Chronic Thigh Pain

[AnnelieseR]

Dear CCF,  I have what would seem like chronic pain in my thigh..I am using a narcotic to cover the pain.  I thought the pain was due to a lipoma in that leg.  I had it surgically removed only to have the pain increase.  I read Lipomas don't cause pain. I beginning on thinking it might be something worse.   I do have a long history of joint pain with flares of redness and inflammation with now enlarged and noduled joints.  I recently was given a precription of Cellebrex.  I have tried every med out their for inflammation.. Does this sound like Rheumatoid Art?  Do these patient's have chronic pain that NSADs..don't hit?    I have had the Rheumatoid workup all coming up negative except for a onetime ana titer being elevated and speckled pattern.  I also have hypothyroidism, arnold-chiari malformation type 1, spondlothesis and spondlyosis of my lumbar spine.  I had a Occipital Crani/Lami for the ACM in 1999.   Not to mention top all this off with being newly diagnosed diabetic.  I am just a mess.  Pls advise.

Thanks,
sincerely, Anneliese

[thighpain001]

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[holly9]

Hi.  I have seronegative Juvenile RA.  I suffered for 15 years before a doctor diagnosed it correctly as it did not show up in my blood.  The proof came with the "inflammation" blood test.  I don't know what it's called but it measures swelling within the body.  Stiffness in the am.  Aching legs / hands.  Feels like your body has a headache.  Simple NSAD's didn't work for me.  When the pain strikes - I use a capsule with an anti-inflammatory / pain killer / muscle relaxant all in one.  It takes a little longer to work (don't know why) but when it does I find I'm pain free for at least 8 hours.  It's wonderful.  The drug is called Tenston - but it's a South African drug and not available in the U.S.

[yoshi]

i dont know much about rhematoid arthritis,but i found out from personal experience of using OTC allergy medication for over 14 days that my finger knuckles were swollen ,my lungs were weak esp in the morning and the parts of my body which have been fractured or used too hard are all sore.
The allergy pills i was taking contain antihistamine which suppressed the body from generating histamine.
It turns out that histamine in the body kills the fungus,micro organism we breathe in the air,the fungus/yeast found on surface of food .
I dont know how histamine works for the joints but as soon as i stop using the OTC allergy pills,my finger knuckles were no longer swollen and bulging and i dont have a weak lung and the joints and bones which i work to hard and/or imjured in the past are no longer sore.

[yoshi]

you have to start a new thread,doc usually does not revisit the thread he has responded.
I have found out taking allergy medication can cause problems with joints/

[Edit]

Dear Doctor,

I have a chronic muscle pain for about 6 months and now, I can only lift my arm halfway. It is really bad when I sit for a long time, I can hardly walk. I used to excersice extensively and I decided to rest my body from the pain but the pain never went away.
My specialist said it is not rheumatoid arthritis.
I do not quite beleive him. Could he be wrong?
What else could it be?
Thank you for your advise.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

Rheumatoid arthritis typically presents with gradual onset with the predominant symptoms being pain and stiffness in many joints.  Morning stiffness is characteristic.  Chronic thigh pain, especially with the negative workup thus far, would be atypical of rheumatoid arthritis.

There are certainly different types of pain that are not improved with NSAIDs - for further evaluation I would consider imaging the affected area.  First with plain film, then with a more comprehensive test, such as an MRI.  

Thigh pain can also be referred from the back.  There are certainly causes in your lumbar spine that may be leading to the chronic thigh pain.  A neurology referral may be considered for further evaluation.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
Medical Weblog:
kevinmd_b