Can Diabetes Cause Joint Pain

Diabetes And Your Joints

Diabetes can cause changes in your musculoskeletal system, which is the term for your muscles, bones, joints, ligaments, and tendons. These changes can cause numerous conditions that may affect your fingers, hands, wrists, shoulders, neck, spine, or feet. Symptoms of diabetes-related musculoskeletal problems include muscle pain, joint pain or stiffness, lessened ability to move your joints, joint swelling, deformities, and a “pins and needles” sensation in the arms or legs. Some musculoskeletal problems are unique to diabetes. Others also affect people without diabetes. For instance, diabetes can cause skin changes such as thickening, tightness, or nodules under the skin, particularly in the hands. Carpal tunnel syndrome is frequently seen in people with diabetes, as is trigger finger (a catching or locking of the fingers), although these conditions are commonly seen in people without diabetes, as well. The shoulder joint may also be affected in diabetes. And, of course, the feet are susceptible to problems caused by diabetes. Most of these conditions can be successfully treated with anti-inflammatory medications, steroid injections, or other therapies. It is important to mention any troubling symptoms to your doctor. Ask yourself the following questions, which address some of the more frequent symptoms people have when diabetes affects their muscles, ligaments, tendons, or joints. If you answer “yes” to any, consult your doctor. • Do you have stiffness in your hands that affects your ability to move or use them? • Do your fingers get “locked” in certain positions? • Do you have numbness or tingling in your hands, arms, or legs? • Do you have stiffness or decreased motion in your shoulders? • Do you have muscle pain or swelling? View Abstract Edito Continue reading >>

Can Diabetes Cause Fatigue, Body Ache?

May 18, 2011 at 07:47 | Report abuse | Reply Heather, I have had tremendous success dealing with my sleep-related fatigue problems (non-restorative sleep) and significantly reduced my fibromyalgia by taking a low dose (30mg to 40mg) of desipramine just before bedtime. Desipramine is a low dose antidepressant and been in use for years. I have been using it for the last 18 years with great success. Your symptoms sound exactly like mine just before I started this treatment. Just a suggestion. It is important to note that at its early stages, diabetes does not cause many symptoms and may pass unnoticed. But the disease develops silently, causing damage to eyesight, kidneys and the cardiovascular system. PS – men can also have fibromyalgia. It is either underdiagnosed (possibly) or may be more common in women. I know a few men who have been diagnosed. Not enough is known about it to make the assumption that it doesn't occur more often (than diagnosed) in men. May 18, 2011 at 07:51 | Report abuse | Reply I am in the Marine Corps and need to run atleast 3 milesbut can't run 1/2 mile anymore. I am on a Beta blocker for chest pain and atrial tach. I lift weights and I try to run but have a shortness of breath while attempting to run, yard work, and walking up one flight of stairs. Cardiologist says all is good with my heart no obstructions. What else could be causing my shortness of breath. May 18, 2011 at 08:05 | Report abuse | Reply Have you been to a cardiologist who ran a stress-test scan on your heart? That particular test lets the examiner look at your hear function under duress. Your problem may be respiratory-related, maybe you should see a pneumologist, as compromized lung function may tax your heart and give you chest pain. Also, you might want to lay off the weight Continue reading >>

Joint And Muscle Problems Associated With Diabetes

Home » Related Health Issues » Joint and Muscle Problems Associated with Diabetes Joint and Muscle Problems Associated with Diabetes Introduction Connective Tissue Disorders Tests Your Doctor May Carry Out Myopathy Cheiroarthropathy Frozen Shoulder Trigger Finger Dupuytren’s Contracture Carpel Tunnel Stiff Man’s Syndrome [SMS] Also Known as Stiff Person’s Syndome Diffuse idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis [DISH] Introduction Joint and skeletal disorders, known as connective tissue disorders, are recognised as complications of diabetes but they tend to receive less attention than the other complications and the progress of these conditions is often not monitored. This could be because they are not life-threatening but they can be distressing and painful conditions that may adversely affect lifestyles for many people. One thing that seems clear, is that no one seems to know the causes of these conditions or if there are certain people who are more susceptible to them. It seems unacceptable to simply put them down to ‘long-term diabetes’. In the IDDT Newsletter April 2003, Rae Price described how she had developed pains in her hands and feet and was diagnosed with cheiroarthropathy but no one seemed to have heard of it! But she changed to animal insulin and not only felt better but the general stiffness and pain had disappeared. Rae’s diary resulted in many phone calls and letters from people with various joint and muscle problems, so we decided to take a look! Continue reading >>

Diabetes And Arthritis: Is There A Connection?

