CAN ALCOHOL AFFECT JOINTS?

Nice insight Charlie!

Joint pain after drinking alcohol seems to happen to many people. It may be caused by dehydration. If so, simply drink enough water and take a rest. Another possibility is that acetaldehyde from the alcohol metabolism can cause pain as well as hangover. It is kind of toxin. So, keep drink enough water and vitamins to flush out the toxins.

I was an alcoholic. And had been for severel years. Now because i was intoxicatet ,i bearly noticed the joint pains which i am now experiencing over a year after i stopped drinking. My doctor knows me well, and knows therefor about my previous problem. I have insisted on having tests run for gout, eventhough he kept telling me that it was alcohol related joint pains that i had. He explained that my liver was so damaged from drinking, that it was still recovering and in the process of cleaning my blood , caused an infection in the joints of my knees , hips, shoulders. It felt like all the joints in my body was affected, and they were. I could hardly turn in bed, get out of bed, stand up from sitting position or walk the stairs. Forcing my self on small walks seemed to help. Sitting or laying down didn't. I realize that most of those writing here are not having a problem with alcohol like myself. But i still belive that most of u are experiencing pains because you'r liver is under stress, and is trying to get rid of the toxins from the alcohol. That might cause that the fluid inbetween the joints swell from an infection. Just a little thought from me.

Wow so many just like me I've suffered for over 20years with this problem my doctor tells me it's gout which means your uric acid level is high I like to pound down a few but the next day I feel l got pounded,uric acid also elevates with eating to much red meat and stress and of course any kind of alchol will cause a flare up so I try not to drink to much instead I smoke maryjane and guess what no gout and no pain or hangover  

I too suffer from joint pain, I am in the menopausal years but have found that drinking a couple of glasses of red wine being merlot seems to have a counter effect on the pain which I have in my hip joints, if I drink white wine, beer or whisky you can bet I suffer for it, I think this is maybe due to the acid that is produced by certain types of alcohol

Hi, This could be a co-incidence but when I drink some acidic drinks like Brandy, I find my neck/shoulder muscles start to ache after a while. My stomach too. Personally, I use an anti-acid like Rennies and it helps. My doctor did say that acidity can lead to joint pains. May be worth to look into that.

Wow....this is the longest threat I've seen!  And so many have made me feel less anxious about why I sometimes feel like I'm 90 years old when I'm only 57!  I guess the years have crept up on me and now after imbibing (bourbon or wine), for the NEXT FEW DAYS  I can hardly move around without any pain!  Lately it has shown up in my wrists, hands, and base of thumbs....on TOP of the usual pain in elbows and hips!  OMG......Anyway, it's been quite a party, but at 57 its time to "grow up" and slow down!  I'll be trying the suggestions about dandelion tea, bromelain tablets and tumeric.  Today is also my third day without any alcohol!  Maybe the pain will start going away soon...I miss my yoga and aerobics classes!

 

Yes - it's primarily dehydration, along with other effects of the alcohol. Try drinking one large glass of water for every glass of wine, the problem disappears. Cheers!!

:-)

I'm 43. Drank a ton in college and when I got home at age 24 or so, my left knee swelled up like a balloon.  I would have it drained and shot with cortisone, usually each spring and fall. had it scoped, MRI'd, nothing. just unexplained inflammation. eventually it started hitting my ankle, then a toe. sudden onset, acute - excruciating pain. i've had a lot of injections, no gout, no nothing for 18-19 years.  i'm in great health, swim 3200yds every day, eat right, etc.  I have noticed a pattern. If I don't drink on a Monday, the pain will hit tuesday or wednesday. I have to take oral steriods to function so it's tough to tell how bad it will get. now, it's not only in the joints, it will hit the top of my foot occasionally - like someone stuck a red-hot iron through the top of my foot.  anyway, it always seems to hit a day or 2 AFTER i have zero nights - especially if they come after a "guys trip" - read "bender".  Anyway, I don't find it hard to not drink for a few days but now the pain is so bad it makes it tough to be consistent.  I don't get any other withdrawal symptoms but i'm getting pretty confident the 2 are related.  i guess the next step is to can alcohol for 6 months plus and see if the inflammation dies out - it's gonna be a tough 6 months what with football, the tigers in the playoffs, the holidays....sorry in advance honey.  

Hey there, This morning I'm thinking the exact same thing (first time). Until now I couldn't find any reason for my hip bursitis pain. Yesterday, I didn't do anything physical but I did have a lot of wine and 2 glasses on champagne and I had a lot of pain last night. My pain isn't terrible as pain goes but it does seem to be chronic. I just read in the Sockdoc that 1 - 2 Tbs. of vinegar a day may help. Cortisone shots have helped in the past but didn't last long. NSAIDs also have not helped.

In addition to my hangover, my wrists are sore and my knees swollen. I ran a 5K then partied all day yesterday. I only drank beer, but I did imbibe quite a bit of it. I thought the swollen knees were simply due to the 5K but that wouldn't explain my wrists. Interesting to see this happens to others too! Hope it doesn't indicate we are all going to have arthritis. At 33, I am bummed that how awful I feel the next day is starting to outweigh the pleasure of drinking.

Hello, I am way too social and of course I mainly drink red wine, sometimes white, and sometimes beer. Its very easy for me to polish off a bottle a night.

I am physically very active with running, mountain biking, and doing CrossFit workouts.

 

I have the same problem mainly in my ankles and knees. But after I have been moving for a while, the pain eases. But if I rest for 30 mins and try to move again, the pain is back.

This is a huge issue for me as my CrossFit sports is very important to me.

I have decided to stop drinking for a while and stick to soft drinks and water to see if the situation gets better.

 

Thank you so much.

 

I don't think it has anything to do with "over time" theories I've read on this thread. I'm only 21 and I have the same exact problems when I drink with pain in my knees mostly, as well as slight pain and weakness in my wrists and practically all other joints. I have thought maybe it's lack of sleep over the years and I notice my joints ache some nights..usually it's drinking sometimes it's just lack of sleep. I noticed on Web MD it had the option to chose joint pain after consuming alcohol, but I couldn't figure out which disease or symptom that one directly referred to. There has got to be some medical explanation. Maybe it's dehydration... But I rarely drink water and my joints are fine until I drink alcohol. And I'm young. My knees also crackle and grind and scrape when I kneel or squat so maybe it's just an underlying condition that is made worse by alcohol. I'm in pharmacy school so maybe I'll come across the answer some day.. Well those are my thoughts on it ha. Good luck to everyone! Heather

I'm 50 and have been a heavy beer drinker since I was 20.I'm typing this with excruciating pain in my elbow.I cant even straighten my arm .It only happens if I drink 3 to 4 nights a week.I don't think it has anything to do with dehydration because I usually drink a bottleof water with my beer.After reading allof this thread I believe its the build up of uric acid in the joints and the fact that the kidneys can't function properly.The pain will be completely gone if I take a week or so break from drinking.I tried tart cherry juice daily for a month and that didn't work for me.I think the only answer is to slow down .

Well my pain started about 3 weeks ago and I drink my vodka daily this has been going on more than I even want to admit (months)..... Now I have the most severe pain in all the joints in my feet, ankles, knees, knuckles in hand leading to pointer and middle finger on both hands.  so, swelling really all over my face even seems puffy. As stated came on all the sudden after drinking for months.  STRESS!  My questions are can this really all be from drinking and also if so...Is it reversable if I stop?  If I caused artiritus in my own body or what ever this is that is causing my sooo much pain...