Joint Pain

[Lpa]

How long might it take for joint pain to subside after going on a gluten free diet?

[trents]

If the joint pain were caused by gluten I would think it would improve fairly quickly as the toxins were eliminated from your system. But if it's due to something else, say rheumatoid process or osteo artritis I would not expect it to change much. Have you been checked for other causes? A lot is blamed on gluten. I worry that celiacs make gluten intolerance a catch all for whatever happens to be wrong with their bodies when they should be looking in another direction.

Steve

[ravenwoodglass]

I had incredible bone and joint pain and although I had some joint deformity I do not produce the RA factor so I was labeled with osteo. I should note that my celiac genes are thought to be genes for RA, that is what I would have been diagnosed with if they had gene tested and they then would have stopped looking. I thought after 10 years of progressive joint pain that moved through my joints from my hands to my knees to my feet to my hips that I would be on my canadian canes forever. My hands had gotten so bad I could no longer type or hold any of my art tools. When I was diagnosed I didn't have this board and was just overjoyed to have my daily D (IBD) finally go away. I was astounded when within 6 months I had no joint pain whatsoever and was considered to be in complete remission. Within just a month or so gluten-free the pain was down so much that all I needed for it was baby asprin. I haven't even needed that now for years. I can not guarentee that you will have the same results, and I am, some think, a real nut about being absolutely gluten free and checking everything whether I eat it or put in on my skin or work with it in the studio but for me the gluten free diet ended the joint issues. My right hand still looks knobby but everything works and I can dance again and do anything I desire without pain.

[*lee-lee*]

i was diagnosed with trochantaric bursitis (read: pain in my hip joints) about 4 or 5 months before i started on my Celiac quest. i was tested for everything under the sun when dealing with my hip pains. Rhumatoid arthritis, lupus, mono, thyroid diseases, Lymes in addition to tons of xrays and an MRI...most tests were done more than once. at one point, they suspected fibromyalgia and wanted to put me on Celebrex but i said no. i also went through cortisone injections and physical therapy with virtually no relief.

finally the doctors said it's bursitis and to start some light cardio with lots of stretching before and after. i think at that point no one had any idea and that was their best guess. i was so sick of seeing doctor after doctor so i did as i was instructed and with the help of 800mg 3x/day, the pain slowly became tolerable. not good by any means but i was resigning myself to a life of pain. then i started to explore Celiac and came across the idea that my joint pain could possibly be attributed to that.

i'm nearly 2 months gluten free and i have no pain whatsoever in my left hip. that one was the better of the 2 so i'm hoping the other side will be good as new in a few more months.

i have no evidence that my pain is due to gluten...it just seems awfully coincidental.

[RiceGuy]

As others have stated, it may just take time, but you could probably quicken the recovery process with some supplements. Many on this board have found certain nutrients do a world of good. In my experience, magnesium and a sublingual methylcobalamin (vitamin B12) have practically worked miracles. Some of the other commonly suggested supplements are B-complex, vitamin D (cholecalciferol), zinc, calcium, and probiotics. I've also found glucosamine to be very helpful for joints.

Also, some find it necessary to avoid other foods at first, until things heal sufficiently. Dairy is often a problem, especially in the beginning.

[Lockheed]

I had osteoporosis at 20 which is what caused a further investigation and resulted in the celiac disease diagnosis. My joint pain didn't subside for a good six months but I think a lot of that was because I was on Fosamax for the next two years trying to actually grow bone again. My bones are now relatively normal, but I was still achy for a while waiting for my density to catch back up. It was a good deal of joint achiness but I was really just achy all over. I guess the saying is all things heal with time.