Hypothyroidism CAUSES Chronic Pain (How to Stop it)

Did you know that hypothyroidism can cause chronic pain? It's one of the top 10 most common side effects from low thyroid function and not many people are aware of it.

Chronic pain can come in the form of joint pain, muscle pain, or just aches and pains throughout your entire body and it is directly tied to thyroid function.

Why does it occur in thyroid patients? Through something called tissue level hypothyroidism.

This is the idea that even though some of your tissues may be getting enough thyroid hormone it may not be true for all of your tissues.

It goes something like this:

Imagine you are taking thyroid medication and that medication is getting to most of your body but not to your muscle tissues. If it doesn't get to your muscle tissues then it won't allow those muscles to produce enough energy which means you may experience trigger points.

If these trigger points are not fixed then they may be the source of potentiation for pain which can be felt on exam.

This is why there is a strong connection between thyroid function and fibromyalgia.

How can you fix this issue? By focusing on these 3 things:

#1. Get on T3 thyroid medication (this can either be in the form of cytomel, liothyronine, or NDT).

#2. Exercise to tolerance (this means exercising to the point that you push your body and muscles to their maximum capacity).

#3. Use muscle therapy to help eliminate the trigger points and normalize skeletal muscle tissue. You can do this with manual massage, vibration therapy, trigger point injection therapy, or myofascial release.

Are you experiencing chronic pain? Do you think it's from your thyroid? Let me know below!

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Disclaimer:

This video is for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, treatment, diagnosis, prescription, or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Childs and you. You should not make any changes to your medications or health regimens without first consulting a physician. If you have any questions please consult with your current primary care provider. Restart Medical LLC and Dr. Westin Childs are not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis, or any other information, services, or product you obtain through this website or video.
#thyroid #hypothyroidism #hashimoto's

[Gigi-krek]

I've always said fibromyalgia is a symptom, Not the root cause of the problem. The root cause of my fibromyalgia was hypothyroidism and then later my fibromyalgia pain came back because my hormones tanked ... once I got on bio-identical hormones, the fibromyalgia pain went away. So many people, especially women, suffer so bad because most doctors don't care to treat Thyroid & Hormonal issues. Thank you for your videos!🙂

[efrenrodriguez-tpkv]

I am 33. Dealt with chronic upper back pain and neck pain since I was 26 and got progressively worst. A physician who also does hormonal work, told me that my hypothyroidism was maltreated even though my THC was in the correct range. He prescribed me medication for T3 and after 2 months my pain is gone. My pain was so bad that I could barely sit for more than 5 minutes. I still have some pain in the neck but it’s a complete different pain and way more manageable. It’s likely related to weakness and loss of cervical curvature which I’m working on resolving through stretching and strength training. But I’m so glad my doctor point to this issue with hypothyroidism. It’s been life changing.

[NutritionNourish]

Dr. Child’s is such a blessing. Thanks to him I found a functional medicine doctor in my area via a compounding pharmacy. The only doctor in the last ten years to take me seriously and treat my thyroid problem. After 7 months on Cytomel and weight lifting I got to such an amazing pain free point in my life. Push through the fatigue and pain, I figured I might as well improve my muscle tone and performance if I was going to be in pain either way.
Next step is to find a myofacia therapist for long term maintenance of my new found freedom.

[fiery.mercaba]

(1.) "5:36" -- the need for T3 medication. At "6:02" some particular ones are named, e.g. Liothyronine, Cytomel, etc. At "6:37" dosing is mentioned. 20 to 25 mcg (equivalent to two to three grains of, say, Armour Thyroid) of T3 recommended by Dr. Childs ("6:50").

(2.) "7:25" -- the need for exercising the affected muscles to the point tolerable.

(3.) "8:38" -- the need for muscle-based therapy, e.g. deep manual massaging, etc. Another option is "trigger-point injection therapy" ("10:03").

[CubanGirl-oopg]

I had a crisis of pain in my back, my joints and my shoulders and a severe fatigue. I though I had either lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. All blood tests came out negative for lupus and arthritis but my tsh level was very high. The crisis lasted for a few months and stopped once I took the correct amount of thyroid hormones. Thank you doctor for such a valuable information.

[gioxpfr]

Thank you for this information. Wasn't getting it from my doc. They don't want to take the time you did to explain in an office visit.

[kathleenshunstrom]

Thank you so much for this information! I have suffered for decades with fibromyalgia! New to your channel and so happy I found you.

[julieellis]

THAT must bewhy my lower back pain went away after I started taking Armour. Thank you Dr. Childs!

