4 Simple Mobility Exercises for Women in Perimenopause

Perimenopause brings many changes, some expected, others not so much. For many women, stiffness, aches, and reduced range of motion sneak in just as hormones begin to shift. It’s not just about flexibility; it's about functional movement, pelvic comfort, and staying active with less strain. That’s where gentle mobility exercises can make a difference. 

Pelvic floor physiotherapy in Pelvic floor physiotherapy in Edmonton supports joint health, improves circulation, and helps maintain pelvic floor muscle function. Whether you're waking up stiff or noticing more pelvic discomfort at night, these simple movements are designed to keep you moving with more ease and confidence.

How Perimenopause Affects Mobility

During perimenopause, hormonal shifts, especially drops in estrogen, can affect muscle elasticity, joint lubrication, and tissue tone. Many women notice increased stiffness in their hips, lower back, and pelvis. These changes can also influence the pelvic floor muscles, leading to symptoms like bladder urgency, pressure, or pelvic discomfort at night.

Simple mobility exercise routines help by encouraging blood flow, reducing muscular tension, and keeping the joints moving freely. Incorporating these movements with guidance from women’s health physiotherapy providers supports smoother motion and more comfort during everyday activities.

4 Easy Moves to Stay Flexible During Perimenopause

During perimenopause, hormonal changes can affect more than mood and sleep. They can also lead to tight muscles, joint stiffness, and imbalances that impact the pelvis and lower back. Adding just a few mobility exercises to your daily routine can reduce discomfort, support better posture, and promote pelvic floor care without needing hours of intense effort.

1. Seated Cat-Cow for Spine & Pelvis

Why it helps: This move promotes spinal fluidity and pelvic awareness, which is especially important when dealing with low back tension or pelvic discomfort at night.

How to do it:

Sit on a stable chair with your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on your thighs. Inhale and arch your back softly, lifting your chest and tilting your pelvis forward (cow). Exhale and round your spine, tucking your pelvis under and gently engaging your lower abs (cat). Repeat slowly for 10 rounds.

Connection to pelvic health: This simple motion supports the spine-pelvis connection and is often used in women’s health physiotherapy to relieve tension around the pelvic floor muscles.

2. Pelvic Tilts on the Wall

Why it helps: This subtle movement helps bring awareness to pelvic floor health, posture, and core engagement.

How to do it:

Stand tall with your spine pressed against a wall and about a foot away from the wall. Softly press your lower back into the wall as you tilt your pelvis backward. Then, release the tilt to return to a neutral position. Repeat 10 times slowly.

Connection to pelvic health: This small movement supports awareness of pelvic alignment something often emphasized in pelvic floor physiotherapy to help with stability and reduce pressure on the pelvic region.

3. Open Book Stretch for Mid-Back Mobility

Why it helps: Hormonal shifts can tighten the mid-back and shoulders; this stretch improves spinal rotation and promotes better posture, which eases pressure on the pelvic floor.

How to do it:

Lie on your side with your knees bent at 90 degrees and stacked. Extend both arms in front of you. Slowly open the top arm across your body, reaching toward the floor behind you while turning your head to follow the movement. Keep your hips stable. Hold for a few seconds and return. Do 5–6 reps per side.

Connection to pelvic health: This gentle rotation enhances thoracic mobility and helps release compensatory tension that may affect pelvic floor muscle coordination.

4. Wall Hip Flexor Stretch

Why it helps: Tight hip flexors common during long periods of sitting, can pull on the pelvis and contribute to tension in the pelvic floor muscles.

How to do it:

Stand facing away from a wall. Place one foot behind you, toes pressed into the wall, and bend the front leg into a small lunge. You should feel a gentle stretch in the front of the hip on the back leg. Hold for 30 seconds and switch sides.

Connection to pelvic health: Loosening the hip flexors can improve pelvic alignment, relieve tension, and enhance the effectiveness of pelvic floor physiotherapy in Edmonton programs.

How These Exercises Support Perimenopausal Health

Mobility tends to decrease subtly during perimenopause. Hormones like estrogen influence collagen production, joint lubrication, and muscle tone. When these levels dip, you may notice:

• Morning stiffness
• Decreased flexibility
• Slower recovery from activity
• Increased sensitivity around the pelvic area

These movements work to gently open up commonly tight areas like the hips, spine, and lower back while reducing tension around the pelvis. These exercises are commonly introduced in women’s health physiotherapy settings to complement treatments for bladder control, prolapse symptoms, or pelvic discomfort at night.

Small Movements, Big Shifts 

Perimenopause doesn’t have to mean putting up with discomfort or feeling disconnected from your body. These mobility exercises are a simple way to stay grounded, reduce stiffness, and support your pelvic health journey. By pairing them with pelvic floor physiotherapy in Edmonton, you’re giving your body the tools it needs to move through this transition with more ease and confidence. 

For additional support, Family Physiotherapy in Edmonton provides care rooted in function, movement, and real-world comfort. Whether it’s restoring mobility or improving pelvic floor care, gentle, intentional movement really can go a long way.