Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

I have had so many different types of pain in so many areas that I get confused, too. I think the best explanation that I have been given is that the generalized inflamation from RA can be anywhere and cause a multitude of different kinds of pain. I just never know myself from one day to the next what kind of pain I will have and where it will be. That makes RA more difficult to deal with from the standpoint of not knowing when there is something else going on that needs medical attention. For example, I have had several bouts of chest pain that felt like a heart attack, but turned out to be sternal and rib area inflamation. I know this doesn't help with the pain, but maybe a little with the understanding.

This is so funny that you posted this. I can totally relate to the shin pain. I have had shin splints before and it is almost as bad, but I can walk, so not quite. I too have that hip pain.

I am new as well but I have attributed it somewhat to what type of shoes I wear. Like some flats. I wore them two days in a row and then I had the shin pain for about 3 days. When I switched back to tennis shoes, it subsided, but that is just what most RA issues do. They come and go.

Sorry about your pain. I hope you find something that works for you!

Jess

RA can affect your tendons. You may be describing pain that eminates from places where tendons attach to ligaments-bones. Also, a couple other possibilities:

1. Muscle tightness can put pressure on nerves, which can then produce "traveling" or "shooting" pain.

2. If you haven't been able to actively work and STRETCH your muscles, you can develop contracture, where the muscles get "frozen" into a shortened psition, so that when they're stretched, they can hurt like hell.

I won't try to diagnose you, but if your pain persists, have it checked out. You could have shin splints, which can lead to a stress frcture, you could have a pinched nerve somehwere in your leg.

What I would do, is try some self treatment first. For your shin, I'd do this:

a. get in a position where you're seated, and can rest your heel on the floor, with your toes (and ball of your foot) resting against something, like a chair or table leg, at a 45 degree angle.

b. gently massage the belly of the muscle, from your ankle to just below the knee. This muscle is the tibialis anterior, and its primary function is to dorsi-flex your ankle, ie bring your toes closer to your body.

c. then, ry moving your foot (at the ankle), so your toes move from pointing up to pointing down, and gently massage the muscle as you do this.

For your hamstring, try this:

a. lie on your side, with the sore leg on top, bent in a 45 degree angle. As youknow, the hamstring muscle, biceps femoris, acts to flex your knee, such that your foot comes closer to your butt. Positioning this way, just as with your foot, *shortens* the muscle, so it's easier to massage.

b. locate the boney point in your butt (ischial tuberosity), which you find by poking at the point around the crease of your leg and your butt. Gently massage around this point. This is the primary "origin" of the hamstrings, where it attaches to your ilium.

c. moving downward toward your knee, grab a handful (use both hands, if possible) of hamstring, and massage it, like you're kneading dough. You'll recognize the tendons, which are prominent bands, attaching on either side of the knee. Massage around the attachment.

This is all much easier with a massage therapist, but self-massage is a good thing.

I'd also recommend a could stretching program. I recommend a book titled (appropriately) "Stretching," by Bob Anderson.

Good luck with this. If it persists, have it checked out.
doug

thanks everyone for your input - I will probably call the Dr. back in a day or two should things continue (that's what they said to do and while the pain isn't as bad as it was, it's still very different, can't hurt to see what the dr. says).

Good point on shoes, songbird, I'll start noticing more which shoes I'm wearing when things hurt worse. And, PK - the generalized inflammation also makes sense to me. Doug - thanks for your ideas on stretching and the anatomy lesson - I have been stretching but maybe not enough - and have found that if I walk the dogs I feel better (after the first few minutes and up to about 15 mins into the walk, so obv. the movement helps to some degree) - i have not massaged - but wonder why the heck I hadn't thought of it - thanks!

thanks again everyone

Tort

I am finding my pain fairly atypical to my disease (Behcets). Arthritis is not uncommon, but I have severe, all-over pain. My PCP thinks I have secondary Fibromyalgia, my Rheumie, no clue. He does not seem to agree.

I have SO resisted pain meds, I am a nurse, and suffer to the end of the day. I have tried Vicodin (allergic) and now Percocet. Last week he mentioned OxyContin but I declined. The reality right now is- my treatment is not working, so I am relying on pain meds and Prednisone. Praying for a miracle with Remicade. BUT, I am not going to SUFFER anymore. We have to be vocal about our symptoms. I hate feeling "weak", but I hate daily suffering even more.

Talk to your DOC about your pain - and if you feel they are not addressing it, MOVE ON! We need docs who validate our pain and do not discount it. If you are in constant pain, you will not be functional, that is the reality. Good luck,

(((Heather)))

thanks Heather,

I've been very lucky so far in that while my pain is pretty much constant, it is rarely excruciating. Even the pain I have now, it can get up to a 4 out of 5 at times, it doesn't stay there. I do plan on phoning the Dr. on Monday (we've had horrible weather and I do know this affects my hips - at least SOMETHING is consistent :) ) if the pain continues to trouble me through the weekend.

Thanks again
Tort

Weather is definitely a trigger. My osteo really flared after a cold few days in North Carolina!

Big hugs to you and I hope things get better!

Lynne

I have had pains similar to what you are discribing. For me it is caused by a pretty bad back. And yes definetly the weather has an effect on pain. The cold is just starting here in Ohio and I can already feel a big difference. Best advice like everyone said is talk to your doc. Hope you feel well soon.

The tendonitis I suffered in the first two years of my illness was far worse than any of the joint pain. I didn't find anything that really helped other than higher doses of prednisone (my doc refused to give me any more after the first year in fear of side effects).

The anti-inflamatories helped a bit but pain killers did nothing much for the tendonitis. I suggest you go see a physical therapist for an excersice program to help combat the shortening of the tendons. I am currently struggling with that becuase I didn't go.

Really the only thing that helped was getting the general level of inflamation down in my body. I quit smoking and improved my oral (gum) health and the tendonitis finally started to go away in Feb of this year. None of the DMARDS did the trick for me but you are a different person so you need to find a treatment that works for you.

Also if you start getting charlie horses in your calves make sure you are getting enough folic acid, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Muscle spasms like that can be an indicator of a vitamin deffeciency. Put bananas on your milk and cereal .. you've got it covered!

If you look back at some of my older posts you will see that I asked the exact same questions. At first it was my Knee swelling, then gradually my Knee cap or just below it hurt and also in the back of my Knee. Then it radiated down the front of my Shin to my foot and also in the back on my Calf. I thought I had PAD(peripheral Artery Disease)
I asked my Rheumy and told him how much pain I had. He ordered an Ultrasound which showed nothing. Then i had an MRI on my knee which showed torn ligaments and Miniscus and severe RA. I started on Enbrel and just after the first Shot the pain went away was gone. I had so much pain that I was not able to drive, because my Shin and foot ( where the Shin meets the foot) hurt so bad. I am in my second Shot and have not had any pain anymore. I was also on Prednisone for a month. Tapering down from 20mg. I am off that now and hope the pain doesnt come back. I also couldn't bend my Knee at all. It was only on my right never on my left. My Rheumy and GP both said that RA can attack the muscles as well, b/c they are attached to the joint. I hope this helped a little bit. If you can find my old posts you will see how much pain I had. Good Luck and ask your Rheumy maybe you could also have an MRI to make sure it's not something alse.
bigi