[samanthamapp]

I feel you on the muscles contacting and not relaxing. My spine spasmed for like 3 weeks and would not relax. The pain was so unbearable I think I have PTSD from it. So true.

[littleninja]

Thanks again for another excellent content filled video. It verifies what I have thought for months - that this medication and exercise/physical modalities combination is improving my QOL tremendously by considering multiple inflammatory conditions from an holistic approach. I have the triple whammy of hashi's, significant degenerative osteoarthritis (mainly spine), and psoriatic arthritis. The PSA diagnosis came on in the last 4 years and when it did, my thyroid labs started varying like a roller coaster, and my fatigue and aches got out of control. Medication for the PSA helped, but it was when my awesome PC (who treats my thyroid similar to your approach) switched my thyroid treatment to an SR T3 as primary, with a smaller dose of t4 (tirosint), and added anti-inflammatory supplements, that I started to feel 'in remission'. Its been about 10 months since we made that switch and the overall muscle tension that I've struggled with for years, improved dramatically. I've also become extremely diligent with my diet, and now am able to exercise up to 5 days a week. In fact, time to go get ready for the pool, followed by the hot tub and then some time in the IR sauna.
It can feel like a full time job to keep these symptoms in check - but its well worth it. I can say that following your content and trying your suggestions makes this all possible. I wouldn't know even a sliver of what to do without what you've shared over the years. It absolutely makes a difference - thank you! :)

[ajatracy]

Oh my goodness! You don’t know how happy I am for this information. Before I was Dx with hypothyroid/Hashimotos I had chronic right hip pain. Once I got on Levo the pain went away. A year ago until currently I have pain in my left hip (feels like how the right hip felt) and in my right foot mostly. It feels like planter fasciitis kind of, but more like a cramp if your low on magnesium. I take magnesium everyday and have been on keto for 3 years. I didn’t get these symptoms until after I was sick with “Rona”. I had it once like this before after I had my baby, until my medication was adjusted at postpartum. I switched to taking armour and liothyronine. I still have the pain in my foot and hip. But my reverse t3 started at 20 and now it’s down to 11, but my free t3 is still low. I am going to see if I can go from 10 mcg to 20 of the liothyronine 🤞 and hopefully that will help. I do planter fasciitis Stretches and exercises but it doesn’t help. I just want to be able to move again 😭 without pain.

[mellymoegray]

This explains the leg cramps I had when my levels were all up n down

[deelicious]

I am taking 5000 mg magnesium to finally get rid of chronic muscle aches and chronic constipation. Going on high T3 only in hope of getting rid of other symptoms like extreme fatigue, swollen face, foot neuropathy, Dupuytren’s contractures in hand and feet, and more. Praying for relief after 43 years!! 🙏

[debbiepeters]

I had fibromyalgia for 17 yrs. At the time I had thyroid problems but didn't find out till many years later. I took D Ribose 5gm 3x day. On the 3rd day (!) I began feeling a change. In less than 9 mos I was pain free. Last yr I had my thyroid removed and have pain again that comes and goes. Am thinking about adding D Ribose again.

[denissesanchez]

I love this channel, I suffer from Graves’ disease and have all kinds of symptoms including pain and fatigue. I will really appreciate more info about that type of thyroid problems since hypothyroidism is the most mentioned and not much of hyperthyroidism info is out there

[---wuqj]

Thank you for this information! I finally understand my symptoms ‼️

[PS-ocnw]

I had a hyperthyroidism episode recently and while it was scary (the anxiety and so on) I finally felt so relieved not to have the everyday body pain everywhere every minute and not being so awfully fatigued all the time and my metabolism wow i could eat and didn't feel the everyday slow digestion and bloating all over from face to feet. Now back to everything again...as the pain has come back and yes massages do help but sometimes they escalated the body pain even more for hours after the massage . You are definately right about the excersise part ....as hard as it is getting going when your entire body hurts day and night and lack of energy: when I did do a month of fitness I felt much much better in terms of body pain (energy not so much😅). T4 medication did make me have more energy which I liked but the side effects were too much for me I lost like 2/3 of my hair in just a few weeks so no thank you never again will I be taking T4.

[kimberlyhickerson]

I have muscle knots all over. The doctor just told me that I likely have fibromyalgia call me and told me to do massage therapy to help. It hurts really bad, so I quit going. Thank you for posting this, it makes so much sense!

[enasfathy]

I've been through this exact situation and took T3 and it really helped me great deal. I wish I've known this long time ago. I was sick of the pain and fatigue . I did the three steps you mentioned in the video and the symptoms are lighter than before. Love from Egypt 🇪🇬. I'm a great fan.

[enasfathy]

You're really awesome. Greetings from Egypt, 🇪🇬