Can High Blood Sugar Cause Joint Pain?

Joint pain is an annoying symptom felt by millions of people around the world each day. Sitting for too long, obesity, Arthritis, repetitive stress are all factors that are pointed out as the most common causes of joint pain in either the hip or the knee or the back. But did you ever think that your high blood sugar can be a significant factor for your joint pain?

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 47 percent of the Arthritis patients are suffering from Diabetes at the same time. We cannot deny the obvious link between these two conditions, can we? It is clear as a day that diabetes is actually worsening the arthritis symptoms and adds up to the joint pain that you are already feeling. So if you are suffering from Diabetes and Arthritis at the same time, or if you are just dealing with Diabetes, please do follow us through to find out how exactly are these two conditions associated and how you can act to reduce your joint pain.

Is Your High Blood Sugar The Reason That Causes Your Joint Pain?

It is no secret that Diabetes Mellitus causes various health problems regarding all of the body’s systems. However, what may surprise a lot of people is finding out that Diabetes can actually worsen their joint pain or even cause one if not present before.

One study published in the Acta Medica Scandinavica talked about a diagnosis known as the Diabetic shoulder. Diabetic shoulder, also known as frozen shoulder, is a condition in which the capsule of the shoulder joint becomes swollen and thickened causing decreased mobility, pain, and persistent stiffness to occur. It is not that Diabetes is the only cause for this condition, however, within patients suffering from Diabetes, the symptoms of the frozen shoulder are much more severe and harder to treat.

Another study published in the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association talked about the musculoskeletal effects of Diabetes Mellitus. In this study, many musculoskeletal conditions that have occurred as a result of Diabetes Mellitus are mentioned including muscle cramps, muscle infarction, complex regional pain syndrome, limited joint mobility, tendosynovitis, osteoporosis, etc. What really got our attention in this study was a condition known as Diabetic stiff hands syndrome or Cheiroarthropathy. In this condition, the skin of the hand became waxy and thickened eventually causing decreased range of motion of all fingers. This condition is noticed to occur among 50% of the diabetic patients suffering from Diabetes Mellitus type 1 and also within patients with Diabetes Mellitus type 2.

To sum up – a lot of musculoskeletal conditions are associated with Diabetes Mellitus. As you can see, Diabetes Mellitus actually worsens the symptoms caused by these musculoskeletal conditions, especially the joint pain. And the musculoskeletal problems related to Diabetes are much more common among young adults, unfortunately. So now that we established that, let’s see what you can do about it.

How Can You Reduce The Pain Caused By Diabetes Mellitus?

• 
  Watch what you eat – Diabetes is sure not an easy thing to live with. However, what most people tend to forget is the importance of their diet, especially when they are dealing with something as difficult as Diabetes. A lot of your everyday difficulties caused by Diabetes Mellitus, including your joint pain, can be reduced if only you watch the way you eat.
  
  If you are experiencing some difficulties in arranging a diet for yourself, you can fix that by asking for help from a professional nutritionist. The most important thing to remember is to include a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, a lot of water and a lot of chicken and fish instead of alcohol, red meat, artificial sweeteners, processed food and so on.
• Exercise – By following a healthy diet and doing your regular exercise you can reduce your body weight gradually. And reducing your weight is essential, especially if you are suffering from a combination of Diabetes Mellitus, obesity and joint pain. By reducing your body weight for even 15 pounds, you can help decrease your knee pain for 50%. And that is by no mean a small change.
  
• Eliminate your stress – When your stress levels rise up your blood sugar levels do also. And when this happens chances are that your joint pain will increase gradually. So what you need to do is eliminate as much as stress as possible from your life. And exercising, healthy eating and practicing yoga and meditation can help you on the way.

• Watch your alcohol intake – Controlling your blood sugar levels will be much easier if you control your alcohol intake. Patients who are dealing with Diabetes should not drink more than one drink of any kind a day in order to skip the risk of increasing their blood sugar levels.

Conclusion

Imagine waking up and feeling the pain, stiffness and swelling around your joints. But wait, if you are reading this article, the chances are that you do not have to image it. Unfortunately, you are probably feeling it. But let us ask you this – are you suffering from Diabetes Mellitus as well? The answer to this question is probably yes since as we mentioned earlier nearly 50% of the patients dealing with Arthritis are also dealing with Diabetes Mellitus at the same time.

Did you ever think that your joint pain can be actually caused or even worsened because of your Diabetes Mellitus? This, unfortunately, is not something that most people are aware of. Even though it is familiar that Diabetes if uncontrolled, can lead to various healthy problems and risks, only a small number of people are aware of the role of Diabetes in their joint pain occurrence. This is exactly what made us dedicate a whole article on this topic, exploring the role of Diabetes in the occurrence of joint pain and sharing some useful tips on lifestyle changes that are supposed to help you overcome your joint pain and control your Diabetes better.

We sure hope that you will do everything that is in your power to improve your overall health and enjoy the years that are in front of you