MEDICAL MATTERS
- Medical Matters features questions asked by Members of the ME Association on health-related topics.
- Dr Charles Shepherd and the ME Association's other advisers answer these questions by sharing their expert knowledge.
- Medical Matters is based on the popular ‘Ask the Doctor’ series in ME Essential magazine.
- It is a free resource that supplements the detailed information contained in the full range of literature that can be found in the website shop.
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Questions in the Category: Joint Pain
Steroid treatment – is it safe?
I’m having a lot of joint problems at the moment and my consultant wants to inject a steroid into the joint to reduce the inflammation and pain. I’m concerned that this could make my ME worse because I thought that people with ME shouldn’t be given steroids.
Alternative treatments: Flotation tank
A friend of mine who has a painful rheumatic disease has been using a local floatation tank to help relieve her pain. I have quite a lot of ME related joint and muscle pain and the drugs that have been prescribed are of very limited benefit.
Is this something that’s worth trying for pain in ME? Are there any potential side-effects?
Hypermobility & Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
My daughter, who is now in her early twenties, has had ME/CFS since being a teenager. We have always felt that her joints are more flexible than normal. She often has strains and sprains and has dislocated her knee in the past. Her doctor is now querying whether she may now have a hypermobile joint condition called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Are there any links between hypermobile joints and ME/CFS? Or is this just a coincidence?
Hyperparathyroidism
Many symptoms of Hyperparathyroidism are similar to ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia. Would a GP be able to recognise hyperparathyroidism and what are the treatment options?
Sjögren’s Syndrome
I know that joint pains sometimes occur in ME/CFS and this is a symptom that I’ve occasionally had over many years – but without any swelling, redness or deformity occurring. But I’ve also developed more persistent joint pain, dry eyes and my fatigue levels are considerably worse. My GP is questioning whether I might now have a condition cause Sjögren’s Syndrome which he says can sometimes be misdiagnosed as ME/CFS. But can it co-exist with ME/CFS?
Aetiology: Immune System
I keep seeing references to ‘low level immune system activation’ being an important research finding in ME/CFS. But what does this mean in language that I can understand?
Addison's Disease
I was interested to see the item on Addison’s disease in the Winter issue of ME Essential as I have a close friend with this rare disease and it obviously has some interesting symptom overlaps with ME/CFS. So is there any evidence that adrenal gland failure, and steroid hormone production, could also be involved in ME/CFS? If so, would it be worth looking at steroids as a possible form of treatment for ME/CFS?
Treatment: Hydrotherapy
My physiotherapist has suggested that I might like to use of the hydroils therapy pool at a local hospital.
I have been making fairly steady progress over the past year (with the occasional short relapses) and used to really enjoy swimming — something that I haven't done since becoming ill with ME three years ago.
The physio says that the changing facilities are good, the water is warm, the atmosphere is relaxed and nobody is encouraged to do anything that they do not feel comfortable with. So why not give it a try?
Symptoms: Joint pain
I've always had occasional joint pains since developing ME/CFS — as there's a history of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in my family. I've had a blood test for RA in the past but it was negative for RA.
My joint pains have recently changed with redness and a slight swelling in some of the small joints in my hand as well as pain in the feet. The pain and stiffness is worse in the morning and diminishes as the day goes on. Is this type of joint pain consistent with ME/CFS? Or should I go back to my G
Lyme Disease
I know that ME/CFS and Lyme disease have a lot of symptoms in common and that some people with Lyme are being misdiagnosed as having ME/CFS. But what are the main symptoms of Lyme disease?
Dr Charles Shepherd
Dr Shepherd has been Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association for more than 40 years. He is integral to the charity's activities and provides information and support based on his professional knowledge, personal experience as a doctor with ME/CFS, and the understanding gained from helping many thousands of people with the condition. He was a member of the comittee responsible for the 2021 NICE Clinical Guideline and is a recognised expert on ME/CFS in the UK. His knowledge extends to Post-Viral Fatigue Syndromes (PVFS), Myalgic Encephalopathy/Encephalomyelitis (ME), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) or Long Covid.
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Medical Matters is based on the popular ‘Ask the Doctor‘ series featured in the highly-regarded member’s magazine, ME Essential, and in the healthcare professional magazine, ME Medical. Both are produced by the ME Association and published as hard-copy magazines every 3 months and sent to members and healthcare professionals by post to home or business addresses.
If you are an HCP you can sign-up here to receive ME Medical magazine (people with ME/CFS can also nominate their HCP by completing the sign-up form).
