Posted 3/3/2021 4:46 AM (GMT -8)
Hi, I'm a 40 year old female with a diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis for the past 4 years.
2 weeks ago I woke up with Sciatica like pains in the front of my right thigh, I've had a few incidents of this over the past 2 years or so and they usually rectify in a few days. In this case it was getting worse and waking me from my sleep. We were having some renovations done at the time in our bedroom and I had been sleeping in my daughters bed for a few days and put the Sciatica down to the firmer mattress and sure enough when I got back to my own bed again the leg issues seemed to resolve. However it has now been replaced with lower, mid and upper back pain and stiffness, not all at once but at varying times of the day, my neck in particular being pretty sore. I've also noticed some twinges of pain in my wrists, elbows and shoulders.
I don't have an extensive history with back pain, I twisted my back in my late 20's which resulted in me being laid out for a week while it healed and if I'm leaning over for an extended period of time in the case of gardening it can take a minute to straighten up but not much else of note.
It doesn't seem any worse in the morning than any other time of the day, rest sometimes helps as does moving and heat. I can go about my life without pain medication, the pain is more of an annoyance and a worry than it is debilitating at the moment but it also doesn't seem to be improving just seems to be plateauing at the level it's at.
Of course when I google symptoms ankylosing spondylitis pops up almost every time and with me already having Ulcerative Colitis I know I'm at higher risk so I am just here to pick the brains of those who have this condition on how it started for you and if what I have written sounds like the beginnings of it.
I am on Humira for my UC for the past 8 months and I know that can also cause joint pain but not in the spine as far as I'm aware.
Sorry for the long post, any advice would be welcome