Women's Orthopedic Physiotherapy

Same joints, different load

Several musculoskeletal conditions are clearly more common in women: knee and hand osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, De Quervain's tenosynovitis, bunions, frozen shoulder and rheumatoid arthritis among them. Joint hypermobility is also more common in women, which changes how joints respond to load and exercise.

Then there's daily life. Hours of standing in a kitchen, floor-level cleaning and cooking, squatting, carrying children on one hip, lifting buckets and gas cylinders, and a desk job on top. None of these are harmful in themselves. Repeated day after day without enough strength to match, they add up. A good assessment asks about all of it.

Back and neck pain

Low back pain in women often clusters around life events: pregnancy, the first year with a baby, and the years around menopause. Neck and upper back pain tends to follow long desk hours and caring work. The treatment principles are the same as for anyone, and they're laid out on our lower back pain, neck pain and upper back pain pages. What changes is the context: whether pregnancy, postnatal recovery or bone density needs to be factored in. For back pain in pregnancy specifically, see pregnancy back pain physiotherapy.

Knee and hip pain

Younger women are more likely to have pain around the kneecap (patellofemoral pain), often linked to hip strength and training load. From the late forties, knee osteoarthritis becomes the main concern, and it responds well to strengthening even when X-rays look worrying. Pain on the outside of the hip, worse lying on that side, is usually trochanteric pain and is especially common in women around menopause. Our knee pain physiotherapy page covers the knee in more depth.

Hands, wrists and shoulders

Thumb and wrist pain in new mothers is often De Quervain's tenosynovitis, from lifting the baby under the arms. Carpal tunnel syndrome is common in pregnancy and again around menopause. Frozen shoulder peaks between forty and sixty and affects women more often than men; see frozen shoulder physiotherapy. Rheumatoid arthritis, which is around two to three times more common in women, needs physiotherapy that works alongside your rheumatologist's treatment.

Arthritis and joint pain

The fear that exercise will "wear out" an arthritic joint is the most common reason women stop moving, and it's the wrong way round. Cartilage depends on movement and load to stay healthy, and stronger muscles take pressure off the joint. Our arthritis physiotherapy and joint pain physiotherapy programs are built on that principle.

What posture correction really means

There's no single correct posture, and holding yourself rigidly upright all day causes its own aches. Posture problems are usually about staying in one position too long, and about not having enough strength and endurance to vary it. So posture correction here means building strength through the upper back, hips and trunk, setting up your desk, kitchen and feeding positions sensibly, and changing position often.

How we work

Assessment

Your joint or spine, plus the context: pregnancies, menstrual and menopausal status, bone health, daily physical load and work.

Treatment

Manual therapy and electrotherapy where they help, with progressive strengthening at the centre of every plan.

Home program

A short routine that fits around work and family, progressed at each visit.

Frequently asked questions