Who Is Peri?™ | Menopause Related Joint Pain, Strength Loss and Body Shifts

Dr. Diedra Manns, DPT
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Medicine

You're not imagining it. The joint pain, stiffness, tendon issues, strength loss, and body composition changes so many women experience before, during, and after menopause may be connected to the hormonal and physiological changes that occur across midlife. Each week, Dr. Diedra Manns, physical therapist, movement science fellow, Pilates educator, and certified menopause health practitioner, unpacks the musculoskeletal side of menopause through her Stability Before Performance™ (SBP™) framework. She looks beyond hormones alone to explore what may be influencing how a woman feels, moves, recovers, and performs, and most importantly, what she can do about it. Expect solo deep dives grounded in research, alongside conversations with healthcare, movement, and wellness professionals, as well as real women leaders navigating MSM firsthand.

Episodes

  1. Sep 12

    Pickle Jars and Perimenopause

    When opening a pickle jar suddenly takes more effort, is it just a stubborn lid—or something worth noticing? In this episode, Dr. Diedra Manns uses an everyday change in her own grip strength to introduce the emerging Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause, or MSM. She explains how hormones communicate with tissues throughout the body, and why menopause may influence more than reproduction. You’ll also hear how researchers organize MSM around five processes associated with changes in muscles, bones, joints, strength, balance, and movement. Dr. Diedra explains why she uses this emerging framework in her work, while making it clear that not every pain, injury, or loss of strength in a midlife woman is caused by hormonal change. The episode offers a more useful starting point: notice the pattern, consider the larger context, and ask what deserves a closer look. In this episode: How the endocrine system uses hormones and receptors to communicate throughout the bodyWhat the musculoskeletal system includes—and why movement is a whole-body outcomeWhat researchers mean by the emerging Musculoskeletal Syndrome of MenopauseWhy Dr. Diedra uses MSM as a lens while remaining honest about what is known and what is still developingAfter listening, consider: What change in your strength or movement have you noticed but perhaps explained away? Follow or subscribe to the Who Is Peri? podcast, and share this episode with another woman who has been wondering why her body feels different. Friends don’t let friends navigate Peri alone. Sources used in this episode:  Leong, D. P., et al. (2015). Prognostic value of grip strength: Findings from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. The Lancet, 386(9990), 266-273.  Wright, V. J., Schwartzman, J. D., Itinoche, R., & Wittstein, J. (2024). The musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause. Climacteric, 27(5), 466-472. https://doi.org/10.1080/13697137.2024.2380363  LaMonte, M. J., Hyde, E. T., Nguyen, S., et al. (2026). Muscular strength and mortality in women aged 63 to 99 years. JAMA Network Open Subscribe to The Who Is Peri? Podcast wherever you're listening. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not individualized medical or physical therapy advice, and it is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition. Listening doesn’t establish a clinician-patient relationship. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional about your individual symptoms, health concerns, and treatment decisions.

  2. Sep 2

    Perimenopause, Menopause, or Postmenopause: Where Are You—and Why It Matters

    In this episode, Dr. Diedra Manns explains the stages of reproductive aging, from the reproductive years through perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. She explores how menstrual patterns, symptoms, hormone testing, and medical history help provide context for where you may be, even if you use hormonal contraception, have an IUD, have had a hysterectomy, or experienced surgical menopause. You’ll also learn why understanding your reproductive stage may help you ask better questions about joint pain, stiffness, strength changes, and your overall musculoskeletal health. Chapters 00:00 Welcome and disclaimer 00:53 Why women need a menopause map 03:00 Understanding STRAW+10 03:48 The stages of reproductive aging 08:23 Symptoms versus menstrual staging 09:32 Hormone testing and its limitations 11:08 When you don’t have periods to track 12:49 Menopause and musculoskeletal health 14:44 Key takeaways and questions for your provider 16:02 The Who Is Peri? reflection If this episode made you think of another woman who could use the map, please share it with her—because friends don’t let friends navigate Peri alone. Core sources supporting this episode 1.. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2011-3362 2.  https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000912 3.. https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.OA.25.00089 4. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8842110 5 https://doi.org/10.1080/13697137.2024.2380363 6. . https://doi.org/10.1016/S2665-9913(23)00060-7 7.  https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2017.180 Subscribe to The Who Is Peri? Podcast wherever you're listening. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not individualized medical or physical therapy advice, and it is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition. Listening doesn’t establish a clinician-patient relationship. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional about your individual symptoms, health concerns, and treatment decisions.

