Arthritis After Pregnancy

J.,
My friend and I were pregnant at the same time. She had tendonitis in both arms and hands towards the end of her pregnancy. She had to were braces on both arms for a while. She doesn't have any trouble now. could be tendonitis and not arthritis.
W. from Indiana

I had the same issue, took some medication for a while but eventually grew out of it. It took only a few years, may have been less but I didn't try not taking the medication to find out until then. Good luck!

Hello J.. My mom always told me that if you have arthritis in your family, there is a great possibility for pregnancy to set it off in you. That is if you have it in your genes. She also said (and I don't know if it is only an old wife's tale) that your arthritis will get worse with every pregnancy. That is what happened to her. And I agree. I have 4 kids, am 38 and after my last child my hands did start to ache and my finger joints are a bit swollen. Don't know if this info will help, but I would rather have arthritis and 4 kids that no pain and no kids! It's a great idea to see the specialist. Good luck and congrats with your baby girl.

I gave birth to my second son in feb 2008. During the last 2 months of pregnancy I started having alot of pain issues. They were alot more severe then in my previous pregnancy. My son is now 7 months old and I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. From what I understand alot of different conditions can be triggered after or near the birth of a child. I can't really give much advice as to what can allievate your pain because I am not sure what type of pain it is. hang in there, your are lucky to be going to a specialist so soon. I had to wait several months.

Hi J.
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J., During my pregnancy, I had numbness in my finger, especially my ring and middle fingers, and tremendous stiffness. It did not go away after giving birth. The docs blew me off too. Finally, 12 years and two more births later, a doc sent me to an orthopedic doc. First they thought it was carpal tunnel, then a pinched nerve. The conditioned worsened with each pregnancy. They finally determined I had osteoarthritis in my thumbs and pinched nerves in my neck that radiate pain down to my fingers. They gave me corizone shots on three different occasions, but it offered only very temporary relief. I have learned to live with it and take little pain medication aside from Ibuprophen or naproxen. If you see an orthopedic, or someone else, I would be interested to know what they tell you. Good luck.

With my first son I had this mildly at the end of pregnancy and just after. I didn't bother worrying about it until after my 6 wk postpartum period was over. With my first it had gone away by then. With my second the pains were worse during the pregnancy and I still have them almost a year later. Of course I tell myself that I am older than I was too. (I've broken that dreaded 3-0 boundary while pregnant with #2.) The pains seem to be lessening though. Until a couple of months ago my ankles and feet would get so stiff at night that I could hardly walk when I got up, even if I'd only been in the bed an hour. My feet are hurting like they were but my hands still ache mildly. I still haven't bothered to see a doctor about it. The pains are not unbearable or interfering with activities. Arthritis is prominent in both sides of my family and we also have low cartilage in our joints in my mom's family. Me, my sister, and my youngest aunt have had bad knees since we were each in high school. My husband calls me Rice Crispy because my knees snap, crackle, and pop quite often when I'm walking. It's just something I've learned to live with.

My sister is 32 years old and has arthritis. I would question whether or not you actually have arthritis if you have not had the test done. I remember she had many tests to diagnoise her arthritis. Sorry about your hormones. If you still don't feel like yourself in a couple of weeks have your OBGYN do a blood test on your hormones. There are things they can give you to regulate your hormones. Good luck and I hope it turns out well.

Hi J.,

I had really bad carpel tunnel during my last trimester of pregnancy and it got worse after the baby was born from carrying him and nursing him. The only relief I found was to wear wrist guards to sleep at night and then I tried acupuncture. It is awesome! I felt almost pain free after the first visit. After 3 visits it is gone! I will have to maintain it by continuing to go though. Soon I will be going once a month. Insurance doesn't always cover it, but it is truly working for me. So, to me, it is worth it!

Could it be corpal tunnel? pains in hands cant hold anything,goes to sleep @ night? This is caused by fluid build up with pregnancy and presses on nerves in the hands which cause it to hurt if it persists after pregnancy then I would see a specialist, it sounds like you need a break, what I mean is that it isnt abnormal to feel hormonal after birth but if it persisits after 2 weeks then i would talk to your Doctor it could be post partum depression. I would go on a date with your partner and get out of the house , have someone you trust take care of the baby and go, it isnt a bad thing but it will give you perspective.
It might help to wear a brace on your hand that hurts for awhile it might help.
Hope this helps, take care of yourself, eat well , sleep when baby sleeps too.
J.

Actually, sounds more like carpal tunnel syndrome. Do you feel like you hit a wall? My knuckles were swollen and I had terrible pain. A cheap fix is to go to a sports store and buy wrist splints and wear them while sleeping. Physical therapy can help too.

I had sharp pains in my wrists after having my daughter ( 4yrs ago) My doctor didn't seem too concerned and after a few months it just went away. ( I think it was the xtra weight and fluid)

HI J.-
Congrats on the baby. Hopefully you can find some hope from my story. I too suffered arthritis with my first pregnancy and hand horrible hand and foot pain (i remember waking up to pick up the baby and it was so painful to walk I thought I would drop to the floor and cry)... anyhow- I searched and searched for answers but by the second or third month postnatal it seemed to go away and I have been fine since.

