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Swelling behind knees, TMJ, swollen shoulder

Posted , 5 users are following.

trish46056
trish46056

Hi. I haven't been diagnosed yet - waiting for appt. My trouble started in my right knee about 5 months ago with horrible sharp pain in the front.  Next I experienced swelling behind both knees and trouble walking.  While all this was happening I had horrible pain in my jaw and temple - dentist said its TMJ....and its has been like this for months with varying degrees of swelling. Oh also my shoulder muscle is swollen. I am waiting to see the specialist.  Does this sound like RA?

1 like, 16 replies

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  • cheria
    cheria trish46056

    Posted

    Gosh, from my personal experience and research, involving both dental infections deep in my jaw (this becomes a systemic infection) and RA, this sounds as though the serious dental infection has spread systemically thru your system and induced RA symptoms...as this is where the dental bacteria often spreads.. Do you need a surgery on your temperal mandibular joint? Was this caused from previous dental work gone wrong? Also are you taking prednisone and anti inflammatories or àntibiotics at this time to treat the dental infection or swelling (including what sounds like bakers cysts behind your knees) and joint pain? With my experience and research, the TMJ condition can induce RA as well as mimic RA, and it really may depend on if you can get the TMJ condition corrected. Can you tell me how you believe you came down with TMJ, and how this is being treated?
    • trish46056
      trish46056 cheria

      Posted

      Hi. Thanks for your reply! The TMJ they believe is from grinding and clenching. But I did have a root canal about a year ago, which the tooth became infected around the same time the knees thing started.  Had to have the tooth removed in January.  But the pain in the temple and jaw is still there.  I was on prednisone several times already.  The dentist is having me try a mouth guard to wear at night.  He also believes that taking a sleeping pill will help, but I do not want to take sleeping pills! 
    • cheria
      cheria trish46056

      Posted

      Oh gosh, I have also done much research on the dangers and risks of root canals which dentists DO NOT disclose. The research shows that root canals put people at very high risk damage which is what you have experienced. General Dentists specifically more than oral surgeons will attempt to say the permanent damage they have created is something other than their work...such as grinding your teeth at night?!? The TMJ damage caused by this root canal procedure is a painful and permanent condition, that can and does trigger other systemic conditions such as RA. Were you prescribed a strong antibiotic immediately after your root canal? Do you know how you got an infection in this? Why was prednisone prescribed rather than an antibiotic do you know?
    • trish46056
      trish46056 cheria

      Posted

      Hi Cheria,

      Yes, I was given an antibiotic after the root canal, but I can't remember what it was.  It was over a year or ago. Then this past Fall, I started getting what I thought was a horrible sinus infection.  I kept going to my doctor because I had pain in my temple and teeth on the left side, and swelling.   He gave me antibiotics and steriods.  I also have a lot of food allergies and had allergic reaction to something and was on steriods again.  Then the knee swelling, and finally realizing the pain in the temple was from the tooth after an appointment for teeth cleaning and got xrays.  They had to extract the tooth.  Put me on antibiotics again and I was on steriods for the swelling elsewhere.  It was all happening at the same time and taking the medications for one thing or the other....so I am confused as to what was what! 

  • Littledog
    Littledog trish46056

    Posted

    Hi Trish

    sorry you are experiencing this, but it sounds positive that you are waiting to see a specialist. I presume an RA specialist rather than TMJ? 

    Your story sounds vety very similar to mine. About threeor four weeks ago I had lumps behind both knees and following some mild exercise , my right knee became vety painful and immobile.  I had an X-ray (which was fine) but whilst I was waiting for my follow up GP app, the pain spread to my left knee, hips and elbows, with terrible fatigue. Two weeks later after pain made and anti inflamm tablets I am a bit better but knees still hot and delicate.  I also have TMJ and have been to the dental hospital in the last week (although had this for ages) and have had a root canal, of which the crown is giving me some trouble.  I have had an abscess on my gum before near my root canal and had started to wonder if I had another one that maybe burst and went into my system but my blood tests were fine for both bacterial and viral infections.  This is a bit of a work in progress for me as early days.  I will keep you posted just in case there are any further similarities.  Good luck x

    • cheria
      cheria Littledog

      Posted

      None of these things were disclosed in your other posting, to which I have doubted RA based on your symptoms..but since commenting on trishes posting about her tnj and root canal, you have made your case history in alignment with this posting..portraying and adding to your case, to make you correct about your prognosis! Very confusing as to the true nature of your symptoms I guess..
    • Littledog
      Littledog cheria