Diabetes mellitus (also known as ‘sugar’ diabetes) interferes with the body’s ability to use sugar. It is a long-term condition requiring treatment by diet, pills and often injections of insulin. Generally doctors recognise two types of diabetes. Type I typically occurs in younger people and often requires treatment with insulin. Type 2 occurs in older overweight people and is treated with tablets but there can be a lot of overlap between the two types. There is often a family history of diabetes in both. Early symptoms of diabetes include thirst and passing a lot of urine, and some people lose a lot of weight. The problems with handling sugar, and specifically high blood sugar levels, can eventually lead to complications in the blood vessels, kidneys, eyes, and the nerves to the hands and feet. These complications can be delayed and minimised by controlling the blood sugar with treatment. People with diabetes are also prone to a number of musculoskeletal complications but the relationship between these complications and the diabetic control is not clear. Many of these problems are not unique to diabetes but occur more frequently in this condition. This short article describes the complications and offers advice on treatment and prevention. Shoulder problems Shoulder pain is probably the most common musculoskeletal disorder which I see associated with diabetes. Specifically the shoulder becomes stiff and painful due to inflammation and thickening of the tissue surrounding the shoulder joint – sometimes known as frozen shoulder. The pain may start following a minor injury or just come out of the blue. Typically the pain builds up to a constant nagging pain which limits the movement of the joint and causes sleep disturbance. The pain is worse in the first 3 months Continue reading >>

Diabetes Drugs Can Cause Severe Joint Pain, Fda Warns

An entire class of diabetes drugs can cause severe and disabling joint pain, the Food and Drug Administration cautioned patients on Friday. The drugs, which include Januvia, Onglyza, Tradjenta and Nesina, are all in the same class and work by making more insulin available to the body. Januvia was the first approved in the U.S. in 2006. “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning that the type 2 diabetes medicines sitagliptin, saxagliptin, linagliptin, and alogliptin may cause joint pain that can be severe and disabling,” the agency said in a statement that uses the generic names of the drugs. “We have added a new Warning and Precaution about this risk to the labels of all medicines in this drug class, called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors.” The drugs are already linked with some potentially severe side-effects. Januvia, for instance, can cause a severe inflammation of the pancreas called pancreatitis that’s not only excruciating but that can be deadly. Onglyza has been linked with a higher risk of heart failure. “Patients should not stop taking their DPP-4 inhibitor medicine, but should contact their health care professional right away if they experience severe and persistent joint pain. Health care professionals should consider DPP-4 inhibitors as a possible cause of severe joint pain and discontinue the drug if appropriate,” the FDA said. FDA searched its database that has reports of potential drug side-effects. These side-effects can be caused by drugs, but not always. The FDA analysis suggests that people taking these particular diabetes drugs did have a higher risk of severe joint pain. “Patients started having symptoms from one day to years after they started taking a DPP-4 inhibitor. After the patients discontinued the DPP-4 Continue reading >>

Can High Blood Sugar Cause Joint Pain?

Joint pain is an annoying symptom felt by millions of people around the world each day. Sitting for too long, obesity, Arthritis, repetitive stress are all factors that are pointed out as the most common causes of joint pain in either the hip or the knee or the back. But did you ever think that your high blood sugar can be a significant factor for your joint pain? According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 47 percent of the Arthritis patients are suffering from Diabetes at the same time. We cannot deny the obvious link between these two conditions, can we? It is clear as a day that diabetes is actually worsening the arthritis symptoms and adds up to the joint pain that you are already feeling. So if you are suffering from Diabetes and Arthritis at the same time, or if you are just dealing with Diabetes, please do follow us through to find out how exactly are these two conditions associated and how you can act to reduce your joint pain. Is Your High Blood Sugar The Reason That Causes Your Joint Pain? It is no secret that Diabetes Mellitus causes various health problems regarding all of the body’s systems. However, what may surprise a lot of people is finding out that Diabetes can actually worsen their joint pain or even cause one if not present before. One study published in the Acta Medica Scandinavica talked about a diagnosis known as the Diabetic shoulder. Diabetic shoulder, also known as frozen shoulder, is a condition in which the capsule of the shoulder joint becomes swollen and thickened causing decreased mobility, pain, and persistent stiffness to occur. It is not that Diabetes is the only cause for this condition, however, within patients suffering from Diabetes, the symptoms of the frozen shoulder are much more severe and harder to treat. Ano Continue reading >>

