Could joint pain be caused by troubles in your gut?
Turns out that the annoying, constant pain you feel in your shoulders, knees or hips may not be the result of overdoing a workout, 'sleeping wrong' at night or just getting older. There are now several studies which connect pain such as that experienced with rheumatoid arthritis to the microbiota of your gut. In fact Jose Scher of the NYU School of Medicine and NYU School for Joint Diseases has recently completed a few different studies on such a correlation. His research found a significant reduction in at least 4 different intestinal bacterial species normal in the human microbiome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. So why would the less diverse microbiome have anything to do with pain?
The connection has everything to do with inflammation. As I have talked about in a previous blog post your gut is responsible for keeping a solid barrier between your digestive tract and the rest of your internal environment. This barrier selectively should allow key nutrients and fluids to pass through your gut lining and into the rest of your body where they are used for vital bodily processes. It keeps out the bad particles - toxins, bad bacteria and undigested food particles. When this barrier is compromised it becomes inflamed and porous; bad bacteria, toxins, and undigested food particles start slipping through. Including the good bacteria we need to regulate our microbiome. We call the bad foreign invaders antigens. These foreign substances can trigger an immune response. This creates the condition called intestinal permeability or leaky gut.
Your immune system responds with antibodies, which are looking to attack and destroy these antigens. When an antibody finds an antigen it will bind to it. These new antibodies inadvertently cross-react with your own body and circulate in your blood until they find a place to hide in your tissues and organs including muscles and joints. This is often what causes inflammation. This is also what often causes your pain. The research studies that Scher conducted show that the microbiome of the participants was less diverse likely from suffering some degree of leaky gut thus causing their pain through the process described above.
Inflammation and pain are infinitely complex and treatments should include considering a multitude of factors including your genetic predispositions and stresses. There are some things you can do to calm the pain naturally while you investigate if leaky gut is a cause of your suffering.
First, shifting your diet. Switching to a diet that is free of most processed foods which include inflammatory triggers like artificial sugars and preservatives. Focusing more on the inclusion of plant based and whole foods.
Next, try incorporating some supplements that are specific to helping calm the inflammation. I certainly have seen my clients respond well to curcumin, cod liver oil, bromelain, magnesium, quercetin and CBD oils (THC free).
Reevaluate your exercise load. Perhaps taking a slight break from high intensity interval training or max load weight lifting and considering lower intensity workouts like brisk walks, cardio interval with light weights, vinyasa yoga, or barre.
Lastly, try some highly effective complementary therapies like acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic care. These therapies have been around for centuries for a reason. People who use them swear by them (including myself.)
