Is Back Pain Caused By Gout?

Your back pain might be spinal gout. A recent study, that I missed from my December 2006 Newsletter, shows that spinal gout is much more common than previously thought.

In a study by Bhandaru and others, Prevalence of Spinal Gout, 630 medical records of gout patients were reviewed and 64 selected where CT scans were available. The authors found that 9 of the 64 scans (17%) showed signs of gout in the spine.

Spinal gout is much more prevalent than previously thought. The authors note that the number of cases, 9, is small and they recommend further study.

On reflection, I suppose gout in the spine is to be expected. After all, the spine consists of several joints. I occasionally get back pain. It’s never been as severe as gout pain in my joints. I’ve always assumed it is caused by posture change due to me limping with gout in my foot or knee.

Given the prevalence, I think I’d better add back pain to my gout symptoms survey.

Do you have any back pain with gout? Have you had it confirmed as spinal gout? Please share your experiences using the gout forum.

Gout symptoms range from irritating tingling to debilitating painful swelling. Check out your gout symptoms through this free online survey.