The Musculoskeletal Effects Of Diabetes Mellitus

Go to: Abstract Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a multi-system disease characterized by persistent hyperglycemia that has both acute and chronic biochemical and anatomical sequelae, with Type-2 DM representing the most common form of the disease. Neuromusculoskeletal sequelae of DM are common and the practicing chiropractor should be alert to these conditions, as some are manageable in a chiropractic office, while others are life and/or limb threatening. This paper reviews the effects of DM on the musculoskeletal system so as assist the chiropractor in making appropriate clinical decisions regarding therapy, understanding contraindications to therapy, referring patients to medical physicians when appropriate and understanding the impact that DM may have on the prognosis for their patients suffering from the myriad musculoskeletal conditions associated with this disease. Keywords: diabetes, musculoskeletal, chiropractic Go to: Introduction Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a multi-system disease characterized by persistent hyperglycemia that has both acute and chronic biochemical and anatomical sequelae. It is thought to affect almost 17 million Americans, only 11 million of whom have been diagnosed according to the American Diabetes Association. In type 1 diabetes, a lack of insulin results in poor carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism. Insulin is functionally absent, typically due to immune-mediated destruction of the beta cells of the pancreas, though other etiologies of beta cell destruction have also been implicated, including drugs, chemicals, viruses, mitochondrial gene defects, pancreatectomy and ionizing radiation.1 Type 1 DM (DM1) occurs most commonly in juveniles. It can occur in adults, especially in those in their late 30s and early 40s. Unlike people with Type 2 DM ( Continue reading >>

What's Causing Your Joint And Nerve Pain?

It’s natural to feel a little discomfort in your hands, fingers, feet, and ankles from time to time. Joint pain is a part of getting older and can have a number of causes. But that ache in your foot or arm could also be a problem with a nerve caused by your diabetes. And that’s an issue that could be serious and require quick attention. So how do you tell the difference? It’s the leading cause of disability in the U.S. It affects more than 50 million adults. Often referred to as arthritis, it’s broadly defined as discomfort where two or more bones meet. Though often mild, sometimes sporadic, and rarely an emergency, the pain can be severe, making it hard to move the joint. If you have it, you’ll probably notice changes to your joint like: Stiffness Less range in motion Swelling Redness Tenderness or warmth A tougher time using it A difference in shape The causes of joint pain vary greatly. It could be: Muscle strains or sprains A broken or dislocated bone Gout Hypothyroidism Leukemia Lupus Osteoarthritis Rickets Lyme disease Rheumatoid arthritis Your doctor might call it diabetic neuropathy. It’s pain in your nerves, not in your bones. It happens when high blood sugar harms the nerve fibers. You can get it anywhere in your body, but it most often affects your legs and feet. Anywhere from 60%-70% of people with diabetes have some sort of neuropathy. Most get it after having the disease for 10 years or more. There are many types. But the two most likely to cause problems with your joints are peripheral and autonomic neuropathy. This is the most common form of diabetic joint pain. It affects your legs, arms, hands, feet, fingers, and toes. With ongoing diabetes, joints can no longer respond like they should to the strain and stress placed on them. As a result, Continue reading >>

Joint Pain And Bone Conditions

Tweet Diabetes affects both the nerves and circulation which can result in joint pain and disorders developing in a number of areas of the body. In terms of the complications of diabetes, joint disorders tend to get mentioned less than the likes of retinopathy and kidney disease but some of the conditions can be serious. Charcot foot Charcot foot, also known as Charcot arthropathy and Charcot joint, is the name for a condition which causes the foot to swell and, in progressed cases, deform. Symptoms of Charcot foot include: Swelling or redness of joints in the foot Affected foot being warmer than the non-affected foot Pain in the affected area will be noticed Charcot foot can affect any of the weight bearing joints in the foot including the ankle. Charcot joint can be treated but the treatment takes time, up to several months, typically involving casting the foot and taking weight off it. Read more about Charcot foot Osteoporosis Osteoporosis, meaning porous bones, is a condition which causes bones to weaken. Areas which tend to be affected are the spine, wrist and hips. Symptoms develop slowly and can be hard to notice until an event causes a bone to break or fracture, termed as a ‘fragility fracture’. Treatment may include extra vitamin D and/or calcium in your diet and exercises to build up strength in the bones are often prescribed. Osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis includes inflammation of the tissues in the joints and damage to cartilage. People who are overweight put extra strain on their joints and can increase the risk of osteoarthritis as well as making the condition more pronounced. Osteoarthritis symptoms Symptoms include: Pain Stiffness A grating sound or a limited range of mobility in the joints. Osteoarthritis becomes more likely in old age, with 50 years Continue reading >>

Does Diabetes Cause Joint Pain?-what Are The Natural Methods For Pain Relief?

