Swollen and Painful Ankle Joints due to Gluten Intolerance?
Cerebrus189
Posts: 315 Member
So I binged this weekend on more than just chocolate (see cheats below). All weekend long I was tired, dizzy and bloated. On Saturday, I woke up with pain in my ankle joints and feet and it lasted all weekend. Yesterday when I tried to do my Insanity workout, I had to do it half-*kitten* because of the pain. I connected the dots (finally) and have since discovered gluten might have been the culprit. Would that be a main symptom of gluten intolerance? I knew the Paleo lifestyle was good for me, but I didn't think I was so sensitive to gluten in that it would affect me like this. I need thoughts/opinions on if it has affected other people like this. It seems very likely since I haven't cheated like I did since I started my new lifestyle at the beginning of January. Has anybody else experienced this before? I want to mention I didn't hurt my ankles doing anything stupid before Friday. They were perfectly fine before I had the sugar and gluten. Thoughts or experience please?
My food confessions:
On Friday, I ate donuts (mini Krullers) and a serving of pretzels.
On Saturday, I ate some Sweet Hawaiian bread and pizza.
On Sunday, I ate cookies and candy.
My food confessions:
On Friday, I ate donuts (mini Krullers) and a serving of pretzels.
On Saturday, I ate some Sweet Hawaiian bread and pizza.
On Sunday, I ate cookies and candy.
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Replies
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The symptoms can vary from person to person. My mother has a gluten intolerance and when she eliminates it, she feels so much better. The gluten affects her joints and if she eats stuff with gluten, she will have a very hard time getting out of bed in the morning and will feel pain all day. Despite this, she often eat things she shouldn't - clearly an unhealthy addiction!
I experience some of this, but what really lets me know I ate gluten are migraines, rashes on my arms and legs, bloating and very foggy thinking.
When I was first diagnosed, I really didn't think my gluten issue was THAT bad. I mean... I ate all the wonderful gluten filled foods for years and I was ok, so eating gluten once in while wouldn't be that big of deal - right?
I would be really good for weeks and then have a meal that had gluten... I would get fairly sick. Then I would be really good for months and then slip up... I then would get REALLY sick.
I think my body was just so happy without gluten - and the longer I was away from it, the less willing it was to let me get away with eating that poison anymore! That's my very unscientific take on it anyway....
It may take a few days or longer for you to feel better - but, you could just consider it part of the learning process!0 -
One of the benefits of eating paleo for me has been joint pain has vanished. I thought this was just going to be part of my life now that I'm in my 50s, so you can imagine my delight. From what I've read, it's more an issue of inflammation and that could be whatever causes it ... for me that's sugar, gluten, dairy. Something may be setting you off.0
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I feel your (joint) pain! The same thing happens to me. The cleaner I eat, meaning no gluten, sugar, dairy....the better I feel. Since making it to my goal weight I have added "stuff" back in to my diet without gaining weight but I pay the price with joint pain. I will hurt tomorrow from what I ate today and over Easter.
The best thing I can do is go back and for 30 days cut out all the bad carbs. Sometimes it's just not convenient as I have to cook for my husband and two boys who eat whatever they want. I feel the best when I can keep my carbs under 75 a day.0 -
I have celiac and RA. When Im exposed to gluten my joints HURT.0
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You guys have me super, super curious. I am about 80/20 so far (I'm trying to get better), and have for some months experienced a lot of foot pain, most specifically my right foot, the big toe knuckle. Gout? I don't think so, but the pain can be excruciating. I also wake up with cramps in that foot! I need to figure this out - I'll be headed to the doc's soon but can't just yet (new job, no insurance just yet).
