RA in lower back | Arthritis Information

Hi everyone,

I have not posted before but I have visited often. I was wondering ,since there is such great resources here, if anyone has developed RA in the lower spine. I have had it diagnosed in my neck, but my doctor tells me my lower back pain cannot be associated with my RA. I would love any and all feedback.

Hi,

I thought that I had it in my lower back too, but it turned out to be psoriatic arthritis, I was also told that RA did not get into the lower back, and what I have read seems to say the same thing. I sometimes tend to disagree, if it can affect your neck and upper back, why can't it get into the lower back too. I have read lots of posts of people who say they do have it, and I would tend to believe them. I hope that they find out what the problem is and get you some relief

Hello everyone

A friend of mine has some very major back problems and I loaned him my pillow and the cd for the back. It gave him so much relief that he did not want to give it back until I could get him one of his own. Now he is much more active and does not use as much pain med as he used to.I don't know if it would help you as much as it did him but it never hurts to try. I am not trying to sell these pillows I just know how much they have helped me and my friends with my RA and his back problems.The web site is www.vibroacoustic.org.

Good Luck To All

Bobby

I have been told by a doctor that the pain (and stiffness) in my lower back is RA. I also have a spot in the middle of my spine, as well as in my neck and between my shoulders, that are also associated with the RA, according to the same doctor. I also have been having problems with the hips, along with my shoulders. It just seems to be spreading everywhere.

Cris

My RA doctor tells me that the lower back pain I experience is from the osteoarthritis that I have. I have both RA and OA. Heating pads work, steam room, water aerobics, not staying in one position for a long time, stretching, hot tub, no repetitive movements helps. Just a few suggestions. The best one is Massages. They help tremendously.

Mimernote

Mimernote,

These are the same things that I find work best for me as well. The stretching, hot tub, heating pads, not staying in one position for too long. They at least keep me limber enough so I can keep moving. I also have Fibromyalgia, and seem to get real stiff, real fast.

Cris

Hi, well i have to say i agree you can get it in the lower back, i get a lot of pain there, i am at the moment reduced to 'light duties' because apparently just picking up my month old god daughter is too much!

It's the sacroiliac joint i'm told which is the one that joins the hip, pelvis and spine thats causing me all the grief in my lower back and hip and so on.

so far other than having a hot 'wheattie' on it i've not found a way of relieving it.

My physical therapist also told me my lower back pain is from my sacroliliac joint. They had me do some exercises to strengthen it and "adjusted" it. It worked wonders b/c it totally went away.

Nichole

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I am definitly going to try some of these out. I also found out that I have multiple kidney stone in both kidneys and two small cysts in the right kidney, my right kidney is slightly swollen and I have blood in the urine. My urologist says that none of those things should cause ANY back pain. I'm not sure what planet he lives on but I can assure you it is not really close to mine. The kidney pain is different from the back pain, they are in different spots. So, I have a lot of adjusting to do, but I will get started right away.Hi Kim and everyone:

I haven't been around or posted for awhile; but when checking in today couldn't believe how ya'll are all experiencing what I am.

I have had lower back pain for a long time. My RD denies, denies, denies that it has anything to do with RA. In the last 6 months I have developed the pain all of you are describing in my upper back and neck.

I have done the PT and all of that without any lasting relief. My PT told me the last checkup I had that I had discopenia.

To make a long story short, I went to a Neurologist on my own, no one recommended it until I asked my GP to refer me. He said that it is time to find out for sure by doing a discogram. The other doctors have told me I did not want a discogram because they are painful.

Has anyone had an experience with a discogram? Would a discogram show RA if that's what it is?

Would appreciate any info?

Reggie

The RA can Spread over time to almost everyplace in your body, even your organs and even cause skin ulcers, rash, your teeth to rot out, and various other great things to look forward to. At least that is what it says on the Arthritis Foundation Page and several other pamphlets and articles I have read. It seems everyone but most Doctors know this.

My own experience is: It has spread to my jaws, ears, neck, hands, feet, toes, hips to name a few places it has made a home at.

Good luck and remember if you can not get an answer from a Doc to do research!

