Is it possible to have arthritis and MS? Does anyone here suffer constant pain? I seem to have pain in my joints, however, MS nurses and doctors simply put it down to MS. I am worried because I already take a lot of Gabapentin for nerve pain. This other pain is different. Kindest regards Ali
Hello Ali
Yes, arthritis and MS are perfectly compatible (dam them).
There are two main types of arthritis: osteoarthritis which is due to everyday wear and tear on the joints and rheumatoid arthritis, which, like MS is an autoimmune disease. There is also psoriatic arthritis, which is also autoimmune, but generally only affects people who already have psoriasis.
Diagnosis of osteoarthritis is usually based on X-ray. If it looks like you have osteoarthritis, you might be referred to a rheumatologist.
Rheumatoid arthritis is quite common amongst people with MS. (There are certain autoimmune diseases that might be grouped together - RA and MS belong to the same group.) There are a number of blood tests that can be used to diagnose RA, but weirdly they aren’t always fail safe - there are lots of false positives and false negatives.
Your first step would normally be your GP. But it might be that your joints just don’t ‘look’ arthritic. Strangely, my hands look and feel like I have arthritis, but X-rays have shown that I don’t have osteoarthritis and blood tests have seemingly proved to doctors that I don’t have RA. (Yes, I know, this completely contradicts what I’ve said about false negatives & positives! We are only able to access diagnoses and treatment if doctors think the diagnosis is likely!)
So, I hope you have better luck than I do, although it sounds as though you are seeing doctors who think similarly to mine! Try your GP, see what they think.
Sue
Yes you can have both, I am testiment to that h
having ppms and Ra.
Sue is right first point of call is your gp for a blood test, and if deemed needed they will refer you to a rheumatologist.
Best wishes
Pam x
Thank you Sue. I haven’t been on the forum for an age. It is so nice to hear from you again x
Thank you Pam, I hope that you have any pain under control x
It’s really nice to see you back here Ali. I’m just sorry that it’s a problem that’s brought you back.
Hopefully you’ll be able to get your GP to look at your symptoms again. Have a look at Rheumatoid arthritis - NHS in particular the problems inherent in diagnosis.
Sue x
i have nerve pain. I dont get joint pain not much anyway tiny twinge now and then in my knee. My family have RA, my grandparents both had it.
My brother has OA, and so i think does my brother above me. he had a new knee replacement.
I have had a ton of bloods over the years. first one showed i had LUPUS, then six weeks later no lupus, so ruled out. Over the years i have had blood tests with high markers ANA or whatever they call them, over the years then nothing. Never have i been convinced i dont have lupus though, as i get swollen glands, sun sensitive and have had purpura rash after 25 minutes in the sun.
I do get a lot of pain but not sure where it comes from. my legs and my feet for sure but they dont hurt to touch them and my joints dont hurt, only time i do get joint pain thinking about it is my shoulder. but when i had that bad last year a blood test showed no markers of arthritis etc.
I do have friends who have MS, RA, AND some fibro too. what an awful combination for anyone to have really, all the pain ugh.
arthritis sadlly is on the increase from what i have been told. Not sure why.
@patience i tried gabapentin, doxi something, amitrip something, and lyrica, i ended up like a basket case, and decided i rather go naked lol. My way to control it is to annoy others ha ha. xxx
very interesting answer @Ssssue they have told my daughter she now has osteoarthritis on her knee (x ray), and she suffers bad with fibro. she was tested for MS, but non of her tests were positive for it. (I must admit i hold my breath on that one).
xxxx
You can have arthritis - osteo- or rheumatoid - as well. Do ordinary pain killers - paracetamol, ibuprofen etc - ease the joint pain? If yes, they might be good old-fashioned ‘ordinary’ pain (from arthritis, for instance, or maybe something secondary to MS like strained ligaments from MS-induced wonky gait). The sort of pain that MS causes directly does not tend to respond to ordinary painkillers like ibuprofen - or that’s certainly been my own experience - and that’s why we need gabapentin and similar - a different class of drug with a different mechanism of action for that.
That, at least, is my very limited understanding on the basis of my personal experience and no expertise whatsoever.
I hope that you can have a proper consultation with your medycal advisors so that they can give you a satisfactory explanation as to what is going on and what they can do to help.
Alison
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Hi Patience,
Your post resonates with me… I am currently waiting for an appt to see Rheumatology as I have developed bilateral joint pain since about January. All bloods negative for inflammatory markers. MS team say probably NOT due to MS (opposite to your MS team!) HOWEVER… I have also had dry mouth for years, now have very dry eyes (according to optician), have a 20+ year history of weird swellings on fingers, swollen glands that come and go, facial pain (not MS according to MRI), sensitivity to sunlight, and now high Creatinine which GP says indicated muscle damage/weakness. I think I may have Sjogrens, which has gone undiagnosed and has now progressed to being systemic. Hence Rheumy referral. If you have a read up on it, it could be a possible cause of joint pain. Mine doesn’t respond to nerve pain drugs either! Good luckx
I’ve been having more joint pain for several months now. It started as a small ache in my knees and fingers.
Mornings are the hardest; I wake up feeling really stiff and have trouble moving. Simple tasks are tough to do.
I’ve also noticed nerve pain that goes down my legs. This makes things even more frustrating and uncomfortable for me.
I finally saw my doctor, who suggested tests to check for arthritis or other issues. Waiting for the results is stressful.
I’m trying over-the-counter pain meds and eating more anti-inflammatory foods. I hope I find some relief soon.