This may be a reason to continue to strive for closer to 100%. If it can help my joint pain, I am all for it.0 -
Thanks for all the responses, everybody. It seems like a big no-brainer but up until now, I had never connected the joint pain and gluten. I have been doing Primal up until last weekend, so I know it's not dairy. But I overloaded it on the sugar and gluten, so that has to be the culprit. I now have an appointment set to see if I have a gluten intolerance with an allergist, so that I know for sure. From what I can tell from the experience, I trust my experience and will not be consuming any more gluten for a long while. I seem to be okay with natural sugars from fruit and vegetables, so I'll just have to continue with Paleo/Primal since that's when I feel the best.
Btw, I showed my friend and a dietitian my ankles and they were both surprised at the size of my ankles. I swear, up and down, the only thing I've done differently is temporarily change what I ate. I didn't hurt myself doing strenuous exercise. In fact, I couldn't even move to do exercise on Friday or Saturday because at that point, I was already hurting. Today is day 2 without gluten and I don't have pain but my ankles are still swollen like crazy. Hopefully tomorrow the swelling will go away too.0 -
Coronalime, did you experience any other symptoms with celiac other than joint pain before you were diagnosed as such? Did you have digestive issues? I don't think I have an allergy because my symptoms are limited in painful, swollen joints, but now I'm curious. Don't most people who are diagnosed with Celiac typically have digestive issues as well?0
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It wouldn't surprise me if it was from the gluten. I, too, found after going Primal, that when I would "cheat" and have anything with wheat, I would have bloating, stomach cramps, and other IBS-issues (severity and onset depends on how much I eat). I've also noticed that my eczema has cleared up, and I don't have joint pain (mostly shoulders, elbows, knees for me), unless I've been glutened. I haven't gone to a doctor to be officially diagnosed, the stomach pains are enough to keep me away from gluten!!! It kind of makes sense to me, though, because I am also lactose-intolerant. It's mostly milk that gives me the worst issues, the same IBS-type. I haven't been able to completely give up cheese, yet, I love it too much! :sad: It's been MUCH easier for me to give up gluten/grains, than cheese.0
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You guys have me super, super curious. I am about 80/20 so far (I'm trying to get better), and have for some months experienced a lot of foot pain, most specifically my right foot, the big toe knuckle. Gout? I don't think so, but the pain can be excruciating. I also wake up with cramps in that foot! I need to figure this out - I'll be headed to the doc's soon but can't just yet (new job, no insurance just yet).
This may be a reason to continue to strive for closer to 100%. If it can help my joint pain, I am all for it.
The toe issue could be Gout... My BF has Gout and it is mainly the joint in his big toe. First time he had symptoms, he thought he had broke his toe somehow! He would never go grain free, so I can't tell you if eating Paleo would help it or not. If you search for info on Gout, they always claim red meat and alcohol are triggers (but who knows... ). He is not about to give either of those up, so he takes meds just lives with it when it flairs up.0 -
A year long pain in my right foot seems to be better now that I've lost some weight and am eating low carb. It's some odd pain in the top of my foot around the area towards my ankle up from the third and fourth toe. Sometimes I feel a little pop and experience some relief. Don't know if it's a tendon out of place or what, but it's getting better. Much better than those days and nights when it used to throb. No more throbbing, just a mild "out of place" sensation0
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One of the benefits of eating paleo for me has been joint pain has vanished. I thought this was just going to be part of my life now that I'm in my 50s, so you can imagine my delight. From what I've read, it's more an issue of inflammation and that could be whatever causes it ... for me that's sugar, gluten, dairy. Something may be setting you off.
