Do you suffer from gout and back pain?
If you suffer from back pain it may be due to your gout in what is called spinal gout! In a 2006 study, the researchers reviewed some 630 medical records of gout patients and 64 of them happen to have CT scans available. Out of those 64 CT scans, the researchers found 9 of the 64 scans or 17%, showed signs of gout in their spine. Remember that the spine consists of several joints so it’s not unreasonable to think that uric acid deposits can’t install themselves there. In reality, gout can be a generalized condition that can affect many joints in your body.
Symptoms from gout in the spine can include back ache, tingling sensation or numbing and even extreme pain in some cases and it’s relatively hard to distinguish the difference between gout symptoms and infection of the spine. Since the symptoms of tophaceous gout of the spine and epidural infection are the same, they are often misdiagnosed. In addition, gout in the spine can cause neurological symptoms affecting the nervous system. Spinal gout can also be accompanied by fever is some cases.
To determine if your back pain is caused by gout, your doctor or health professional will determine if the sacroiliac joint is generating pain due to gout, he will inject it with an anaesthetic to check that it is the painful joint by giving it temporary relief. At the same time he will also inject a steroid compound (Corticosteroids) which will help in treating the gout in the affected area. This surgery is the most commonly performed to relieve pressure on the spinal cord and relieve your back pain.
If your uric acid levels don’t get regulated in the long term, you may also end up with tophi around the spine which can wreak havoc to your back and can severely impair your ability to stand up. Take your gout seriously folks, you don’t want it to spread all over your body like that. Follow the instructions of this website and ebook!
10 replies to "Gout and Back Pain"
I have had gout in the spine 3x now. I am just getting over this last one, but doctors said “nothing was wrong”. The pain is excruciating, and by just researching gout and its symptoms, I had to figure it out myself. Severe pain came on in the middle of the night. I couldn’t walk for 4 days…and finally some cherries helped me to walk a bit. I am still in pain, but it’s getting better. I am changing my diet. The last episode was brought on by a healthy salad with LAMB and a glass of WINE in the evening. I am planning to go vegan and cut out alcohol from now on. Thank you for your website.
[…] Uric Acid Back Pain Treatment […]
Back pain is such a disturbance which probably affects every human in once their lifetime. The reasons are just growing and are endless. Thank you for sharing this valuable information about gout. Helps a lot.
Thanks.
Spiro, thanks for your website; it has been a great resource. I have had gout for a couple years now and the latest flare up I had lasted a week, and towards the end of it as my foot got better all of a sudden I started getting lower back discomfort which extends to my buttocks to my middle back back. I thought maybe it was kidney pain so I went to my doctor to have a urine test but everything checked out. She said its probably just muscle pain from not walking for a week during gout flare up…..but I’m not convinced. It really doesn’t feel muscular….it feels more internal (it just feels really weird and not normal). Your blog post as well as other sites are comforting to read as they confirm I’m not going crazy, and gout related back pain is possible. If it continues I will mention it to my rheumatologist and I’ll have some talking points from having researched on your site and others. Thanks a lot
Thanks for your comment Andres!
Keep us up to date, knowledge is power!
[…] Gout and backache […]
I”ve had 4 bouts with gout. I don”t drink and watch what I eat. I have heart problems, also a type 2 diabetic. Taking Allopurinol now, also I drink tart cherry juice some. When I get gout it is very painful, the last time it affected my whole foot and ankle.I certainly know how every-one feels that has it. Wish there was a cure !!!
[…] Gout in your back […]
[…] Learn about spinal gout […]