Barriers and Facilitators to physiotherapy for menopause
Research type
Research Study
Full title
What are the barriers and facilitators to participation in physiotherapy intervention for women with menopausal symptoms?
IRAS ID
340067
Contact name
Julia Gross
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 3 days
Research summary
Lay Title: Do menopausal symptoms affect patients experience of physiotherapy?
Background: Menopause currently affects 1.5 million women in the UK and 12% of the worlds population. By 2025, it suggested that one billion women will be menopausal (Huang et al., 2023) Menopause impacts mental, physical and emotional health, with one in ten women having to give up their jobs due to symptoms (Verdonk et al., 2020). Women are reporting an increase prevalence of long-term musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions (19.5%) compared to men (14.2%) (Office for Health and Improvement Disparities, 2022). Whilst it is not fully established that the menopause is a direct cause of musculoskeletal pain, menopausal women are more likely to experience severe episodes of MSK pain (Lu et al., 2020).
Declining hormone levels during the menopausal transition can reduce bone density, muscle strength, muscle power, and joint health which may contribute to MSK pain. Due to the multi-factorial nature of MSK pain, including physical, structural, and psychological factors, physiotherapy plays a crucial role in pain management (Caneiro, Bunzili and O’Sullivan, 2020). There is currently no literature around menopausal womens' experiences of physiotherapy intervention and this information could give us valuable insight into how we can improve outcomes for these women and highlight gaps in physiotherapy education.
Methods: A sample of 10 cisgender females who have previously accessed NHS provided physiotherapy services whilst having menopausal symptoms in an elective Orthopaedic Hospital will be recruited. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted by face to face or via telephone, depending on participant preference to explore their experiences and beliefs around their physiotherapy intervention whilst menopausal.
Purpose: To gain understanding of womens' experiences of physiotherapy whilst menopausal and contribute to the reduction of gender health inequalities by improving outcomes.REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/NW/0118
Date of REC Opinion
17 Apr 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion