Did you know that microscopic colitis can cause joint aches?
The exact mechanism is not clearly known, but have you noticed that often, either in the days (or weeks) preceding a microscopic colitis flare…you have strange aching in your low back, ankles, neck, even wrists?
You may also have muscle aches, such as in the back of the upper legs and also where the top of the thigh meets the pelvic area.
Some people have even reported aching in their arm muscles.
All of these issues are most likely connected to this inflammatory bowel disease, and sometimes may occur at the same time as the diarrhea.
It’s a phenomenon called enteropathic arthralgia.
A small percentage of people with MC (lymphocytic and collagenous) experience enteropathic arthralgia.
“Enteropathic” refers to a disease process that involves the intestinal tract.
“Arthralgia” translates to joint pain. This is different from “arthritis,” because the “itis” means that something’s inflamed (the joint). “Algia” in medicine means pain.
Thank goodness that the enteropathic arthralgia in microscopic colitis is only a pain issue, rather than a degenerative issue of the joints.
The following links will take you to articles about microscopic colitis and enteropathic arthralgia.
Many of these articles contain information from gastroenterologists whom I interviewed, while the rest are based on my personal experience with this quirky but benign condition (I was diagnosed in 2010), and my extensive research.
ENTEROPATHIC ARTHRALGIA
- Time lapse between joint pain flare and diarrhea and how this process occurs
- How does MC joint pain compare to ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s?
- Detailed description of what microscopic colitis joint aches feel like
- PMS joint aches vs. those of microscopic colitis
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