I had been seeing a Chiropracter because of excruciating neck, back and shoulder pain since July. Before I started Paleo (March 1st) my Chiro Dr seemed to think that the biggest culprit was systemic inflammation and was considering putting me on a strict all veggie diet to eliminate all toxins. I concidered his info and took the initiative to go ahead and change the way I eat and I have felt much better. Now after even 1 1/2 months of eating Paleo if I fall back and eat more gluten, dairy or sugar I fell aweful. I've never been diagnosed as Gluten Intolerant but I do now suspect it. My neck, back and shoulders have much improved not to mention weight lost and still losing and my sugars are closer to normal. What's not to LOVE about a Paleo way of life!0 -
I was thinking the same thing. It could very well be gout. Do you eat meats with nitrates in them? even a little bit? MSG can cause gout as well. Even alcohol. Do you drink wine? I would write down a food drink diary and then see if there are any connections to your pain. Sorry if I am already suggesting something that was posted. Just wanted to reply real quick.You guys have me super, super curious. I am about 80/20 so far (I'm trying to get better), and have for some months experienced a lot of foot pain, most specifically my right foot, the big toe knuckle. Gout? I don't think so, but the pain can be excruciating. I also wake up with cramps in that foot! I need to figure this out - I'll be headed to the doc's soon but can't just yet (new job, no insurance just yet).
This may be a reason to continue to strive for closer to 100%. If it can help my joint pain, I am all for it.
The toe issue could be Gout... My BF has Gout and it is mainly the joint in his big toe. First time he had symptoms, he thought he had broke his toe somehow! He would never go grain free, so I can't tell you if eating Paleo would help it or not. If you search for info on Gout, they always claim red meat and alcohol are triggers (but who knows... ). He is not about to give either of those up, so he takes meds just lives with it when it flairs up.0 -
Gluten intolerance is also celic disease. As far as I remember, to be correctly diagnosed with it, you'd have to go see a doctor who would then biopsy a part of your gut (don't remember what part) and test it that way.
My mom said she got tested through a fecal test, but she also gets confused a lot, so I don't know how reliable that information was0 -
So I binged this weekend on more than just chocolate (see cheats below). All weekend long I was tired, dizzy and bloated. On Saturday, I woke up with pain in my ankle joints and feet and it lasted all weekend. Yesterday when I tried to do my Insanity workout, I had to do it half-*kitten* because of the pain. I connected the dots (finally) and have since discovered gluten might have been the culprit. Would that be a main symptom of gluten intolerance? I knew the Paleo lifestyle was good for me, but I didn't think I was so sensitive to gluten in that it would affect me like this. I need thoughts/opinions on if it has affected other people like this. It seems very likely since I haven't cheated like I did since I started my new lifestyle at the beginning of January. Has anybody else experienced this before? I want to mention I didn't hurt my ankles doing anything stupid before Friday. They were perfectly fine before I had the sugar and gluten. Thoughts or experience please?
My food confessions:
On Friday, I ate donuts (mini Krullers) and a serving of pretzels.
On Saturday, I ate some Sweet Hawaiian bread and pizza.
On Sunday, I ate cookies and candy.
the sugar can also cause the joint pain and swelling. I didn't need to be diagnosed with gluten intolerance by a doctor to know I have issues with grains - I just eliminated them and my body thanked me. Most people are suffering from grain intolerance but don't have the intense symptoms associated with celiac. When you remove the crap from your diet and your body gets used to it you will have a stronger reaction if you eat the junk. Your body will become more sensitive to it.
Celiac, maybe - maybe not. I would blame it on being highly proceseed junk food and sugar rather than the gluten.0 -
You guys have me super, super curious. I am about 80/20 so far (I'm trying to get better), and have for some months experienced a lot of foot pain, most specifically my right foot, the big toe knuckle. Gout? I don't think so, but the pain can be excruciating. I also wake up with cramps in that foot! I need to figure this out - I'll be headed to the doc's soon but can't just yet (new job, no insurance just yet).
This may be a reason to continue to strive for closer to 100%. If it can help my joint pain, I am all for it.
I have the same problem, but only when I have too much carbohydrates in general, but things with gluten can definately aggrevate it even more. I was reading Dr. Su's website, Carbohydrates Can Kill, and he wrote an article here: http://www.carbohydratescankill.com/3793/carbohydrates-gout
Basically, he mentioned that although purines (from lots of meat) are known to trigger gout, fructose may as well.
Robb Wolf mentioned in a podcast here http://robbwolf.com/2011/02/01/the-paleo-solution-episode-65/
and a transcript here: http://robbwolf.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/the-paleo-solution-episode-65.pdf
that gout may be a function of insulin resistance.