Does diabetes cause joint pain? There isn’t a person existing that would admit to enjoying pain. Pain is not an enjoyable experience and joint pain with diabetes is no exception. Have you ever just woken up in the morning and it seems that all your joints ache? Who hasn’t been there? Maybe sometimes it’s one or two joints or just an occasional occurrence. If it isn’t related to diabetes, then it could be a number of reasons. But if it is related to diabetes, then you would have a 200% better chance of having arthritis and joint pain. Diabetes happens when your body does not produce enough insulin. Without insulin glucose remains in your bloodstream which raises your blood sugar levels. So diabetes will cause skeletal changes that can lead to symptoms such as joint pain, stiffness, shoulder pain, trigger finger, swelling, and carpal tunnel syndrome just to mention a few. Arthritis can occur with age so you want to do your best to first avoid diabetes. Diabetes and arthritis- how you can help both Joint pain and arthritis are like Clark Kent and Superman. They are one and the same thing. So where the two bones come together is your joint. Ligaments hold the bones in place and attach them to one another and are also attached by tendons to the bones and muscles that allow them to move. Cartilage which is at the very ends of the bones protects the bones from damage and allows them to move. Cartilage is a substance made up of water, proteins, and fiber from collagen. Cartilage is important for protection and normal wear and tear and also injuries (especially sports injuries) and it can be damaged. Aging is definitely a factor here, but even more of a factor is diabetes because it will make joint damage happen faster. Excess glucose isn’t good because it adheres to s Continue reading >>

Knee Pain: Symptoms & Signs

Knee pain can be a result of injury or disease of the knee joint. Injury can affect any of the ligaments, bursae, or tendons surrounding the knee joint. Injury can also affect the ligaments, cartilage, menisci (plural for meniscus), and bones within the joint. The complexity of the design of the knee joint and the fact that it is an active weight-bearing joint are factors in making the knee one of the most commonly injured joints. Pain can also occur in the knee from diseases or conditions that involve the knee joint, the soft tissues and bones surrounding the knee, or the nerves that supply sensation to the knee area. In fact, the knee joint is one of the most commonly involved joints in rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, reactive arthritis, pseudogout, systemic lupus erythematosus, as well as osteoarthritis. Overuse injury to the knee can lead to inflammation of the tendon below the kneecap (runner's knee or jumper's knee with patellar tendinitis) and bursitis. Trauma can cause dislocation or fracture of the bones of the knee. Diseases that cause knee pain can lead to symptoms and sign such as joint instability, inability to straighten the knee, Many of the symptoms of knee pain can be a result of an excess of fluid forming in the joint. REFERENCE: Kasper, D.L., et al., eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 19th Ed. United States: McGraw-Hill Education, 2015. Continue reading >>

Bone And Joint Problems Associated With Diabetes

If you have diabetes, you're at increased risk of various bone and joint disorders. Certain factors, such as nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy), arterial disease and obesity, may contribute to these problems — but often the cause isn't clear. Learn more about various bone and joint disorders, including symptoms and treatment options. Charcot joint What is it? Charcot (shahr-KOH) joint, also called neuropathic arthropathy, occurs when a joint deteriorates because of nerve damage — a common complication of diabetes. Charcot joint primarily affects the feet. What are the symptoms? You might have numbness and tingling or loss of sensation in the affected joints. They may become warm, red and swollen and become unstable or deformed. The involved joint may not be very painful despite its appearance. How is it treated? If detected early, progression of the disease can be slowed. Limiting weight-bearing activities and use of orthotic supports to the affected joint and surrounding structures can help. Diabetic hand syndrome What is it? Diabetic hand syndrome, also called diabetic cheiroarthropathy, is a disorder in which the skin on the hands becomes waxy and thickened. Eventually finger movement is limited. What causes diabetic hand syndrome isn't known. It's most common in people who've had diabetes for a long time. What are the symptoms? You may be unable to fully extend your fingers or press your palms together flat. How is it treated? Better management of blood glucose levels and physical therapy can slow the progress of this condition, but the limited mobility may not be reversible. Osteoporosis What is it? Osteoporosis is a disorder that causes bones to become weak and prone to fracture. People who have type 1 diabetes have an increased risk of osteoporosis. What are Continue reading >>

