I just wanted to post here in case it might help others as I didn’t see the topic in the forum… sorry long post..
So here is the background….I have been suffering from neck, shoulder and lower back tension for the last few years. It started about 5-6 yrs back when one shoulder was sore and the same hand felt weak to lift things. I associated it with repetitive use in my line of work as I had done several weeks of intense work to catch up on projects. After careful use of other hand and ergo adjustment it eventually subsided. Then slowly both shoulders started tensing, some lower back/hip pain then progressed to painful tense neck muscle too. It was a slow progression, some weeks its fine, some weeks again hurting and feeling tired. It helped if I massage the muscles or put some voveran gel but it didn’t help to lie down and rest.
So I kept doing my normal chores and work though starting to feel old for my age. I thought it was hormones as I had crossed 40. I joined gym then thinking it was all stress, need exercise and toning to strengthen my shoulder and arms and kept at it as best a working mom of two could manage. Even then shoulder pain would come and go and stretching at gym helped but did not stop the tension from coming back. Pain killers did not seem to help too much either. Then last year I found I was gaining weight despite going to gym and my shoulder/neck pain were getting constant and was worse when I got up from night sleep. I went to doc one year ago who said it was tension only, do exercise (which I was already doing) and meditation, gave high dose of advil and a muscle relaxant, relax more, put neck pillow etc etc. She did some blood test to see if lupus or other auto immune and all were neg. Vitamin D /Calcium level, sugar were ok. After a few weeks I felt the meds had helped but then after one month of stopping the relaxant it was back to square one. I decided to just live with the tension as doctor did not have any suggestion than maybe physical therapy which I didnt have time for.
More and more I thought if I feel so lousy now how am I going to handle life when I am 55 or 60? I started being strict with gym, changed my gym routine, made sure I took vitamins, pampered myself, ignored in laws problem and took control of my life to my preferences. I felt good exercising but still the same shoulder/neck/back tension pain were ever increasing and more constant.. We even bought a new mattress thinking that was the problem. I was about 10lbs over weight by now but in my photos I noticed my face was puffy though my H kept saying I was lovely as ever. I had a distinct tummy pooch. By end of last year I started having sensitive teeth and gum and found my nails breaking often.
Then out of the blue on one of my lousy days, I happen to google “gluten and muscle pain” and bingo I found lots of posts telling about how gluten free diet had helped them with various things. I thought heck why not try this..I am south indian, I can easily avoid wheat/barley/rye for a few days as a test. And to my utter surprise my neck and shoulder pain subsided after being gluten free for just a few days!. I had never thought I had intestinal problems before but now that I am gluten free for about 3 wks I realize that last few years I actually had lots of gas and rushing to the bathroom after meals. My sensitive teeth and sore gums also healed. That puffy look on my face is gone and the tummy pooch is almost gone. I feel so normal now, no pains anywhere as if a whole weight has been lifted from my shoulder. I cannot believe that all these issues I was having was all due to gluten! If someone would have told me that gluten free would help my shoulder tension I would have laughed at them. I am still waiting to see if its a placebo effect or what.
I did talk to my doc and got tested for Celiac antibody test but it came back negative. But I decided that I don’t need any further testing and that I will simply continue my gluten free diet forever if need be. I get very mild occasional shoulder pains even now but assuming it will all subside as my body heals itself from the gluten that was causing all the inflammation the last few years. So now I avoid all bread, cereals unless gluten free type, soy sauce, read labels for wheat, try to eat as unprocessed as possible and when in doubt have salads. I am really hoping I have found the solution to my aches and pains.
I am not trying to say that gluten is the culprit for all muscle pains. But I would never would have associated what I ate to muscle inflammation. Hope this helps others here look at their food as a plausible cause of their health problem too whether it be gluten, lactose or something else.
So here is the background….I have been suffering from neck, shoulder and lower back tension for the last few years. It started about 5-6 yrs back when one shoulder was sore and the same hand felt weak to lift things. I associated it with repetitive use in my line of work as I had done several weeks of intense work to catch up on projects. After careful use of other hand and ergo adjustment it eventually subsided. Then slowly both shoulders started tensing, some lower back/hip pain then progressed to painful tense neck muscle too. It was a slow progression, some weeks its fine, some weeks again hurting and feeling tired. It helped if I massage the muscles or put some voveran gel but it didn’t help to lie down and rest.
So I kept doing my normal chores and work though starting to feel old for my age. I thought it was hormones as I had crossed 40. I joined gym then thinking it was all stress, need exercise and toning to strengthen my shoulder and arms and kept at it as best a working mom of two could manage. Even then shoulder pain would come and go and stretching at gym helped but did not stop the tension from coming back. Pain killers did not seem to help too much either. Then last year I found I was gaining weight despite going to gym and my shoulder/neck pain were getting constant and was worse when I got up from night sleep. I went to doc one year ago who said it was tension only, do exercise (which I was already doing) and meditation, gave high dose of advil and a muscle relaxant, relax more, put neck pillow etc etc. She did some blood test to see if lupus or other auto immune and all were neg. Vitamin D /Calcium level, sugar were ok. After a few weeks I felt the meds had helped but then after one month of stopping the relaxant it was back to square one. I decided to just live with the tension as doctor did not have any suggestion than maybe physical therapy which I didnt have time for.
More and more I thought if I feel so lousy now how am I going to handle life when I am 55 or 60? I started being strict with gym, changed my gym routine, made sure I took vitamins, pampered myself, ignored in laws problem and took control of my life to my preferences. I felt good exercising but still the same shoulder/neck/back tension pain were ever increasing and more constant.. We even bought a new mattress thinking that was the problem. I was about 10lbs over weight by now but in my photos I noticed my face was puffy though my H kept saying I was lovely as ever. I had a distinct tummy pooch. By end of last year I started having sensitive teeth and gum and found my nails breaking often.
Then out of the blue on one of my lousy days, I happen to google “gluten and muscle pain” and bingo I found lots of posts telling about how gluten free diet had helped them with various things. I thought heck why not try this..I am south indian, I can easily avoid wheat/barley/rye for a few days as a test. And to my utter surprise my neck and shoulder pain subsided after being gluten free for just a few days!. I had never thought I had intestinal problems before but now that I am gluten free for about 3 wks I realize that last few years I actually had lots of gas and rushing to the bathroom after meals. My sensitive teeth and sore gums also healed. That puffy look on my face is gone and the tummy pooch is almost gone. I feel so normal now, no pains anywhere as if a whole weight has been lifted from my shoulder. I cannot believe that all these issues I was having was all due to gluten! If someone would have told me that gluten free would help my shoulder tension I would have laughed at them. I am still waiting to see if its a placebo effect or what.
I did talk to my doc and got tested for Celiac antibody test but it came back negative. But I decided that I don’t need any further testing and that I will simply continue my gluten free diet forever if need be. I get very mild occasional shoulder pains even now but assuming it will all subside as my body heals itself from the gluten that was causing all the inflammation the last few years. So now I avoid all bread, cereals unless gluten free type, soy sauce, read labels for wheat, try to eat as unprocessed as possible and when in doubt have salads. I am really hoping I have found the solution to my aches and pains.
I am not trying to say that gluten is the culprit for all muscle pains. But I would never would have associated what I ate to muscle inflammation. Hope this helps others here look at their food as a plausible cause of their health problem too whether it be gluten, lactose or something else.