I know if I am not restricting my carbs below 100 g/day I begin to become hypoglycemic and then that's when I start to get joint pain. I'm not sure what your carb intake and exercise look like, but maybe play around with it and see if it helps?
Also, I've had severe cramps in my feet in the past. Try magnesium just before bed, or during the cramping. Get the liquid get type because they release in the body quicker than the hard tablet stuff. Good luck!0 -
So I binged this weekend on more than just chocolate (see cheats below). All weekend long I was tired, dizzy and bloated. On Saturday, I woke up with pain in my ankle joints and feet and it lasted all weekend. Yesterday when I tried to do my Insanity workout, I had to do it half-*kitten* because of the pain. I connected the dots (finally) and have since discovered gluten might have been the culprit. Would that be a main symptom of gluten intolerance? I knew the Paleo lifestyle was good for me, but I didn't think I was so sensitive to gluten in that it would affect me like this. I need thoughts/opinions on if it has affected other people like this. It seems very likely since I haven't cheated like I did since I started my new lifestyle at the beginning of January. Has anybody else experienced this before? I want to mention I didn't hurt my ankles doing anything stupid before Friday. They were perfectly fine before I had the sugar and gluten. Thoughts or experience please?
My food confessions:
On Friday, I ate donuts (mini Krullers) and a serving of pretzels.
On Saturday, I ate some Sweet Hawaiian bread and pizza.
On Sunday, I ate cookies and candy.
Could be gluten. More likely it's all the sugar and fat causing you to retain fluid.0 -
Coronalime, did you experience any other symptoms with celiac other than joint pain before you were diagnosed as such? Did you have digestive issues? I don't think I have an allergy because my symptoms are limited in painful, swollen joints, but now I'm curious. Don't most people who are diagnosed with Celiac typically have digestive issues as well?
I was diagnosed celiac YEARS before my RA diagnosis. My dairy allergy is new. I can and usually have digestive issues but I also have swollen joints, psorisis flare ups, hair falll out, bad skin, fog..etc etc..0 -
So i had few bers over the weekend and gluten free pizza... and maybe some chocolate.. ok i went a lot crazy this weekend... and i'll tell you what. My knees hurt so bad, I was up 3 time in the middle of the nigth with an upset stomach and i still don't feel back to normal... So I have decided it is simply not worth it for me to eat grains if it is going to cause this much pain in my life.0
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^^^this is what clinched paleo for me. Eating foods with grains or dairy or soy just make me feel so awful, I have to ask myself, 'is it worth it?' And, the answer is no. I can do without sore joints and acne and moving like a slug in the morning. The worst is sugar ... once you become aware of how your body feels and reacts optimally, then eating something like sugar drives home just how toxic it really is. Reading a headline seems like hyperbole until you've experienced a life without it ... and then having it.
One thing that glares is the acceptance people generally have for taking a medication with a page full of side effects written in mouse print ... but won't try *not* eating a food to see what happens because of others' shrieking they'll die without it :-) (i.e. bagels etc.)0 -
Gluten reaction functions on a spectrum with some people experiencing acute gut reactions and others IBS, fatigue, headaches, osteoporosis, infertility, and auto immune disorders such as MS (see Dr. Terry Wahl's experience). Don't take my word for it ...
"Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Center for Celiac Research have proven that gluten sensitivity is different from celiac disease at the molecular level and in the response it elicits from the immune system. The research, published online in BMC Medicine, provides the first scientific evidence of a different mechanism leading to gluten sensitivity. It also demonstrates that gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are part of a spectrum of gluten-related disorders."0 -
I know the gluten thing has some criticism surrounding it. I also know this thread is 2, but it is relevant. The same thing happened to me as it did with the OP - ate Taco Bell, joint (ankle) pain. Would gluten intolerance be a feasible, likely culprit in 2014?0
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