Celiac And Back Pain?

[oreilly15]

Hi I was diagnosed with Celiac about a year ago. I've had a really bad upper back for years and was just wondering if it was because I was eating gluten for so long and my disease went untreated. My doctor doesnt seem to think Celiac can cause long term back issues but I've never had any kind of injury. Has anyone else had this problem and if so will living a totally gluten free life eventually eliminate that pain?

[The Fluffy Assassin]

Hi I was diagnosed with Celiac about a year ago. I've had a really bad upper back for years and was just wondering if it was because I was eating gluten for so long and my disease went untreated. My doctor doesnt seem to think Celiac can cause long term back issues but I've never had any kind of injury. Has anyone else had this problem and if so will living a totally gluten free life eventually eliminate that pain?

It causes malabsorption issues, including with calcium and magnesium. You might want to get a Cal-Mag supplement, especially if you go off dairy, as many of us do. Celiac disease is also associated with rheumatoid arthritis, so you may want to be checked for that as well.

I had back pain, though not really bad, and switched to an air mattress. It wasn't to fix my back; I'm just really really poor and my cot broke. Anyway, with the air mattress, I am suddenly a guy who used to have a back problem. Just something to think about.

[brigala]

Celiac can contribute to all sorts of things. It probably wouldn't be a -direct- cause of back pain, but as Fluffy points out it can cause other problems which can have a domino effect on all our bodily systems. I found that I just didn't heal well from even minor pulls, twists, and injuries when I was eating gluten. I certainly have less back pain now than I did.

On the other hand, it's hard to avoid the temptation to blame EVERYTHING on gluten. A different mattress, some massage, and a trip to the chiropractor are probably in order if your back is still hurting even after a year of gluten-free diet. Even if these things didn't work before, they might work better now.

-Elizabeth

[shendler]

I would go to the doctor. Although it may be something as simple as your bed it could also be something else that needs to be addressed. Good luck!

[CeciliaCeliac]

Hi I was diagnosed with Celiac about a year ago. I've had a really bad upper back for years and was just wondering if it was because I was eating gluten for so long and my disease went untreated. My doctor doesnt seem to think Celiac can cause long term back issues but I've never had any kind of injury. Has anyone else had this problem and if so will living a totally gluten free life eventually eliminate that pain?

Ah, great question. I too have suffered from chronic back pain for years before I was diagnosed with Celiac. I had scoloisis as a child but had a spinal fusion to correct it. I blamed my back pain on pregnancy, carrying a kid around, waiting tables and hard work. Now, I do see some kind of connection but haven't quite figured it out either. I can say with confidence that my back pain is somehow directly related to a horrible inflammation problem. (certain prescription anti-inflammatories can kill the pain and work better than pain killers) For me, I reduce the inflammation and my back pain becomes less severe....solving the problem long term though, I have no solutions for. I have only been gluten free since April and have not seen a decrease in the back pain. It is also a goal of mine to find out how Celiac relates to joint/muscle/back pain or if possible we all have other autoimmune diseases causing the chronic inflammation......would love to hear more....

[angieInCA]

I had sever lower back and right hip pain to the piont it was causing problems walking. Nothing I took touched the pain. After 3 MRI sand countless tests which showed dark or grey spots, the only thing the Doctors could come up with was that I had Synovial cysts in my lower spine and hip joint which were inoperable and would eventually lead to me being wheelchair bound. This went on for 4 years with the pain getting increasingly worse. Then I went Gluten Free. Within 6 weeks I was pain free and all the Doctors can do is scratch their heads. Even with accidental glutenings this pain has not reappeard, Thankfully!

[ksymonds84]

My friend's only symptom was backache and fatigue. It took awhile for them to find celiac as being the cause. Getting a backache is the only way she knows she's been glutened...no gastro symptoms whatsoever.

[VioletBlue]

The lower back pain I was having almost constantly went away after I went gluten-free. The sciatica problems I had before rarely appear now. For whatever reason going gluten-free helped me tremendously.