      Posted

      I had no idea my TMJ could be linked at all, I have had this some twenty years so hospital checks and works to damaged teeth is a pretty normal way of life.  Root canal and abscess was some years aho, not connected this at all to my recent symptoms, even the loose crown has been about a year so just not connected any dots really. 
    • Littledog
      Littledog

      Posted

      Should also say my doctor just called and said everything was fine in my bloods, even the indicators for inflammation, despite my current swollen knee.  Doctor didn't think my knee was terribly swollen when she examined me - through my jeans! So at a bit of a frustrating loss as to what's happening for me.  Referral to a rheumatologist is a negative based on bloods. Maybe I don't need to go, just don't know anymore rolleyes
    • trish46056
      trish46056 Littledog

      Posted

      Hi.Thanks for your reply.  I am set to see an RA specialist not TMJ.  The only test I've had so far was an Xray of knees that my doctor ordered. I haven't heard anything about what the Xray showed. The dentist is fitting me with a mouth guard to wear at night for the TMJ.  I hope it helps.  The jaw pain is horrible. I guess all I can do is wait...Yes, please keep me posted. I will do the same!
    • Littledog
      Littledog trish46056

      Posted

      Hi Trish.  I hope and think that your mouth guard will help your TMJ.  I've had this for years and I'm not going to pretend it's resolved, I crushed my own molar on a night off my guard (hence the root canal and interest in this thread) and I still have problems now, swelling, loosening crown, pain etc.. But, and it's a big but, it is so much better controlled than before.  I feel really confident with a good mouth splint (the hard type, not soft like a sports guard) you will get some relief.  I am now experiencing the joint problems like you and it's interesting to hear there may be some research to link the two.  I can't wait to get some light at the end of the tunnel .... Best of luck x
  • gemma83759
    gemma83759 trish46056

    Posted

    Hi all, this is an interesting discussion. I've had ra for 6 yrs and am taking sulfazalazine and waiting on starting leflunomide. I've got tmj on the left side of my jaw, I Was diagnosed with tmj after my jaw kept locking shut constantly. The longest my jaw was locked was 6 weeks, very painful and very very frustrating!! I use a mouthguard nightly and amitriptyline which is a muscle relaxant. Due to ongoing problems with my jaw I ended up having an operation on it and thankfully the locking had eased off considerably. Is there a link between tmj and ra? How strange I never linked the two before!!

    • cheria
      cheria gemma83759

      Posted

      Yes, I strongly believe and have found through resesrch, that there is a strong link between TMJ, RA conditions, root canals or dental extractions that are more serious, and any kind of dental work that involves root or jaw level dental work, generally done by general dentists more so than qualified and very skilled oral surgeons. Root canals and other surgeries involving the jaw bone and root level into the jaw, are risks for systemic infections involving heart conditions, diabetes, RA and other auto immune diseases, for those who have immune sufficiency conditions and including gout, according to the research I've done. It has to do with the bacteria and fungal that is introduced systemically, in dental procedures and infection that is very often a result. General dentists do not educate or inform their patients, but often have fine print disclosures to protect themselves against these outcomes. We MUST do our research and educate ourselves for so many reasons.
  • gemma83759
    gemma83759 trish46056

    Posted

    Hi all, this is an interesting discussion. I've had ra for 6 yrs and am taking sulfazalazine and waiting on starting leflunomide. I've got tmj on the left side of my jaw, I Was diagnosed with tmj after my jaw kept locking shut constantly. The longest my jaw was locked was 6 weeks, very painful and very very frustrating!! I use a mouthguard nightly and amitriptyline which is a muscle relaxant. Due to ongoing problems with my jaw I ended up having an operation on it and thankfully the locking had eased off considerably. Is there a link between tmj and ra? How strange I never linked the two before!!

    • Littledog
      Littledog gemma83759

      Posted

      Hi interesting to me too.  I seem to have RA symptoms but still going through the process of trying to sort a diagnosis for what I am experiencing.  It was on,y when I saw this thread I started to wonder if my recent joint problems might be affecting my worsening TMJ...
  • gemma83759
    gemma83759 trish46056

    Posted

    Meant to say a yr before my jaw problems started I had a canine tooth extracted from my palate. This had to be done under general anaesthetic cos of the angle of the tooth. They had to cut a flap in my palate break the tooth 3 times then stitch my palate. Jaw started locking bout a year later!!
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