  3. Aug 23

    Who Is Peri?™ And Why are Having this Conversation?

    Episode 1: Who Is Peri? And Why Are We Having This Conversation?The name of this podcast started with a husband, his wife...and a pretty big misunderstanding about someone named Peri. In this debut episode of The Who Is Peri? Podcast, Dr. Diedra Manns explores what the name Peri has come to represent—and introduces the conversation at the center of this show: the Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause (MSM). What happens when changes in your joints, muscles, strength, movement or recovery begin showing up in midlife? Menopause may be part of the context—but it isn't automatically the explanation for everything. Drawing from her own experience with surgical menopause, Diedra also shares why decades of studying and treating the human body weren't enough to help her navigate everything that was happening to her—and how that realization helped shape Stability Before Performance™. Because stability isn't the destination. Meaningful performance is. In This Episode You'll hear about:  The unexpected question that inspired Who Is Peri? The different meanings behind the name Peri What the Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause is and why it matters  Why menopause can be important context without becoming the explanation for every physical change  Diedra's experience with surgical menopause and severe anxiety  Why understanding physiology alone wasn't enough  The thinking behind Stability Before Performance™ What meaningful performance can look like in real life Episode Timestamps 00:00 — Who Is Peri? The misunderstanding that gave the podcast its name—and why the question turned out to be much bigger than it first appeared. ~04:30 — What May Be Happening in the Body MSM, estrogen and the musculoskeletal system—and why menopause should be considered context rather than an automatic diagnosis. ~07:00 — Why Science Alone Wasn't Enough for Me Diedra's experience with surgical menopause, a severe anxiety attack, and discovering that understanding how the body works wasn't enough to navigate what she was experiencing. ~11:00 — Stability Before Performance™ A different starting point for responding when your body begins to feel less predictable. ~12:30 — What We're Building Toward Why stability isn't the final goal, what Diedra means by meaningful performance, and the conversations ahead on Who Is Peri? ~14:00 — Your Who Is Peri? Question A question to carry with you after the episode. Your Who Is Peri?™ Question Where have you noticed something changing in your body and assumed, “I guess this is just getting older”? Share the Episode If someone came to mind while you were listening—especially a woman who's been asking some version of “What is happening to me?”—send this episode to her. Because Friends don't let friends navigate peri alone. Featured Scientific References Wright VJ, Schwartzman JD, Itinoche R, Wittstein J. (2024). The musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause. Climacteric, 27(5), 466–472. The Menopause Society (2024). Premature menopause linked to increased musculoskeletal pain and likelihood of sarcopenia. Subscribe to The Who Is Peri? Podcast wherever you're listening. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not individualized medical or physical therapy advice, and it is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition. Listening doesn’t establish a clinician-patient relationship. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional about your individual symptoms, health concerns, and treatment decisions.

  • 3 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

You're not imagining it. The joint pain, stiffness, tendon issues, strength loss, and body composition changes so many women experience before, during, and after menopause may be connected to the hormonal and physiological changes that occur across midlife. Each week, Dr. Diedra Manns, physical therapist, movement science fellow, Pilates educator, and certified menopause health practitioner, unpacks the musculoskeletal side of menopause through her Stability Before Performance™ (SBP™) framework. She looks beyond hormones alone to explore what may be influencing how a woman feels, moves, recovers, and performs, and most importantly, what she can do about it. Expect solo deep dives grounded in research, alongside conversations with healthcare, movement, and wellness professionals, as well as real women leaders navigating MSM firsthand.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Diedra Manns, DPT
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Who Is Peri?™ | Menopause Related Joint Pain, Strength Loss and Body Shifts