Symptom 8: Joint Pain
For many Crohn’s patients, the disease’s impact isn’t limited to their digestive tracts. Surprisingly, joint pain emerges as one of the most common complaints. It’s an uncomfortable alliance between inflammatory bowel disease and arthritis, often known as enteropathic arthritis. The pain typically flits between different joints, rarely causing lasting damage but creating significant discomfort.
The intensity and location of joint pain can vary widely among individuals. Some might experience fleeting discomfort in the larger joints like knees and elbows, while others could have persistent aches in the smaller joints of hands and feet. Interestingly, this pain often mirrors the activity of the Crohn’s itself – flaring up during periods of heightened gut symptoms and subsiding during remission.
So, why does a disease primarily targeting the digestive system impact the joints? The link likely lies in the body’s immune response. The same inflammatory agents targeting the intestines in Crohn’s might also target joint tissues. This isn’t a direct invasion but more of a systemic inflammatory response affecting various body parts. (8)