Bone And Joint Health In Type 1 Diabetes

Scientist Shannon Wallet explores the wrecking crew that rips out the bodys old bone Immunologist, University of Florida College of Dentistry Bones seem like the one feature of our bodies that doesnt move or change. But unlikely as it may seem, the 206 bones in your body are actually a lifelong work in progress: Every seven years, give or take, you get a new skeleton. The work is done by two types of specialized cells, called osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Osteoclasts are responsible for removing bone, and osteoblasts are responsible for laying new bone down, says Shannon Wallet, PhD, an immunologist at the University of Floridas College of Dentistry. They work together to remodel the skeleton. To picture how it works, imagine renovating a house. Theres a demolition crew, the osteoclasts, that comes in, rips out the old, and takes it away. Only then can the osteoblasts arrive to install the new stuff. Thats just what its like with your bones. To get good-quality bone, you have to remove bad-quality bone. If you dont, over time quality and strength would be very poor, Wallet says. Wallet wants to know why diabetes makes the osteoclast wrecking crew go wild. In people with diabetes, osteoclasts [break down] much more bone, she says. Theyre overactive, and in addition they dont turn themselves off. Other studies have shown that diabetes can get in the building crews way, too. Osteoblasts in type 1 diabetes arent very good at laying down quality bone, Wallet says. In other words, osteoblasts dont work well enough, and osteoclasts work too well. Thats why you end up with fragile bones. Indeed, bone fragility and osteoporosis, a disease that reduces bone density, are both much higher in people with diabetes. It can also be harder for them to heal after breaking a bone. Arthrit Continue reading >>

Arthritis & Diabetes

What do diabetes and arthritis have in common? Plenty. People with diagnosed diabetes are nearly twice as likely to have arthritis, indicating a diabetes-arthritis connection. Diabetes occurs when the body does not produce or use the hormone insulin sufficiently. Insulin shuttles glucose from foods into cells so it can be converted into energy. Without insulin, glucose remains in your blood (raising blood glucose levels), your cells create less energy and you feel fatigued. What starts off as a hormonal problem can evolve into joint problems, in addition to the widely known cardiovascular problems. Diabetes causes musculoskeletal changes that lead to symptoms such as joint pain and stiffness; swelling; nodules under the skin, particularly in the fingers; tight, thickened skin; trigger finger; carpal tunnel syndrome; painful shoulders; and severely affected feet. After having had diabetes for several years, joint damage – called diabetic arthropathy – can occur. Continue reading >>

Identifying And Treating Diabetes Joint Pain

Diabetes and joint pain are considered to be independent conditions. Joint pain may be a response to an illness, injury, or arthritis. It can be chronic (long-term) or acute (short-term). Diabetes is caused by the body not using the hormone insulin correctly, or insufficient production of it, which affects blood sugar levels. What would a hormone and blood sugar-related condition have to do with joint health? Diabetes is associated with widespread symptoms and complications. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 47 percent of people with arthritis also have diabetes. There is an undeniably strong link between the two conditions. Diabetes can damage joints, a condition called diabetic arthropathy. Unlike pain caused by immediate trauma, the pain of arthropathy happens over time. Other symptoms include: thick skin changes in the feet painful shoulders carpal tunnel syndrome A joint is the place where two bones come together. Once a joint wears down, the protection it provides is lost. Joint pain from diabetic arthropathy comes in different forms. Charcot’s joint occurs when diabetic nerve damage causes a joint to break down. Also called neuropathic arthropathy, this condition is seen in the feet and ankles in people with diabetes. Nerve damage in the feet is common in diabetes, which may lead to Charcot’s joint. A loss of nerve function leads to numbness. People who walk on numb feet are more likely to twist and injure ligaments without knowing it. This places pressure on the joints, which can eventually cause them to wear down. Severe damage leads to deformities in the foot and other affected joints. Bone deformities in Charcot’s joint may be prevented through early intervention. Signs of the condition include: painful joints swelling or redn Continue reading >>