Can thyroid disorders cause muscle pains

[graley]

Is anyone with underactive thyroid having aches and pains in muscle and joints in arms, and legs, also tightness in hands, which wake them in the night and having difficulty walking in the morning? l feel my doctor thinks l am imagining them he has done blood tests for Rheumatoid Arthritis which came back clear and he has now referred me to a Rheumatologist  

[arlindanovo]

In addition to the joint pain has anyone had  hives swelling of the face with thyroid?

[gimel]

Just thought you might like to hear my story of when I reverted to being hypo again less than a year ago.  I was having joint pains, mostly in the knees.  It was so bad that I had to use my arms to push myself up off a chair.  My wife suggested that I should just try an increase in my desiccated type thyroid med (contains both T4 and T3).  I did so and 3 days later, I showed her that I could do deep knee bends without pain.  

What are the results and reference ranges shown on your lab report for thyroid related tests.  Along with testing for Free T4 and Free T3 (not the same as Total T4 and Total T30, you should request Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin.  Hypo patients are frequently too low in the ranges for those.  D should be 55 min., B12 in the very upper end of its range, and ferritin should be 70 minimum.  If you can also get those tested you can supplement as needed to optimize.

[KimLMT]

Wow. I'm so glad I found this site. I am a massage therapist and I have been struggling with severe pain for several years now. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 5 years ago. My pain started about 2 years ago with general aches and pains when getting up in the morning. Now it is to the point where my wrists, hands, ankles, feet and elbows hurt so bad I don't want to walk. The muscle pain and stiffness in my legs keep me from even doing my grocery shopping. My doctor has just said it is all due to the type of work I do and that I don't exercise enough. I was beginning to feel hopeless and was afraid I might have to give up my massage practice. First thing tomorrow morning I'm finding a new doctor and asking them about my T3 levels. Thank you all for posting here. You just saved my sanity.

[serino01]

Hi. Just wondering if you ever found out if it was the thyroid and if the medication did help.

[jacrjacr]

I just want to say I had so called normal tsh, free t3 and free t4 while I was having all the body aches so it is the tweeking in that normal range like someone said.....

[jacrjacr]

I quit walking on the treadmill, stopped outdoor gardening etc with sore arms and knees and feet, thought I was just getting old but knew I wasn't that old everyone passed it off. when I was overmedicated, it went away but brought on terrible migraines daily but still all the body aches GONE...at least I found out that it was they thyroid....so keep going to drs until someone listens and understand. DO drs are good since they study prevention, not just drugs....and the entire body I heard  but you have to shop around for drs

[jacrjacr]

i had joint problems in elbows wrist forearms, knees, feet and ankles ..a overall weakness and soreness for years while hypothyroid, then did a test that showed I was undermedicated with low t4, dr twitched medicines from compounded to mfg pills and it was wayyyyy too much (hence the compounded was not what they were suppose to be). Long story short, all pain went away in a couple days....but then I went hyper with headaches and migraines ,hot flashes etc and I kept going to drs until someone listened and changed my meds and lowered me back down every 4 weeks a lower dose after testing but since drugs have a half life, now that my last test came back ok in 4 weeks...at 6 weeks THE MUSCLE AND JOINT PAIN IS RETURNING..... you would know after I just saw dr a couple weeks ago...SO IT CAN CERTAINLY  BE THE THYROID....My guess is not enough T3 but I haven't tested again. Privatemdlabs. com has discounts and you can to tsh ft4 ft3 for around 75.00 with discount...and just go to a local lapcorp and get tested with the sheet they email you.You need to be proactive I have learned. Can not believe I suffered for years and the dr didn't say a thing

[goolarra]

Does your thumb not want to bend and then suddenly "pop"?

[christine96]

I have a bad pain in my thumb constantly i cant squeeze my hand to open a lid or wriing out a dishcloth and it  sudenly feels it goes out of joint , My finger joints feel  springy like they are going to go  the same way as my thumb. My hand is very weak. I have a underactive thyroid . The doctor sent me for a xray and a blood test as well . blood test came back fine. Does it ever get better or will  your hands feel like this for ever, as it is getting me down

[LazyMoose]

Thats a very informative lymes site.

Both low thyroid and Lyme's disease can have similar body pain and other associated body dysfunctions. Low thyroid symptoms should get better with additional thyroid hormone as followed by lab tests. I dont know where Tonics went though on this forum- maybe a new post. I dont know if they have lymes in the UK - where Tonics is.

[Kimbaiba]

Get a Lyme disease test through Igenex...other testing can have way too many false negatives...find a lyme literate physician via ILADS dot org.  It sounds to me like you have lyme disease and or a co-infection Bartonella. Be your own advocate and keep doing your own research  The lower/skull pain is infamous for Lyme...its actually called a lyme headache within the 'lyme community'. Matter of fact all of your symptoms sound like lyme/co-infection. Don't give up...find a lyme literate doctor and don't waste your money or time on 'regular doctors' who don't believe in chronic lyme.There are also many lyme support groups on the internet.  I wish you the best! Kim B

[LazyMoose]

Hopefully you have a copy of the thyroid blood tests. If you find them and post them with their reference ranges, you will get some helpful insight from some the the experienced members here. Just because a Dr said its fine is not necessarily so. Just a TSH test is not enough.

