolescent athletes.
Many women are surprised to learn that osteoporosis and fractures can run in families. A family history of low bone density or fractures is one of the strongest predictors of future fracture risk (Rizzoli et al., 2014).
Many women think bone health only becomes important after menopause. In reality, the foundations for strong bones are laid much earlier. What you do in your 30s and 40s plays a major role in how strong your bones are later in life.
Many women experience pelvic floor symptoms but do not seek help. These symptoms are often dismissed as “normal,” especially after childbirth or with aging. While these issues are common, they are not normal and should not be ignored.
Pelvic floor health is often discussed only during pregnancy or after childbirth. While pregnancy can increase the risk of pelvic floor problems, it is not the only time pelvic health matters.
Women’s health is often talked about in short stages. Pregnancy. Menopause. Aging. But the body does not work in isolated chapters. What happens in your 20s, 30s, and 40s directly affects how your body copes later in life.
Many women start the year with big health goals. More exercise. More intensity. More discipline. While motivation can be helpful, long-term health is built through consistent habits, not short bursts of extreme effort.
Soccer places high physical demands on children, particularly during periods of rapid growth. Sprinting, cutting and kicking increase stress on muscles, tendons and growth plates. Common injuries include heel pain, knee pain and muscle strains.
Swimming is often considered low risk, but the repetitive nature of training places significant stress on developing bodies. Shoulder pain is the most common issue in young swimmers, often developing without a clear injury event.
Achilles tendon rupture is a significant injury that affects walking, work and sport. Management may involve surgical or non-surgical treatment, and outcomes depend heavily on rehabilitation rather than treatment choice alone.
Shoulder reconstruction is commonly performed in athletes involved in overhead or contact sports, including swimming, throwing sports and football codes. While surgery restores stability or structure, rehabilitation is essential for returning to performance
Shoulder replacement surgery is primarily performed to reduce pain and improve function, particularly for daily tasks such as reaching, dressing and lifting. Rehabilitation focuses on restoring safe movement and strength while protecting surgical structures.
Meniscus repair aims to preserve joint health and reduce the long-term risk of arthritis, but it requires a more cautious rehabilitation approach than meniscus removal. Healing timelines depend on the type and location of the repair, and early decisions can influence long-term success.
Rehabilitation following ACL reconstruction is often viewed as a knee-focused process, but successful outcomes depend on the entire movement system. Strength, balance, coordination and psychological readiness all influence recovery and reinjury risk.
Surgery is only one part of recovery. Rehabilitation is the process that restores movement, strength and confidence, and it has a major influence on long-term outcomes
Children are not simply small adults, and this is especially important when considering sports injuries. Their bones, muscles, tendons and nervous systems mature at different rates, which changes both how injuries occur and how they should be managed.
For many years, women were advised to be cautious with heavy lifting, particularly as they aged or entered menopause. The Australian LIFTMOR (Lifting Intervention For Training Muscle and Osteoporosis Rehabilitation) trial, published in 2015, challenged this long-held belief — and fundamentally changed how we understand exercise for bone health in women.
Bone health is often framed as a concern for later life, but the foundations for strong, resilient bones are laid much earlier. For women, the decades from our 30s onward represent a critical window to protect bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fractures later in life — particularly for those with a family history of osteoporosis or fragility fractures.
In the previous article we covered what GSM is. Now let’s look at how to manage it — with a spotlight on the role of pelvic health physiotherapy and how it fits alongside medical interventions.
Menopause brings about many changes — but one of the most under-recognised is the condition known as Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM).
Menopause is more than hot flushes. As estrogen levels fall, many women notice new aches and pains, sore tendons, stiff shoulders, and a drop in muscle and bone strength
As a women’s health physiotherapist, one of the most important messages I can share is this: your muscle mass is your long-term health investment. From your 30s onward, and particularly during the menopause transition, preserving and building muscle becomes critical—not just for strength, but for your overall wellbeing.
We often think of muscle in terms of strength and movement—but it plays so many more behind-the-scenes roles, especially as we transition through menopause. As a physiotherapist, I’ve seen firsthand how understanding these hidden benefits of muscle can completely transform how women approach their health.
Strong Bones, Strong Body: Why Exercise Is Essential for Bone Health
Bone health often goes unnoticed—until there’s a problem. As we age, our bones naturally lose density, making them more fragile and increasing the risk of fractures
Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) affects millions of women worldwide, often impacting daily comfort, bladder or bowel control, and quality of life
Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) affects up to 50% of women who have given birth vaginally, though not all experience symptoms.
Why gym workouts can hurt your shoulder — and how to fix it
Why leg pain isn’t always from your leg — and how to treat it
Why your knees make noise — and when to worry about it
