severe joint pain in hands and feet post partum- HELP!

since about 4 weeks post partum i have been experiencing severe joint pain in my hands & feet mostly, but also occasionally in my elbow and knees. Its keeping me from normal daily tasks.. I feel like i'm 90 years old and i'm only 31... I can hardly walk...when i stand the bottoms of my feet hurt so bad i can't take a step.. have to shuffle.. and take the stairs one at a time,sideways while holding on to the railing.. it hurts to lift my daughter who's only 3mos old.. change her diapers, even dressing her and myself is excrutiating... My PCP sent me to Rheumetologist..all my bloodwork & xrays come back normal.. steroids helped but side effects and stopped working when i stopped taking them... She thinks it may be some sort of "self attack" by my body to the healthy joints due to stress or sleep deprivation. Has anyone else had this? what type of treatment did you have that worked? supplments or vitamins? how long before it went away? Please any info will help!!!!
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Mom Answers (66)
I too have been suffering from this pain. I am now 6mo. pp and it started around 2mos. pp. It was 100 times worse in the mornings. I couldn't walk and going down the stairs put me in tears. It was in my feet, hands and wrists and ankles and I would have some localized swelling and bruising. I would have to take a lot of Tylenol (allergic to anti-inflammitories) before I went to work and I would still suffer though daily activities. Just like everyone else the doctors didn't know what to say or do. Told me it was because I'm breast feeding that my nutrients are being deplinished. I decided to continue to breast feed. My pain lessened after a couple months but I still have pain till this day. Now it's just in my feet and hands and not as severe. It's bittersweet to see that others have the same thing although know one has found any relief other than waiting it out. I just wanted to say I am another sufferer and hope doctors realize that this is a issue. Sorry for your pain :(
14 found this helpful
Sweetpea, please try a gluten free diet. Your experience sounds EXACTLY like mine. Mine never completely went away, it came and went. I was also tested for RA. What worked for me was cutting out gluten, it took two weeks before I felt the impact, and after that I keep a reduced gluten diet. My family has immune disorders - thyroid and cystic ovaries, and I must have something very mild, but this is the only way it showed itself. Your Rheumatologist will tell you hormones can trigger your immune system to attack itself, that&#39;s why pregnancy or birth triggered the condition. They can&#39;t cure us, but we can treat ourselves through diet. Feel free to message me directly if you&#39;d like to discuss. I NEVER believed in gluten free or anything like that until this happened to me, and it took me 2 years to figure it out. For some people the hormone rebalance when you stop nursing figures it out. Good luck!
Answered 8/21/14
11 found this helpful
I have been dealing with the worst foot and ankle pain - I&#39;m 6 months postpartum. I have tried everything. I went on a ketogenic diet on Monday (it&#39;s Thursday) and my foot pain has reduced by about 50%!! I seriously can&#39;t believe it. I am going to go back to a regular diet for a day or two to see if my pain returns and if it does, I&#39;m going gung ho Keto. I finally have some relief.
a BabyCenter member
Answered 10/13/16
10 found this helpful
I had this exact problem - and I found my solution. I cut gluten from my diet and the pain disappeared completely. My pain also started a few months post-partum and became so bad I couldn't pick up my baby to nurse. It was worst in my hands and feet. I went to a rheumatologist who did all the tests but could not diagnose me. She treated me with steroids which worked, but I couldn't stay on them forever. To cut a long story short, I knew it was something related to my auto-immune system (attacking itself) and my familly has several people with auto-immune related issues, and I learnt about people who have diseases in the auto-immune family having reduced symptoms if they cut gluten from their diet. So I tried it, and it worked. Since then I have found other women who became gluten intolerant as a result of pregnancy, some remain gluten intolerant, some don't. Mine comes and goes, depending on what is going on with my hormones. Please try it - it really saved my life.
