Hypothyroidism: A Cause of Joint Pain
Hypothyroidism
Low functioning thyroid also known as hypothyroidism can cause joint and muscle pain. It’s estimated that 20 million people have hypothyroidism and that over 60% of the people with hypothyroidism are unaware that they have it.
What is the Thyroid Gland?
The thyroid gland is a butterfly shaped organ that resides in your neck. It produces two hormones called Triiodothyronine (T3) and Thyroxine (T4). T4 and T3 travel throughout and act on every cell in the body. They increase the cells metabolism, causing the cells to increase the work they do.
Controlling your metabolism is the main job of the thyroid. You may be thinking, “what does your metabolism and joints have in common?”. Well, metabolism is a term used to describe energy. The thyroids job is to provide energy to the body, to heal and maintain tissues. Yes, the thyroid does more than this, which we will discuss later. If your body does not have the energy to maintain or heal tissues, joints will break down over time causing pain and inflammation.
Okay okay, but how do I brown my beige fat?
You can see this occurring in the joints under ultrasound, the joint capsule becomes thick. This thickness is caused by inflammation. Over time this inflammation will eventually cause arthritis in the joint.
Causes of Hypothyroidism:
- Auto-immune: This is when your own body is attacking your thyroid. It’s called Hashimoto’s.
- Low iodine: Iodine is required to make thyroid hormones, when low you cannot make thyroid hormones.
- Age: As we get older thyroid function declines.
- Stress: Stress hormones decrease thyroid hormones.
- Genetic: If other family members have hypothyroidism, you will want to be tested.
- Women: More women than men have hypothyroidism.
Symptoms of Hypothyroidism:
- Joint pain
- Muscle pain
- Fatigue
- Hair loss
- Dry skin
- Constipation
- Painful periods
- High cholesterol
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Recurrent infections
- Edema
- Weight gain
How to Diagnose Hypothyroidism
You should have a full thyroid lab panel done. This is not just running a TSH, as TSH is only a part of the picture. You also need to know what your Free T3, Free T4, Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies and thyroglobulin (TG) antibodies look like. I also like to check patients iodine status to make sure they can make enough thyroid hormone. It is estimated that 14 million people have hashimoto’s making it the most common cause of hypothyroidism. Make sure your doctor is testing you for this.
Hypothyroid Treatment
There are different treatment options depending on the cause of your hypothyroidism.
Nutrient/Supplements:
Iodine is needed to create thyroid hormone. It’s recommended that you get 150 mcg a day. You can get this through taking a supplement or by increasing your diet in milk, cheese, poultry, eggs, kelp, and seaweed.
Selenium is required to create thyroid hormone. It also reduces TPO antibodies (so cool it decreases thyroid destruction if you have Hashimoto’s). The average dose is 100-200 mcg a day. Foods high in selenium include brazil nuts, shrimp, salmon, sardines and shitake mushrooms.
Zinc is important because it helps with thyroid hormone conversion of T4 to T3. Food sources of zinc include shellfish, legumes, nuts and pumpkin seeds. The recommended daily intake of zinc is 8 mgs.
Tyrosine is needed for the creation of thyroid hormones and thyroid hormone conversion. The best way to increase tyrosine is to eat enough protein. Most people should be getting 0.8 grams of protein per pound of weight.
Magnesium is a cofactor used to create more T4. Food high in magnesium dark chocolate, spinach, avocados, nuts, seeds and fatty fish.
We all have different needs and different biochemistry. One size does not fit all when you are talking about health and hormones. It’s very important to know where your thyroid hormone levels are.
Hypothyroidism can leave you feeling tired and with joint pain. You may have already tried several ways to decrease your joint pain but never knew to check your hormones. Now you know! Find a doctor that is willing to dig a bit deeper so that you can achieve or maintain your healthier, happier, youthful, vibrant, pain free life.