Crohn’s Arthritis
Hello - I’ve had Crohn’s since 2007. Just learned something new about Crohn’s I didn’t know existed-wow! Has any one developed Crohn’s Arthritis. How is it being managed? Thank You!
Yes, this is a common effect with Crohn's because of the inflammation of the joints. I have this as well but never diagnosed officially with arthritis. I definately feel it in my knees and hips. I have not found anything that really helps because its connected to Crohn's. Tylenol is the only thing that helps but only a little.
Vern - IBD Team MemberHi Vern nice to meet you. Yes I’ve had lightning pain in my wrists, fingers, ankles, toes, and severe joint pain in my elbows, knees and lower back and spine. My primary did all kinds of tests. I had to previous surgical procedures one on neck and on back. They did MRI ruled out neurological pain as all hardware and implants are good with no new narrowing and completed a nerve conduction test on my arms with no findings. Primary thought I had some thing called CPPD that mimics Gout but that wasn’t it. After X-rays of hands primary sent me to rheumatologist who read me like a book and diagnosed me after A LOT of blood work,”Crohn’s Arthritis”. It seems only 20% of Crohn’s patients get the arthritis and it’s usually those who have it in lower intestines and bowel region (that’s me).
I Was on prednisone for almost 10 months straight 30mg. Developed high A1C now on maunjaro. So she skipped the steroids went to Susfaslazine. There’s a 50/50 it will work. Downside is frequent bathroom use (I do entyvio infusion and been doing awesome on it) and INSOMNIA. And it will take 4-10 weeks to know it it works. If not she’ll team up with my gastroenterologist to see about going off entyvio as it treats the GI symptoms but it’s not a T blocker. So they may mix Remicade and Methotrexate 🤷🏻♂️. Thank you for responding. I really would like to know how others with Crohn’s Arthritis are being treated since we can’t do Advil and Tylenol barely touches it. Blessing to you!I was on prednisone for 22 years and I was on sulfasalazine for much of that as well. The combination of the two helped the best for me but I eventually was put on Remicade and dropped the prednisone. I was on Remicade for 8 years and now have been on Humira for the past 4.
Tylenol is the only thing that works for me but I do not take it often. I learned that Advil is an NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) and was told to avoid as it can actually make the inflammation worse. Sometimes there was nothing that helped with the joint pain but I knew my Crohn's was flaring or was going to flare simply from my joints.
Vern - IBD Team Member
Yes, unfortunately this can be a symptom. For me personally, I dealt with horrific joint pain in the beginning years of being diagnosed. Warm baths in high quality epsom salt was super helpful. Also changing my diet helped. And believe it or not light exercise. -Elizabeth (team member)
how did you change your diet. I’ve been doing the epsom salt baths lol TY I have done 90% of that. I only eat fish and chicken and a lot of vegetables. I’m not a big sweets eater. I love Fresh fruit. I cook with high quality extra virgin olive oil and organic coconut oil. I do take the epsom salt baths. They help some not a lot. Do you take any medication for the Crohn’s Arthritis now or did you then. Thank you so much for sharing. I’m currently on work leave as it’s bad. Make sure the fish and chicken are organic. Your diet definitely looks really good. As far as medication for the arthritis, I never took any. I also found later that the biologic I was on was greatly attributing to the joint pain. This wasn't discovered until I was taken off the medicine and the pain went away. Maybe you could be having a similar reaction? -Elizabeth (team member)
Hi
. Yes, unfortunately, as an autoimmune disease, the inflammation from IBD can impact many parts of the body, including the joints. This article from our editorial team goes into further detail: https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/symptoms/inflammation-of-the-joints-skin-and-eyes. Have you by chance seen a rheumatologist? I ask because they are specialists in treating autoimmune related arthritic conditions. I want to share with you this article from Harvard Health on arthritis associated with IBD, including treatments: https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/arthritis-associated-with-inflammatory-bowel-disease-a-to-z. Hope this information is helpful. Best, Richard (Team Member) thank you very much Richard. Both these articles read my mail. Yes I did see a rheumatologist one week ago. She did blood work and diagnosed me with “Crohn’s Arthritis”. I began sulfasalazine 4 days ago. My pain is so bad I’m on FMLA medical leave as I can’t fulfill my job duties which I hate. The doctor told me it could take 4-10 weeks to help the pain if it works. I’m praying it does! Thank for the great articles and insight. For a while I thought I was losing my mind. I’ve had Crohn’s for 17 years and have never experienced this. 
oh I'm crossing my fingers and sending all the positive prayers for you to get some relief quickly! You are definitely not losing your mind, and I'm glad the doctor was able to validate what you're going through. Sending you gentle hugs. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