Answered 2/10/13
8 found this helpful
tracylaz1: I&#39;m 19 months pp, still breastfeeding throughout the day. I have gotten a handle on the pain by using a foam roller, lacrosse ball, and Rubz foot roller to help roll out over my sore spots (arms, hands, feet, calves, thighs, back). It turned out to be an over-use injury. All of your ligaments are being used in repetitive motions constantly holding baby, picking baby up, bouncing baby, etc. Your body releases relaxin while breastfeeding making your joints limber and puts more strain on muscles and ligaments. After so much use those ligaments are strained and tight. They need to be massaged and loosened back up by deep tissue massage which a foam roller, rumble roller, lacrosse ball, tennis bell, and Rubz ball can all really help with. Now that I roll out my muscle grounds the effected areas have no more pain. It begins to feel better almost immediately. Try it. For you do palms of hands, forearm, calves, and back of thigh. Maybe even bottom of your feet. It is amazing.
Answered 6/12/16
8 found this helpful
I’m having the same problems as everyone else. My son is nine months old, and he is exclusively breastfed other than having a little baby food during the day. I had RA tests which came back negative. I have stiff hands and trigger finger in one thumb. The stiffness bothers me most in the morning, but the trigger finger persists all day. I have hip pain, some foot pain and occasional knee pain. My OB/GYN knows nothing about postpartum joint pain. I recently read that these pains might be due to a vitamin D deficiency, so I’m going to take 6000 units of vitamin D daily along with 1000 mg of calcium (starting today) to see if it helps. I also had my Paragard IUD taken out because research suggests there may be a connection between having an IUD and having an increased risk for developing RA antibodies. We’ll see how it goes.
Answered 3/22/18
7 found this helpful
star8121 - just a word of warning, my gluten intolerance has never gone 100%, I manage it through reducing gluten from my diet but it has continued since after my first pregnancy. I recently had my second kid, and had to continue keeping gluten out of my diet. So... you might still get these pains during your second pregnancy. I recommend trying to cut gluten now and see if you feel better - my pain lingered just like yours. The last thing you want during your second pregnancy is even a little pain lingering. Anyway, that was just my experience. Also, I found as my hormones changed during pregnancy my intolerance decreased or increased - sometimes I could put some bread back in my diet, but then sometimes it bothered me so I cut it again. Anyway, just be aware that it's related to hormones. Good luck!
Answered 2/19/13
6 found this helpful
Star8121...please keep us updated as your pregnancy progresses and after birth. Best of luck for smooth sailing. My first pregnancy was fine with no pain. Mine developed with my second baby and needless to say I'm hesitant to try for a third. My second baby is 16 mos now. I still have lingering pain in my feet and forearms / hands in the AM but doesn't last all day. I'm back on birth control and wondering if its helping my hormones. I was able to get off the Cymbalta which was great since I can't try for more being on it.
Answered 2/19/13
4 found this helpful
I have found something that works for me. I went to a running store to get shoes (Fleet Feet) with better arch support to hopefully help with the pain. When I described what I. was feeling one of the older women said it sounds like classic plantar fasciitis of both hands and feet. It&#39;s an overuse injury very common to runners. I thought she was mistaken, but she suggested I start to stretch and &quot;roll out&quot; the muscles in my hands and feet. She had me try it in the store. She gave me a little rubber ball with this nubbins that pinpoint the tendons in my feet and hands. I stood on it and applied as much pressure as I could stand and slowly rolled. There was a searing pain that was almost unbearable, but each time I rolled back across my foot it started to dissipate and the pain started to almost feel good! So I bought the ball (Rubz ball on Amazon - $6) and took it home. I continued to roll out at bedtime and in the mornings. I noticed feeling better right away. After a few days it was go
Answered 12/21/15
3 found this helpful
I wish I had better news for you but Im almost a year postpartum and still having the same problems. I went through an extensive workup (MRI's, CT scans, blood work, steroid injections, EMG, etc) and no one could come up with a conclusion. I did start taking Cymbalta 30mg a day and it helped. The downside, I had to stop breastfeeding and cant get pregnant until Im off the drug for 3 months. Originally, I did PT because they thought it was a pinched nerve in my back but after 6 weeks of therapy I was no different. Neurontin was useless, steroids helped but only short term. I cant find any answers to what is causing my pain and its very frustrating.
Answered 9/25/12
3 found this helpful

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