Hip, Joint pain & crohns

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Adam1971

Adam1971

Joined
Mar 27, 2012
Messages
244
Hi there. Like many who have posted on this sub-forum, I have problems with back pain and I have Crohns. I am curious how the 2 are related. I started having fairly debilitating back pain in January and February, and was diagnosed with Crohns in March. The pain is mostly in my lower left back, around my hip. I have also had pain in both shoulders for about 8 months. Curiously, both areas of joint pain went away once I started treatment for crohns. Now, after ending prednisone, the pain in my back and shoulders is back. I thought maybe humira was taking care of it. I have been taking 1000 iu vit.D a day, and I am in the sun a lot these days. I would appreciate any responses about how these things may be connected and what to do about them. I know there are questions and considerations that I have not thought of. Thanks.
 
I have sacroilitis - which affects my lower back and around my left hip.....been told it can go hand in hand with Crohns'. Mine thankfully hasn't really flared since the first big flare (where I could barely move - took over 30 minutes to get off the ground one day).....and if/when I feel it starting to bother me I load up on tylenol and also have another pain/inflammation reliever that I take sparingly as it is an NSAID.

Have you ever had x-rays taken to see if there is any visible inflammation? I'd start there - oh - and my chiropractor did help some with getting things back in alignment....as I was out of whack from favoring the areas that hurt....reminds me, need to go again one of these days!
 
Thanks Pasobuff. In terms of the x-ray, what kind of doc does the x-ray? Would my GI make referral? I am due to see my gi doc in one week, so I want to get all my ducks in a row re: questions and concerns.
 
You can ask your GI for a referral - last time I had x-rays done (before my chiro would touch me due to the pain I was in) - my GI wrote the script......you may also want to get a referral to a rheumy if your insurance covers that - I'm lucky enough that my GP is also a rheumy so he is up to speed on a lot of things!
 
I wanted my chiropractor to take x-rays, he didn't see the need....grrrrr. His adjustment helped for 3 hours.
 
I just went the chiropractor...I was way out of whack...we'll see how long my bones stay aligned. I'll ask my gi about the rheumatologist referral next Wednesday. Thanks for your responses. Another feature I forgot to mention is what is seemingly a chronic, low grade headache that often turns into a really painful, debilitating headache. Not sure how its all connected, but its happening in the same body :)
 
I have ankylosing spondylitis which is an arthritis that people with crohn's get. It effects Hip area and back. go to a rhematogist. also becareful about chiropractor AS can cause fusion and a brittle spine which can be damaged by a chiropractor. check out www.spondylitis.org/
 
Adam, I did some searching and found that because Crohn's disease can cause bone loss and some tissue problems, arthritis symptoms can be fairly common problems. Your regular physician may want to take some blood tests to rule out other causes for the back pain (such as rheumatoid arthritis), especially since your back pain may not just be bone issues now that you have headaches, too. Good luck finding some relief!
 
The only time I have ever had all of my inflammation under control is when I was on Humira. It didn't stop a lot of the stomach issues, but I could pretty much live my life pain free. The doctor didn't like that the bathroom problems continued, so he tried me on something else and since I went off of it, I have had chronic iritis, hip, shoulder and back pain. I am trying to get back on the Humira right now.
 
I met with my GI yesterday, and he thought the pain is most likely arthritis that is connected to crohn's, and that if I were to see a rheumatologist, they would want to make sure my ibd was under control in order to treat the arthritis. Interesting. I do find that humira helps the arthritic type pain, but not as much as would like :)
 
Adam1971 said:
I met with my GI yesterday, and he thought the pain is most likely arthritis that is connected to crohn's, and that if I were to see a rheumatologist, they would want to make sure my ibd was under control in order to treat the arthritis. Interesting. I do find that humira helps the arthritic type pain, but not as much as would like :)
Click to expand...

That doesn't make much sense to me because they usually work together. When my Crohn's is out of control, usually so is the inflamation. Did you try Remicade for the arthritis?
 
they are treated with the same meds for the most part. so you treat the IBD you will also treat the arthritis and vis versa
 
I think the doc was seeing the joint pain as an extra-intestinal manifestation of the hrohns, rather than a separate disorder, such as rh. arthritis.
 
No need to go through your GI for arthritis. A rheumatologist is who you need to see. Sure you can tell your GI all about it and they may give you steroids etc and it'll help for a little while. Then you go off of them once your Crohn's is under control and suddenly you're still in pain. All you have to do is go to your GP and have them do x-rays where it will prove whether or not arthritis is there and what kind. Then off to the rheumatologist for further testing and treatment as they are specialized in auto immune disorders.

I have degenerative joint disease now thanks to Crohn's and my lovely genes. I see the proper specialist for each medical condition (except for insomnia, the sleep disorder clinic is too far away).
 
I was diagnosed with crohn's in Feb. when I had a severe flare but have had back, hip and knee pain for years. The pain has been really bad for several months. I went to my family Dr. for the pain and she decided since I am on Remacade and that isn't making it any better and most arthritis meds are anti inflammatory that can cause a flare of the crohn's that she would send me to the pain clinic. I am now on oxycodone and tramadol for the pain and this works as long as I am not on my feet too much, if I am even the meds aren't good enough. My GI knew about the pain but didn't really seem concerned as long as it wasn't my bowel that was hurting.
 
I'm having severe, debilitating back/hip pain. I have been to the ER (MRI, diagnosed with two herniated discs), chiropractor and orthopedist. Nothing is helping. I've been on my back for 2 weeks. I'm using a walker to get to the bathroom. I haven't been to work. I can't drive. It came on very suddenly the day after my Remicade infusion. I assumed it was unrelated to the Crohn's, but I just don't know.
 
Remicade does not help my low (sacral) back pain at all. I have had an x-ray, but no problems indicated in the films. Have any of you been told you need an MRI to diagnose whether you have Crohn's related RA or AS in your back?
 
I have RA like arthritis as an extra-intestinal manifestation. It's already did some damage to my hip. Got a referral from my GI to an orthopedic RA specialist. He did x-rays to find it. Be incredibly real and honest and remember that Chronic disease sufferers have a different pain tolerance than most people - so report what hurts no matter how many spots it is. I had a ton of x-rays that day.

My GI doctor also factored in this arthritis in my regimen. Epsom salt baths help a lot too for my arthritis. You'll see me mentioning that a lot :)
 
Last edited:
Adam- to go along with what Jennifer said, I was having horrible back pain. It got to the point that my ribs swelled making it difficult to breath. Yes, I told my GI about it, but there is only so much he could do. I started seeing a rheumatologist and my life has completely changed. My inflammatory markers are practically non existent now and I rarely have even minor back aches. I highly recommend seeing a rheumatologist
 

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