does anyone that has an underactive thyroid experience any problems with their upper back and neck,i have pain and stiffness in both.

[nightowl46]

i was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid in november 2006,i'm now on an alternated dose of levothyroxine 75mg one day and 100mg the next day.i also take the antidepressant sertraline for depression and an anxiety and panic disorder.the doctor says i do show some signs of wear and tare on my neck but thats normal for someone of my age i .would be interested to know if anybody else experiences the same problems as i wonder if my underactive thyroid could be the cause.

[ourida55]

Hi nightowl46, I have had neck and upper back pain and stiffness for the past 3yrs since having to give up work thru depression, which gave me all the horrible symptoms associated with it and also with hypo, as both usually have similar symptoms. I know that, as I have had those symptoms at different levels for the past 30yrs, since having post natal depression. Its only since I retired from work that my neck began to give me so much pain that I decided to go for physio treatment at the local hospital here. It took a long time to show any signs of improvement and the hospital thought that it was because of my poor posture, which I must admit has never been brilliant, especially when sitting on the sofa using my laptop ( which I no longer do now) The stiffness and pain is no longer as bad as it was due to the exercises I was tought to do lying down but it is always there when I turn my head to each side, altho the pain has always been mainly on one side of my neck and upper back.

For the past 3 mths I have started getting pain in my left heel, which often makes me limp, especially after getting out of bed in the morning. I can remember at least two members on here mentioning having pain in their heels and wonder if that could be also associated with having hypothyroidism, as a lot of people on this site mention having aches and pains in their bodies, some of them much worse than mine are at the moment. I think its a sign of not having enough thyroid hormone but have yet never told my endo or my GP about the continuous pain, especially in my neck.

I hope this has helped and that you seek treatment for your neck pain for which physiotherapy does help but only if you continue doing the exercises every day, which I tend not to these days.

I think Ive just become used to the pain...lol

[shaws Administrator]

If you have had a recent thyroid gland blood test, get a print-out from your surgery complete with the ranges and post them on a new question for someone to comment.

If not, get an up-to-date one - if GP enquires say that you are feeling unwell and would like to check your thyroid status. At the same time, if you haven't already had one, ask for a Vitamn B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate. The first two are often deficient in hypothyroidism and can cause problems.

You could be undermedicated.

[marram]

nightowl46, so sorry that you are suffering this way, I've been through it and I know how exhausting it is. I also know how infuriating it is to be told 'it's your age'. My own GP told me that my constant right knee swelling and pain were age, and I said, 'well, it's the same age as the other knee, and that doesn't hurt!'. He also told me when I said I was tired that 'some people are just tired'. Not me!

Neck, shoulder and back pain are very common in under-treated hytpothyroidism. Depression is also a symptoms as are anxiety and agoraphobia. Unfortunately many doctors today prefer to have patients who are in pain and depressed rather than having happy, healthy well-treated hypothyroid patients.

Why is this? First of all, thanks to the guidance from the British Thyroid Foundation. many do truly believe that unless the TSH is above 5 or even 10 the patient cannot be hypothyroid; and secondly, some are cynical enough to want points rather than healthy patients, and the points for treating hypothyroid-associated symptoms rather than the actual hypothyroidism are huge. That is a flaw in the Quality and Outcomes Framework which encourages doctors to report numbers of patients who are being treated for depression, high cholesterol, and so on.

nhsemployers.org/Aboutus/Pu...

This is a very long document but you can look up the particular topic, such as 'Hypothyroidism' and 'Depression' or 'Cardiovascular Disease'.

Just to clarify, if a patient is diagnosed with hypothyroidism, the GP will get 1 point, plus 6 every time he does the blood tests. On the other hand, he will get 21 points for diagnosing and assessing a patient with depression, and a further 10 points for the follow up. Since they are paid according to points, it is pretty clear which diagnosis is the more likely. Even diagnosing obesity gets him more points, and therefore more money.

Most hypothyroid sufferers are depressed, and in pain. Anti-depressants may reduce the depression, but won't get rid of the pain. Painkillers may ease the pain but can make the depression worse. Correct and optimal treatment of the hypothyroidism is far more likely to help with both, plus restoring normal cholesterol levels, helping the patient to lose weight, and avoiding the cardiovascular problems which are caused by under-treated hypothyroidism.

If you follow the extremely good advice given by shaws you will be taking a step towards this optimal treatment.

We look forward to hearing from you with your results, I am sure that you will get very good advice on the basis of these.

Marie XX

[shaws Administrator]

Marie, very interesting about the points system - it says it all.

[flatfeet1]

Interesting/puzzling that Fibromyalgia CFS or ME don't seem to be there.

[suki65]

check out nutrition and healing by dr j wright

i believe lots of medication adds to things and makes you take other medication to right what other tablets cause its a vicious circle some of the medicine you are taking could lead to more medicines

try coq10 for stiff aching joints if you are below age 40 above 40 try ubiquinol give it a couple of weeks and you will see a difference in your joints

[Hidden]

Hi,

Often all sorts of aches and pains are linked but not necessarily caused by one another. If you have wear and tear arthritis and I have the same thing in my neck and upper back then it is tiring having to cope with the pain and that puts stress on the body which can lead to symptoms like fibromyalgia and depression. They may all be related to thyroid problems but not necessarily caused by them but at the same time thyroid problems will also put strain on the body and other problems will then occur.

It's difficult to tease out the relationship between them so rather than think of cause I am trying to just think in terms of what makes me feel better. That way I do not have the stress of being unable to find answers. I research the conditions I have and if something seems to relate to how I feel then I think about it and maybe try it but over the years I've found that if I relieve stress and take care of myself, especially emotionally, then many of the aches and pains go away on their own over time. I've also realised that drinking plenty of water helps with all sorts of things like tiredness and aches and pains, also it helps bloods to get back to normal! The medics seldom focus upon such a simple thing.

