Mid Back Pain and RA? | Arthritis Information

 

How can they say that?  I have back pain too. 

I've always heard that the "common" place in the spine for RA to affect is the cervical, but I don't think that means you can't have it in the thorasic or lumbar area. 

is your pain spasm like?

I get them at variable times during the day... or during certain activities..
Mine is not constant.  It is after gardening--bending over to weed, or bending over to set uo shelving for my festival tent.  It is low small back so I don't think that would be lung.

Ouch, Rab. That doesn't sound good at all! You've had an xray but have they tried an MRI or ultrasound for that area? It might reveal a little more. Hope you find an answer and some relief soon! *gentle hugs*

Not all that aches is RA. I've just gotten concerned with a pain that I feel with any deep breath.  It feels like a band of pain across my back, just under my shoulder blades, that goes from side to side.  Anyone else? I see my doc in a few months and will discuss it with him.

  Along with RA I have costochondritis that flares up every now and then and hurts in my ribs, across the front and around to my back.  It does hurt more with deep breaths and won't allow me to bend over without pain. 

AnnI have facet arthritis of lower lumbar-they said this is from my aggressive RAHI Rab, mine too is possibly the ribs, it sounds much like how you describe, there are facet joints thruout the spine and these can be affected by RA, mine definitely are, it has shown on scans.  I can't take antiinflammatories regularly only when I am really desperate and only for three days, but my pain specialist prescribed slow release oxycontin 40mg am and pm, and fast acting oxy for breakthru pain, also panamax osteo  3 x a day regularly (acetominaphen stronger than general panamax) for osteoarthritis which I have in spine too. My pain has been much better controlled since starting this regimen.  At night often this problem pain area (exactly where yours is, sometimes throbs and I can't lie on it, I am allowed to take Endep also to help, it is a nerve pain drug, I guess the nerves, joints, and muscles etc are all connected.  Went to have an ultrasound yesterday on liver due to liver tests being abnormal, and that area is exactly where the liver is so they thought it might be that but the Ultrasound girl said there was a rib bone right there and she reckons it was that that was causing all the pain.  Who knows??????.  good luck, from Jane. That sounds like pneumonia I have a lot of midback pain -- but it's really muscle spasms caused from my very crummy lower back. Muscle relaxants have helped a lot.Hi Rab023:

sorry you've had to deal with this for so long! I get back pain on the upper part of my back around my ribs that wrap around to the sides. It's a deep pain that hurts to take in a deep breathe. It only happens while I'm sleeping. I'll wake up several times tossing and turning trying to get back to sleep but the pain gets so bad I have to get up early and can't go back to sleep. After I'm up moving around And try to stretch a little which hurts like heck, it seems to fade away within hours sometimes lingers all day a little. It's not every night it comes and goes. When I told my rheumy she said it sounds muskuloskelital, but nothing more was said. I do think in my opinion it's due to my ra .

Did the chiropracter help? I have that pain like you describe, Rab023.  It is on my left side, as well.  I don't know what is causing mine, either.  However, I have discovered, purely by accident, that I can make the pain go away by raising my arm straight above my head.  Arm down by my side, straight out in front or straight out to the side = pain/ arm up over my head = voila! no pain at all.  Go figure!  If your Chiro can shed any light on the cause of the pain, as well as anything that helps with the pain, please share with us.
Hope you are feeling better already,

Mary-Pat

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