Physical therapy

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I was diagnosed with arthritis maybe about 6 months ago. My GP said I've got mild arthritis in my right hip. He wasn't able to conclusively say that it's related to my still undiagnosed gut illness, though.

My GP sent me to physical therapy, and it went really well. I went about 8 times, every 2 or 3 weeks. At my last session, my physical therapist says she feels I've made good progress and I can continue doing the exercises on my own, without needing to see her anymore. She predicts I'll only continue to improve as long as I keep up with the exercises (and I can always go back to PT if I get worse again).

My question is, for those who have both confirmed Crohn's and arthritis, if you went to physical therapy, did it help you? Like I said, I'm not sure what specifically my gut illness is (my GI thinks either Crohn's or possibly microscopic colitis, it's almost definitely some form of IBD) and I also don't know for sure if my arthritis is directly related to the gut illness or not. So I'm hoping to hear from confirmed Crohnies if PT worked for them, or if the kind of arthritis that you get with Crohn's usually does or does not respond well to PT?

 

[scottmyster]

HI Cat, i have arthritis to the back thanks to crohn's. and i did go to the PT for therapy and it worked out great. He even gave me three sheets of papered exercises to do each day and they help alot. 9 chances out of 10 your arthritis came from your gut. But, from what i have been reading most people here have arthritis in one way or form are connected to IBD. so your question is i responded great to the exercises and my PT. and i hope your exercises and PT work for you too. Best wishes.

scott

 

[Regular Joe]

Hi Cat,

I have osteoarthritis, but I also have inflammatory arthritis which is a Crohn's EIM. It's actually called "enteropathic" arthritis or "Crohn's arthritis". The difference is that, in and of itself, enteropathic arthritis doesn't zero in on one joint, and it waxes and wanes with your flaring. It also is random in that you'll feel it in different joints depending on your gut inflammation. Lastly enteropathic arthritis doesn't do permanent joint damage, compared to Rheumatoid and Osteo arthritis.

For me it hastened the deterioration of my left knee. And guess what? I actually had a small bout of it with my implant!

Yes to the other question. Physical therapy is one of the cheapest defenses for any form of arthritis. Also, another BIG CHEAPIE analgesic: ICE. Ice ice ice and ice. What a neat way to deal with arthritis and NO SIDE EFFECTS.

Hope this helps

 

[archie]

hiya thought i'd butt in as i am a physio and treat arthritis day in day out!!! although I haven't treated so much arthritis related to IBD. From personal experience I found that last yr when my crohns kicked off I had sore joints especially my left wrist and my back and now i'm in remission I don't seem to have any aches or pains although I don't have arthritis.

Most arthritic joints in the mild to moderate range respond well to physio regardless of their cause, (if it is too severe then usually replacements are needed) You are young to have an arthritic hip and you should therefore continue to do your exercises to prevent further deterioration e.g pilates is great for strengthening the hips / core but are safe.

The natural course of arthrits is it will flare and settle and depending on what you do can aggravate it. I agree with Joe that inflammatory arthritis is more general than one joint, it tends to be bilateral and can move from joint to joint. A single joint affected can be due to previous trauma / injury to a joint or a biomechanical issue causing wear and tear. Arthritic joints in general don't like prolongued positions as they stiffen up they also don't like being overworked so the key is to get a balance, little and often. The stronger the surrounding muscles the better protection the joint receives.

Hope this is of some use although it probably didn't directly answer your question but if you want any further advice just ask.

 

[outlier]

i just found out about enteropathic arthritis as a term, it makes me happy weirdly.

Anyway, I have Ankylosing spondylitis and reactive arthritis, reactive arthritis is arthritis that appears after stomach issues (or a few other issues).

Ankylosing spondylitis actually appears in the spine and SI joints (hips). It goes very strongly with inflammatory illness such as IBD or psoriasis.

I have not had all that good luck (I would disagree currently with no side effects, but my body is stupid) with PT but I have scoliosis and pain in my ribs. I am actually going to bring up my hip at my next appt. but PT I hear is really good for AS and arthritis.
Good luck

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Thanks all! Enteropathic arthritis sounds like what I get when I flare, most of my joints ache in a flare and the pain does kind of jump around from knees to ankles to wrists to back, etc. But my diagnosed hip arthritis does not jump around, and can hurt even when I'm not flaring (I'm currently either in or near remission and the hip still aches sometimes). So, it sounds like I have some sort of constant/chronic arthritis in my hip, and possibly also enteropathic arthritis related to my gut illness & flares. Very interesting! Thanks all for the info!