I agree with the reply that meds have side effects which often lead to taking more meds to cope with them. Rather than thinking in terms of being under-medicated my own view would be to reduce meds as much as possible but in a way that feels right to you, so in other words I would try managing without or reducing the least important meds but make sure I take care of my body and then gradually wean off, doing that with each in turn. I really now only take meds if things are so bad that it feels like the only possibility and even then I prefer to take painkillers than meds that are supposed to cure the cause as diagnosis for many things is so complex. However I do agree that if your bloods show abnormal results then taking something to bring them back to normal is helpful.

Suexx

[Hidden]

I have been hypothyroid for about 11 years and I have had pain in my neck and shoulders for most of that time. When I was first diagnosed I had an x-ray in that area and the only thing it revealed was that I had an extra full rib on my left rib cage and the doctor thought this was contributing to the pain. However, the pain (not too bad sometimes) continued and another doctor tested me for poly myalgia rheumatica (probably mis-spelt), he said pain in the neck area was symptomatic of this disease. Thankfully the test proved negative because steroids are the only treatment.

Mentioned it to my endo and he said this might be coming from my thyroid and the nerves may track up to the neck, causing pain there.

So haven't got to the bottom of it and this probably doesn't help you in a positive way but thought I would share the experience.

[tegz]

I'm not long on 25 Levo and after 5 weeks the last two have included a sore neck and upper arms.

The neck pain is at the back like a crick- I've seen a post on here describing pain away from the actual thyroid gland. It's eased a lot since starting but still there.

I was getting heel pain one side for a few months on and off before Levo and it's still there.

It may be connected with UAT as not enough Levo to help with much-it just makes me feel rough- esp. a.m after second half of nights sleep. Pressing on...

Low level symptoms- but the Drs ignore these most of the time- they're just not 'tuned' like us TP's, are they?

Hollow laugh :~/

[ejh1]

Hi

I also have shoulder and neck pain - only on the RHS - and have had this since before I was diagnosed, so probably about 15 years and have had one or another hypo symptoms all that time.

A couple of years ago I was referred to a neurologist for peripheral neuropathy (which I now believe was caused by B12 deficiency, although this was never diagnosed as I was 'in range') and I had a whole spine MRI. This showed 'moderate cervical spondylosis' ie wear and tear on the cervical spine joints - possibly more than would be expected in an otherwise fit, healthy, slim and active 42 year old. There was nothing to indicate any trapped nerves or causes of migraine. I since decided to treat myself with 'joint' medication (glucosamine, chondrotin, omega 3) and have also started to take a high dose B12 daily. I take other minerals for thyroid support also. I still get a bad shoulder/neck, but it has improved dramatically. I should point out that my thyroxine was also increased around this time from 100 to 150 mcg, and I still reckon I could go higher.

No idea if this helps you, but it seems strange that so many of us are affected in this way. It is now my most disabling symptom (apart from crippling cold in the dead of winter) as it causes migraines once or twice a month. However, I can live with that as I know others are far worse, and I feel that I'm still working on improving my health myself.

I would be interested to know if anyone has had this neck/back pain and it has been improved by taking T3?

Emma

[Nat060685 in reply to ejh1]

Hi Emma,

What thyroid support do

You take? I bought a thyroid support but it says not to take with thyroid meds??

[Mauds]

I'm underactive for the past 10 years. For the past two weeks I've been feeling awful really anxious, palps, can't sleep really jittery. Had my bloods done last week and my TSH has increased from. 5.40 to. 24 why am I feeling like this when I'm gone way under has anyone else ever felt like this. My doc has prescribed Xanax but I don't want to go down that road. He has also redone my bloods and vitimin b12 hope to have those results this week. I've also had my neck and shoulders in spasm it took over two months to clear must be the thyroid.

[McNels]

I am newly diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Though I believe I have had it for many years without knowing about it.. I have also neckpains to and fro'.

[Karengann]

Yes I do mine hurt all the time even heating Pads are meds did not help me

[Hidden]

I too have neck pain and tight shoulders. I have learned from a medical biologist who focuses on physiology and thyroid health that low thyroid can cause these issues. Pain as result from swelling in the spinal cord due to low thyroid and muscles tighten. Make sure you are utilizing an appropriate diet, plenty of protein, carbs and t3. T4 solely will not fix your underactive thyroid.

[Earlgirlem]

I have this pain too. It's absolutely related to thyroid. I've tried chiropractic. Did not help. When I don't have enough thyroid my upper back and back of neck ache. Feels like I need to stretch. But stretching doesn't take it away. I'm on natural dedicated thyroid and still attempting to find the right dose. It seems too much also causes this pain. But yes, I KNOW it is thyroid related.

[jacrjacr in reply to Earlgirlem]

I was changed from nature throid to compounded due to the shortage yet 2 g of compounded is only 120 and I was on 130mcg.....and I can feel that little difference...I get the side of the neck ache near bed time....like I need more...my dr barely rose me to 2 grains so you know how drs are.....so even though I feel like I need more...don't yet know what to do

[Kristina60]

I have a strange feeling in my neck it feels stiff sometimes and sometimes like it’s swollen but it’s not! I’m taking 100mcg levothyroxine daily and my levels are fine . I had a scan which just showed that my thyroid had shrunk . I have been on levothyroxine for 30 years as I had an autoimmune reaction from a virus which damaged my thyroid and think my symptoms are related to the thyroid but also stress which makes it so much worse .