I hope your story ends as happily as mine. Hang in there. Perhaps you can take a warm sitz bath to help with the post-birth pain and to keep your hands warm. The warm water did wonders for me in those months.

I got carpal tunnel and arthritis. I got a wrist brace that would help w/ carpal tunnel and then I am taking Glucosamine, MSM, and chondroiten. You can buy them all together in one bottle. Flex-a-min is a good one. I am also taking Fish Oil and Flaxseed, they are good for lubricating your joints. I am going to see a rheumatologist next so you may try that too.

W.

Hi J. H
I too suffer pain in my hands. My whole body gives me problem. I was reading about these pains. They say try to work them out. So I got a hold of a soft rubber ball.
Get a hold of a rubber soft ball. have it handy.
When you feel stiffness and pain. Just squeeze that ball easy and slow. I do take pain pills. Ask you doctor what you can take for the pain. I think doing dishes helps too. The warm water helps loosen the joints and muscle for a while.
I hope I gave you some Ideas.

Have a good day
Today
Vicki W.

In the 3rd trimester of pregnancy your body becomes over acidic. This acid can settle in the joints giving arthritic pain. You can easily alkalize your body through foods- fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds. You should definately take an omega 3 which is anti-inflammatory and helps with post partum depression symptoms as well. Are babies rob us of this nutrient. Nordic Naturals is a good brand, also flax seeds, walnuts, fish and omega-3 enriched eggs are good dietary sources.
C. Kellogg
www.rawinanutshell.com

Hi J.,

I work for a physiatrist (pain management physician) and I'm also having the same issues after having my son...pain, sometimes numbness, and weakness in my arms and wrist.

Whether your problem is carpel tunnel syndrome, arthritis, or tendonitis, the first line of treatment recommended will be the same. Go to Walmart or a medical supply store and get some wrist/arm braces. Don't buy them from the drs office...you'll get the same thing at a much higher cost! Wear them starting off at night while you sleep. If that doesn't help the pain enough, go to wearing the braces during the day as well. Also start taking 600 mg of Ibuprofen twice daily.

If this doesn't help, the doctor can also prescribe some anti-inflammatory meds as well, assuming that you nursing and the meds can be taken while nursing. Also, I would give your body time to re-adjust. You are still carrying fluid from being pregnant. The symptoms may ease off after your body starts regulating itself again. Or then again, this may be something you are going to have to adjust to...pregnancy does weird things to our bodies!!

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The best brace will be one that comes in small, med, or lrg..not the one size fits all. They do not offer as much support! Hope you feel better soon!

I also had aches and pains in my hands while pregnant - the Dr called it pregnancy induced arthritis. It went away shortly after I gave birth, though I'm not for sure how long it took to go away. I was in so much pain in other areas that I don't think I would have noticed the pain in my hands even if it was still there. But, you only gave birth a week ago - your body is still going crazy. I would say don't worry too much about it, but keep the appt with the specialist. Hopefully it will clear up as your body gets used to not being pregnant anymore. Your hormones will make you think you're going crazy for the next several weeks, so just try to relax and enjoy your new little girl. I just gave birth 5 weeks ago and was a 'hormonal, nervous wreck' for a few weeks, so I know exactly how you feel. I seriously thought I was going crazy - it helped me just to talk about it. I called everyone I knew and just talked and talked and talked and eventually got through it. Private message me if you want/need someone to talk to.

Are you sure that it is Arthritis? I had Carpel Tunnel before I became pregnant, and it got worse while I was pregnant. I have also heard that some women will develop Carpel Tunnel while pregnant. If this is the case you can buy wrist splints at pretty much any drug store, and I find that putting ice packs on my wrist helps. Good luck.

J.,

I understand your pain. I was first diagnosed when I was 6 months pregnant with my first child. It lasted 1 1/2 yrs and started a month after the birth of my second child. There is a more formal name for the syndrome, though commonly known as "new mother's syndrome" the syndrome is not common at all.

Thankfully when I started experiencing the pain my doctor knew exactly what I was going through and schedule physical therapy for "temporary relief (because that's all you are going to get...all 2-4 hours of relief).

Accept what you have and start taking preventive actions. Along with the therapy, I will advice you to use hot water on the area(s) if you were not able to tolerate the pain. I also had to wear wrist braces every single hour of the day with the exception of when I definitely had to have them removed. (Did I mention that both hands were affected?)

Also, you have to be careful when carrying your precious baby. Our instinct is to lift from under the armpit you have to find other ways to carry your angel.

By the way, if your husband or significant other starts to experience the same pain, don't laugh because men go through it as well. The men I have talked to so far used pain medicine rather than therapy and braces.

I hope this helps you out. Just remember that this could last up to a year, make sure you are wearing your braces and use hot water, and if the pain becomes intolerable, please ask someone else to hold your little blessing (child) or put him or her in the swing for the time being.

Good luck to you.

Mother of two precious angels.

Soaking my hands in warm water and epsom salts worked for me. The pain went away eventually but you need to be careful not to further exacerbate the problem in the meantime - take care not to bend your wrists when you hold the baby.

Good luck!