Teeth? Oh my, that's something I've never thought about. It's been a couple of years since I've been to the dentist, but never connected my recent teeth problems to the RA, which has been working havoc with the rest of my body lately. I knew about the organs, but never thought about the teeth. My RA was "moderate" before going into remission. When it became active again last July, I've noticed it's come back with a vengeance! Every joint is killing me, neck, back, knees, toes, hands, chest, even my eyes (which I knew could happen). Over the past several months, I've developed many teeth problems. My teeth have never been the greatest, but they've never been this bad. I go to the dentist in two weeks, and I'm going to mention it to her. I guess I need to dig out my RA books and information and read up again, so I know what to look for.

Cris

There's a disease called ankylosing spondylitis, which is essentially arthritis of the spine (see description below). If your pain is limited to your back, it could be that. But if your arthritis pain is all over, then AS is less likely.

From the American College of Rheumatology website:

What Is Ankylosing Spondylitis?

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a rheumatic disease that causes arthritis of the spine and sacroiliac joints and can cause inflammation of the eyes, lungs, and heart valves. It varies from intermittent episodes of back pain that occur throughout life to a severe chronic disease that attacks the spine, peripheral joints and other body organs, resulting in severe joint and back stiffness, loss of motion and deformity as life progresses.

I have ra, pa and oa. My pa is associated with my pain in my neck and shoulders. Yes it could be ra, but it could also be pa. Do you have any spots of psoriasis? 10 to 15% of the people who have psoriasis has pa. It is just like ra and can affect any part of your body and in your joints. I have pa in my hands beside ra and oa there too. There are over 100 different types of athritis, my suggestion is to keep a journal where you jot down the pain you are feeling and anything else you notice. Take it with you to your next visit to the dr and discuss your notes with him or her. Meme

Hi everyone,

I too have low back pain. Also my neck and several different areas in my middle and upper back. My problem has been diagnosed as Degenerative Disc Disease and they aren't kidding.

I have had 4 neck surgeries with fusions. Every level except 2-3 is fused with bone plugs, plates and screws. I should set off the alarms in airports. I have had excellent results from every surgery that I have had.

A lot of us here have more than 1 type of arthritis, this is very common. I have RA, OA, DDD, secondary Sjogrens. I am also HLA-B27 positive, with a family history of very severe arthritis. Actually all those initials are my many illustrious degrees.

All the suggestions for pain relief are great ones and have helped me many times. They are certainly worth a try. A tip from my Neurosurgeon, "don't ever lie on the couch with your head resting on the arm". Even using a pillow won't necessarily help. The problem is the acute angle your neck is placed in.

Surgery isn't always a good answer for lower back problems, sometimes it causes more problems than it cures. The best help is to use good body mechanics - bend your knees, not your back.

Have a great day everyone.

Barb

-Mimernote

Hi everyone,

I had NO idea there were so many out there with back pain. It sure is nice to know that I am not alone. My rheumatologist really never wants to discuss anything and he certainly doesn't volunteer extra information. He only wants to know if my RA is under control or not. I think I have some serious research to do. If anyone has some good web pages or books to get more info. I would really appreciate the help. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Kim

The pain in my lower back and neck is severe. It's getting more and more difficult to move. When I sit, even for a few minutes, my entire pelvic area, including the hips, sufferes hot piercing pains. My teeth have been breaking off, one at a time. A couple of months ago, one broke, and I couldn't afford the "repairs" on it, so I had it pulled. Since then I've broken two more teeth off. My eyes, in the morning, feel sticky. Not dry, yet not goopy either. Just sticky, and my vision has changed more in the past few months than it has over the past several years. My neck and back pain usually wakes me up at night. My knees are continuously swollen, along with my ankels, toes, elbows, and fingers, and very painful. my shoulders are beginning to "pop" when I do things. My strenght is waning, and the pain increasing.

With upcoming Denist and Doctor visits, I hope to get some answers. Now if I could just find a way to pay for them.

Cris

I had some major teeth issues with my teeth when I was on methotrexate. After never having a cavity, I was getting cavities, breaking teeth, and needing root canals left and right. My dentist said it is because the methotrexate makes your mouth so dry it affects your teeth like that. He suggested chewing gum frequently, but that never worked for me. As soon as I got off methotrexate I haven't had any teeth problems since.

Best of luck,

Nichole

I was having the same problem.. back, ribs, neck etc. I was told after my exam that it wasn't the RA it was the Fibro. When my RA is bad I must tighten up ergo flaring my Fibro. It all made sense to me after it was explained properly. Ask your RD about it. Just a thought of course.

Good luck,