Evidence library · Joint pain

Does yoga affect joint pain in menopause? What 12 studies found

Studies of yoga in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women that measured joint pain. 11 reported an improvement and 0 found no difference against the comparison group.

  1. A systematic review of 18 trials found that yoga, tai chi, meditation and relaxation practices often improved overall menopausal symptoms, hot flushes, mood, sleep and musculoskeletal pain.

    Reported an improvementSystematic review · 882 participants pooled · 2010Midlife womenCited 58 timesPubMed

  2. Breast cancer survivors with hot flashes did an 8 week Yoga of Awareness program and reported greater improvements in hot flash frequency, severity, joint pain, fatigue and sleep than a wait-list group.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 37 women · 8 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 182 timesPubMed

  3. A review of controlled trials found exercise trials for hot flushes gave mixed results, while one yoga trial reduced hot flushes and improved cognitive symptoms more than exercise.

    Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2014Midlife womenCited 27 timesPubMed

  4. In an RCT of 60 breast cancer survivors on aromatase inhibitors, 6 weeks of yoga reduced knee joint pain more than massage, measured by the WOMAC pain score.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 60 women · 6 weeks · 2021PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed

  5. In middle-aged women, 10 weeks of cyclic yoga reduced weight, body fat, blood pressure and postural musculoskeletal issues, and increased muscle mass percentage versus controls.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 42 women · 10 weeks · 2025Midlife womenCited 1 timesPubMed

  6. Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors with joint pain from aromatase inhibitors did twice-weekly yoga for 8 weeks; balance, flexibility, quality of life improved and pain severity decreased.

    Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 8 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 64 timesPubMed

  7. In 16 postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis, 10 weeks of yoga classes reduced pain and depression scores and improved balance, with no significant change in cortisol patterns.

    Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 16 women · 10 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 38 timesPubMed

  8. Ten postmenopausal breast cancer survivors with aromatase inhibitor joint pain did twice weekly yoga for eight weeks and reported pain relief and improved quality of life themes in interviews.

    Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 10 women · 8 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 36 timesPubMed

  9. A quasi-experimental trial found 6 to 24 months of Shivam Yoga practice in women aged 40-65 reduced climacteric symptom scores and increased estrogen and testosterone levels versus controls.

    Reported an improvementControlled trial · 182 women · 104 weeks · 2026Midlife womenPubMed

  10. A controlled trial of 102 sedentary climacteric women with metabolic syndrome found 24 months of Shivam Yoga reduced fasting glucose, blood pressure, waist circumference and menopausal symptom scores.

    Reported an improvementControlled trial · 102 women · 104 weeks · 2026Midlife womenPubMed

  11. A single postmenopausal breast cancer patient given 43 days of integrated naturopathy and yoga therapy reported reduced pain, stress and depression and improved sleep quality.

    Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 1 women · 6 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalPubMed

  12. A planned 18 week yoga program will be tested against a waitlist control for musculoskeletal complaints in women on endocrine therapy for breast cancer, with results not yet reported.

    Direction not statedOther · 140 women · 18 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed

How to read this. Each line is one study, summarised in plain language from its PubMed abstract, with the authors' own sentence underneath on the study page. A count of studies is not a verdict: trials differ in size, length and quality, and a result in one group of women may not hold in another. Nothing here is medical advice.

Summaries are generated, then checked by machine against the abstract they came from; any summary that could not be matched word for word was left out. Our clinical lead is reviewing the summaries topic by topic, and this note will change when that is done. Corpus last refreshed 2026-11-03. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix the summary or remove the study.

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