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Shoulder and Ankle Pain

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 11/30/2022 6:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hey there everybody, I’ve had UC for about two years now. Typically it flares up once in a while but I can usually get it back under control with mesalamine. I’m going through another flare and it seems to have triggered some pretty bad shoulder and ankle pain as well as stiffness. Can somebody tell me why that might be and what remedies you would suggest to alleviate the pain? For the record my flare isn’t too bad right now, mild abdominal pain and stool has no blood.
Posted 11/30/2022 6:23 PM (GMT 0)
You might want to get the joint pain checked out? But in my own experience, whatever I can do to address inflammation in my body overall helps a bit with joint pain: I take curcumin and fish oil, I try to eat an anti-inflammatory diet (low sugar, low gluten, low fried food, no high processed vegetable seed oils, lots of varied fruits and vegetables and good protein, depending on what my flare can tolerate).

I hope you have some relief soon!
Posted 12/1/2022 6:40 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for that. I actually went to a bone doctor recently and they said all of my joints looked pretty much flawless. With that said, would you have any other recommendations? Or do you think just addressing the diet head on is the way to go
Posted 12/1/2022 11:33 PM (GMT 0)
I'm glad you got it checked out! Others may want to weigh in with more experience: it seems like these autoimmune issues sometimes travel together, and I think early stages of joint problems don't show up on scans necessarily? But I'm no expert.

My issues are very rarely with peripheral joints like hands and feet and more with the hips and spine and jaw, so what helps may be different. In addition to diet and supplements, I use heat and try to move and exercise ("motion is lotion"--haha). Since most anti-inflammatory drugs like Ibuprofen are off limits for IBD patients, I resort to Tylenol (acetaminophen) here and there. And I work hard to remember that the pain comes and goes, which helps me not fall into a fear cycle that actually worsens the pain for me.

Have you found anything that helps you?
Posted 12/2/2022 6:39 PM (GMT 0)
Joint pain is part of UC territory, alas! It sounds like your UC inflammation is not totally under control if you're experiencing multiple flares. Do you take any mesalamine for maintenance of remission-- if you ever succeeded in reaching remission? Do you consult with a gastroenterologist experienced in treating IBD? I'm asking these questions because so-called "mild" UC can progress to "moderate" or even "severe" inflammation without proper physician monitoring over time. That involves periodic lab work to determine whether you have "markers for inflammation" in blood tests and/or stool samples. The ESR and CRP blood tests can help to determine whether your body is affected by inflammation over time. Then you also need monitoring by C-scope periodically. / Old Hat (40+ yrs with left-sided UC; in remission taking Colazal)
Posted 12/3/2022 1:35 AM (GMT 0)
Other than the Stelara keeping my joint pains under control, I also take grapeseed extract (not grape extract), turmeric, and boswellia to help keep any inflammation under control. I also make sure my vitamin D levels aren't low.

Anecdotally I find the boswellia, in particular, is helpful. There is some scientific research backing up boswellia's anti inflammatory properties.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc6477955/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/boswellia-serrata
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