Back - Spinal Pain | Arthritis Information

i thought i read that one's back and/or spine rarely get affected by RA but it's one of my sorer areas.

anyone know anything about back/lower back/spine?HI Cdndream, I have terrible spinal pain, I do have OA in it, but my RD told me we get RA in the facet joints, and mine is thru whole spine, so yes you can get it in your spine. Hope it's not too painful, hugs JAnie. I have had a herniated disc in L5 for 10 years... and recently discovered stenosis in Cervical spine. Suddenly I get spasms of pain that take my breath away when I sit after standing a short while or carrying anything for a short distance. I'd have to say it has all increased in the last year following flares. It's cause? I don't know.I heard the same thing- you can get RA in the cervical spine only.I also have a herniated disk at L5, since 1999. I had surgery (laminectomy) for it in 2000 but it was not very effective and I will NEVER go through that agonizing surgery again, for little or no relief. Now the disk has herniated again, I can't stand more than 3-4 minutes at a time before my back goes into spasm.

No doctor has told me that my RA has anything to do with my back though. I assumed it was a wear-and-tear injury related thing.

My RD sent me to an orthopedic spine specialist and he did an MRI and said I do have RA in portions of my spine. Id have to find the report to tell you what the area is called but it's about midway down and goes low in my back; not the upper portion like you hear so many here talk about.

My RD meds; MTX & Humira help it very much....without them I'm in horrible pain.

I have degenerative disc disease in my cervical spine with herniated discs, osteophytes and some sort of problem with the facet joints. I'm told this is wear-and-tear and/or OA, yet the RA drugs I take have helped with some of the pain and stiffness in this area. It makes me wonder if this means there is some RA involvement too. [QUOTE=cdndream]i thought i read that one's back and/or spine rarely get affected by RA but it's one of my sorer areas.

anyone know anything about back/lower back/spine?[/QUOTE]

There are many things that can go wrong with the back and spine; RA is an unlikely candidate. It would be best to check with an orthopedic specialist, neurologist, etc to find the problem. Just because you have RA doesn't mean all your aches and pains are RA-related.

I have a friend with MS. One of her biggest issues is widespread pain and stiffness. Well, about a year ago, her left shoulder and arm started bothering her even more than usual. Both she and her neurologist initially assumed it was MS. Well, in a couple months it became unbearable, so she was sent for an MRI. Turns out she had some sort of injury (some ligament issue - can't remember what). Anyway, she had surgery, and after a couple months' recovery, her arm and shoulder were much improved.
Ankylosing Spondylitis also comes to mind. Not sure if I spelled that right. It usually starts with sacroiliac pain. I always wonder if I have this because I saw a "Mystery Diagnosis" where a woman had an elbow that wouldn't bend, had a contracture, and it turned out to be AS. My wrist is like that, and I do get low back/pelvic pain. But, I can also still touch my hands to the floor, which probably wouldn't be true if I had AS. See, it's not just the internet that is to blame for speculation. Discovery Health should bear some blame as well. You bring up a good point there, InnerGlow. I noticed that when I got bumped up to 20mg of pred a week ago, that my right hip and leg problems I was having have not been bothering me at all! I know my SI joints get inflammation in them, and that is what causes my right hip/leg problems, but I also thought it was fibro like my RD told me it was, but not so sure now. Maybe it is/was fibro... but was exacerbated. Like my neck problem fibro makes it worse.

I have issues with the upper back and neck.

RD said RA is not common in the back but it can happen. He said OA is much more common. Plus, we often walk funny and sleep funny due to pain. That can cause a ton of back issues.This is a good post as I've been having problems in my back for a while now. I have had DDD in my cervical and thorasic spine for years, but now I'm having pain in my lumbar and sacroiliac (sp?) area. The pain doesn't feel the same.

I can't bend over in the mornings. The pain is mostly in the buttock and around to the side of the hip and sometimes the spine area feels warm to the touch. The pain doesn't extend down the leg at all. At the end of the day or after I've tried to do any activity other than sitting, the pain feels the same. It's hard to get up out of my chair.

It kind of makes me angry since the Enbrel has pretty much taken away my RA pain. It just never ends!