OH - post this info on a new posting of your own- that's more easier to spot than trailing on some old post..

[Tonics]

Hi.  I have been having severe pain just under lower skull/neck, and limb weakness whereby I have jelly legs and can't walk properly.  Now told I have much larger right side of thyroid.  Felt ill for 18 months.  Neuros fobbed me off with psychology!!  Radiologist wants lymph node mapping...scared now...cancer? Other than that I am fatigues, imsonia, pain in hands, feets, throat (enlarged area), mass on/off neck rash. jaw pain, not n cold, emotional wreck,unable to work (praying won't lose job now), bad pain in left groin node, headaches, always labour swallowing, pain in ribs, breathless,dizziness.....too much to explain to a dr to get them to actually listen.  I am desperate to get sorted out.
\could it be Thyroid Hashitoxicosis? (blood thyroids homones came back fine but done when felt well for a couple of days). Anyone been the same or had a solution?

[goolarra]

You'll get more attention to your individual concerns if you start your own new thread.  Just go to the top of the page and hit the orange "Post a Question" button.

Please provide reference ranges with results.  Ranges vary lab to lab, so we need those to evaluate your results.

Also, tell us if you're on any thyroid meds, other meds you are taking and list your symptoms.  

[lisapizza324]

Hi, I just received my blood work and this is the results. T-Uptake 16.4 which is low. Total T3 which is 1.94 and is high and ESR is 49, extremely high. My T4 is in the normal range at 10.69. What do you think it is I have? I have neck, back of head pain at the base of skull lower back pain, and sometimes pain between my shoulder blades.

[AJWS6]

I never had any muscle/joint issues hypo, but hyper was a nightmare ! Felt as if my shoulder was broken.  

[LazyMoose]

You have more questions than related to this specific thread - best to make you own post and you will get comments then.

MRI is not the normal route for hypo thyroid. Thyroid ultra sound to "see" the thyroid is the usual route.

Meds are upped in incriments followed by free T3 freeT4 and tsh tests - untill your levels are correct and you feel better.

[brian1975]

I am like you I am having really bad back pain and my muscles twitch especially in my calves. I feel like I can't move my arms or grip a pen. And my legs feel wobbly. Also my nose is always congested my ears pop everytime I swallow and my balance is way off, also my eyes have developed a lot of floaters. I to have been cleared after many mri's and neurologists and my endo said I shouldn't be feeling this way just having hypothyroidism even though a lot of people on here seem to disagree so he is sending mr to a reumatologist now to see if I have any autoimmune issues.

[beth8865]

I was just diagnosed with hypo 1 wk ago my tsh is 0.27 and t4 is .5 . For over one yr ive been experiencing many syntoms like joint pain, weight gain, hair falling, memory problems, and very emotional, my Dr never checked for thyroid he just told me it was from stress and never gave me med. I'm a lil nervous because my Dr called me with the results and I said ok so you will put me on meds so I can feel better she says not yet you have to have more blood drawn and a mri, has anyone had this done after being told they have hypothyroidism

[LazyMoose]

Being is a state of hypothyroid actually alters the fluid chemistry balance in muscle and joint tissue. Lactic acid will build up in tissue dragging out muscle recovery and there is the possibly of pain resurfacing from old injuries that never 100% healed.

This should improve with corrected thyroid levels, specifically T3.

[goolarra]

It sounds like your meds are not adjusted properly for you.  Keep in mind that many of us don't feel well until free T4 (FT4) is around midrange and free T3 (FT3) is in the upper half of the range.  Your doctor should be testing FT3 and FT4 every time you have blood work.

When you get your labs, if you'd like to post them, we can help you interpret them.  Please include reference ranges as they vary lab to lab.

[Paus]

Yes joint pain, back pain, even lower back pain, sometimes having involuntary muscle lite tremor, I'm on 150mcg of thyrax.

[graley]

Was diagnosed with under active thyroid last year started off on 50mg tabs and am now on Levthyroxine 75mg tabs, haven't written down figures from last blood test, will do at next review. The pains started in feet and hands after going on medication also hot flushes, started Pilatas and Body balance classes in Jan and had to stop because of pains in arms. Feel the doctor things l am just moaning as keep telling him how ill l feel  

[nat649]

Yes I have joint pains in my feet hands and sometimes all over this started when my meds were upped to 150 or it could be were i've taken the meds for 2yr now i am still trying to sort thing out i go back and forth to the doctor more test done to rule all other illness out I take levoth my advise dont give up keep going back to doctor and keep a record of what going on with you

[sunrock]

Yes for me. In the hands, feet, sometimes other places....the pain trades off where it will hit. Likes to surprise me! But mostly in the hands and arms.
When I am not so hypo...it gets a lot better!

Mia