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Can Arthritis Have An Effect On The Skull?
Question: can arthtiyis effect your skull or back of head?? I have been going to doctors looking for what I have as my symptoms are really painful. Water in the knees, heart palpitations , weight loss, chest pain, and joint pain. I think it might be ankylosing spondylitis because I've always had bad sacrum pain. now the pain is in my shoulder blades, neck, and back. very stiff neck most of the time. but now the back of my head hurts. when I press hard on it I can feel some slight pain like it is about to crack. if I push hard on it I hear a cracking sound and it somewhat relives it. but whenever I press on it it is very tender and feels like cracking again. could arthritis do this to my head or could it be something else entirely?
Brief Answer:
Arthritis
Detailed Answer:
good evening
thank you for writing on health care magic
Well yes a few of the arthritis can affect the neck and the back. Ankylosing spondylitis is a possibility. I would like to ask you a few more queries before guiding you further :
1. When is the pain more, at rest or during activity?
2. How do feel at night's when you sleep..? is there difficulty in turning position?
3. any low backache?
4. any early morning stiffness?
5. any other joints which are affected?
do let me know these queries. would guide you further from here
regards
Dr naval
Arthritis
Detailed Answer:
good evening
thank you for writing on health care magic
Well yes a few of the arthritis can affect the neck and the back. Ankylosing spondylitis is a possibility. I would like to ask you a few more queries before guiding you further :
1. When is the pain more, at rest or during activity?
2. How do feel at night's when you sleep..? is there difficulty in turning position?
3. any low backache?
4. any early morning stiffness?
5. any other joints which are affected?
do let me know these queries. would guide you further from here
regards
Dr naval
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
1- the pain is more at rest. when I exercise I find that I feel a little better but the pain is usually so bad IRS hard to get out to exercise in the first place
.
2- the sacrum pain used to be a lot worse and I couldn't move around in bed without very very bad pain. with these new symptoms arising it seems that pain has gone away. it is still painful sometimes and stiff a lot but I haven't had severe pain which hurts in bed In awhile
3- low backache comes and goes but is not my worst symptom these days
4- yes I feel very still and crappy when i wake up. the stifnesss somewhat gets better as the day goes on. I wake up with pretty bad sore throats most days, as well as my eyes really being effected. they are very dry and red when i wake up and very blurry. it takes about 10 minutes until it clears up and I can see normally .
5- it is mainly the back, very stiff neck, back of the head, sharp pain in shoulder blades which is worse when breathing in. and the knees which hurt because they are filled with fluid. when the fluid was taken out it felt better. I am confused because the other symptoms like weight loss and heart symptoms. the heart symptoms are probably the worst and are palpitations, shortness of breath, and a lot of chest pain.
.
2- the sacrum pain used to be a lot worse and I couldn't move around in bed without very very bad pain. with these new symptoms arising it seems that pain has gone away. it is still painful sometimes and stiff a lot but I haven't had severe pain which hurts in bed In awhile
3- low backache comes and goes but is not my worst symptom these days
4- yes I feel very still and crappy when i wake up. the stifnesss somewhat gets better as the day goes on. I wake up with pretty bad sore throats most days, as well as my eyes really being effected. they are very dry and red when i wake up and very blurry. it takes about 10 minutes until it clears up and I can see normally .
5- it is mainly the back, very stiff neck, back of the head, sharp pain in shoulder blades which is worse when breathing in. and the knees which hurt because they are filled with fluid. when the fluid was taken out it felt better. I am confused because the other symptoms like weight loss and heart symptoms. the heart symptoms are probably the worst and are palpitations, shortness of breath, and a lot of chest pain.
Brief Answer:
IS it ANkylosing spondylitis
Detailed Answer:
Good evening
Well, your symptoms do match with Ankylosing spondylitis/SPondyloarthopathy. We normally called Ankylosing when it is at an advanced age.
But the symptoms of sacral pain, mid backache, neck pain which are worse in the nights and mornings with improvement in the day do fit in with inflammatory arthritis. Also, fluid in the knees does go in favor of it. The chest pain you are seeing is common with this arthritis as it affects the Enthesis also( Enthesitis is the inflammation of tendons where 2 bones attach...It is common in 2nd and 7 th rib area.
I would suggest you a few test..You should get them done to see if we are near the diagnosis..But history wise, it is classic of Spondyloarthopathy
1. CBC
2. ESR and CRP
3. HLA B 27( PCR)
4. X Ray Pelvis AP view
5. X Ray Cervical Spine AP and LAteral view
MEanwhile try taking Cox 2 inhibitor like Celecoxib or Etoricoxib and see if you feel the improvement . If improvement does happen it goes again in favor of arthritis
Hope the information was useful
Do let me know these results
REgards
Dr Naval
IS it ANkylosing spondylitis
Detailed Answer:
Good evening
Well, your symptoms do match with Ankylosing spondylitis/SPondyloarthopathy. We normally called Ankylosing when it is at an advanced age.
But the symptoms of sacral pain, mid backache, neck pain which are worse in the nights and mornings with improvement in the day do fit in with inflammatory arthritis. Also, fluid in the knees does go in favor of it. The chest pain you are seeing is common with this arthritis as it affects the Enthesis also( Enthesitis is the inflammation of tendons where 2 bones attach...It is common in 2nd and 7 th rib area.
I would suggest you a few test..You should get them done to see if we are near the diagnosis..But history wise, it is classic of Spondyloarthopathy
1. CBC
2. ESR and CRP
3. HLA B 27( PCR)
4. X Ray Pelvis AP view
5. X Ray Cervical Spine AP and LAteral view
MEanwhile try taking Cox 2 inhibitor like Celecoxib or Etoricoxib and see if you feel the improvement . If improvement does happen it goes again in favor of arthritis
Hope the information was useful
Do let me know these results
REgards
Dr Naval
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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