Body pain that is not in your joints- “Mystery Pain”
Hello,
I’m wondering if anyone could respond about body pain that is not just in your joints. I was diagnosed with PA last year, due to a photograph I had taken of my toe from the previous fall -the rheumatologist said it was “sausage” toe. But at this time I was actually there because of severe pain I was having in different areas of my body- the pain started five days after my second Covid vaccination, not sure if there is any correlation there. It started in my upper back radiating through to my chest -thought I was maybe having a heart attack at one point- hip pain, knee pain, lower back, rib cage, large thumb joint closest to my palm-I had to get a Cortizone shot into the joint of the thumb to help the pain. I went to a rheumatologist for this pain and he said this was not PA and referred me back to my general practitioner. This pain was keeping me from sleeping, and doing all activities. My general practitioner eventually put me on two courses of steroids which helped immensely. After the steroid treatment I was able to control the pain with meloxicam and Tylenol. This “mystery pain” lasted about four months. My psoriasis also cleared up when the pain started subsiding.
I had no pain or psoriasis for the past six months (yay)and then about one month ago “mystery pain” started up again. This time in my quadriceps, neck,hips and spine. I’m a very active person -I garden, do yoga, walk, so I’m very aware of pain caused by activity —-this is not the same thing, this comes out of nowhere and the severity is far far worse than pulling something from working out. My rheumatologist once again said this is not PA. I have been able to keep most the pain at bay with meloxicam and Tylenol this time. I have been eating a more plant-based diet for the last eight months maybe it’s helping somewhat, I’d like to think those kale shakes are working LOL, also my psoriasis popped back out with this pain episode. As a sidenote I did have a needle biopsy 10 days before this pain started, Is my immune system viewing this as an attack and responds?? I would love some input.
Thank you!
Hi
. There is a type of pain that can come with PsA called enthesitis. The source is in the joints, but the pain travels elsewhere in the body, making it feel like "mystery" pain. Here is an article about it from one of our advocates: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/enthesitis. Could that be what is going on with you? PsA symptoms worsen with stress -- both physical and emotional. The second Covid vaccine probably put lots stress on your body as your body worked to build antibodies. That might have triggered a flare (though imagine how much worse that flare might have been had you actually gotten Covid). If you were anxious about the biopsy, that might also have triggered a flare. It is possible the episodes were caused by something else, but you might want to discuss enthesitis with your rheumatologist. I hope this helps and that you begin to feel better soon. Wishing you the best. - Lori (Team Member) Thank you Lori, I will look at that article. I appreciate the information.
