When people think of the causes of joint pain, they think of the common causes including injuries, bone loss, or old age. However, the cause of your annoying joint pain could be stemming from bacteria in your gut. Don’t believe it? Keep reading to see the facts on microbiome bacteria and joint pain.

What is a microbe?

A microbe is a miniscule organism. You can’t see them without the aid of a telescope, but there are abundant in the human body. Our bodies can be the host of one hundred trillion microbial cells at once. They can be viruses, protozoa, algae, fungi, or bacteria. Although they can cause diseases and harm to the body, the earth also needs certain microbes in order to maintain balance. Scientists have studied the effects of microbes on the human body for decades; mainly the link between microbial bacteria and the spread of disease. However, there are now studies that show links between bacteria and joint pain.

How do microbes affect joint health?

As previously stated, there are trillions of bacteria in the body including the gut. When the immune system notices bacteria, it sends signals. However, not all of the bacteria in our bodies present a threat. Our immune system is supposed to distinguish between the bacteria that it is designed to fight and the other forms of bacteria that are completely harmless. If this process worked flawlessly, there would be no issue. But microbes have a say in the functioning of our immune system. They are a part of the deciding process of whether our immune system will launch a defensive strategy by being the factor that prepares our cells for introductions to pathogens.

As scientists continue to learn more about our bodies, they have learned more about how we are able to maintain our health by studying the immune system. Our immune systems are our body’s defense system against viruses and disease. Jose Scher is a rheumatologist at New York University who has conducted one of these revolutionary studies linking gut bacteria to joint pain.

The November 2013 study which was published by the United States National Library of medicine showed that individuals who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis had higher amounts of a specific bacterium called Prevotella Copri in their intestines than people who do not suffer from arthritis. The bacterium uses the gut as a way to specifically target the immune system which causes inflammation and pain in the joints.

Other scientists have also made links to the harmful effects of microbes and the changing environment that we live in. Humans do not live in the same type of environment that they did a hundred or even twenty years ago. We take more antibiotics, which alter the defenses of the immune system. Diet patterns have changed over the years which changes the type of bacteria that your body is exposed to. People also do not have as much exposure to the natural world; far more people work indoors than they did in the past. We don’t have as much contact with the microbes that exist in nature.

What should you do about gut bacteria if you have joint pain?

Research on the connection between bacteria in the gut and joint pain is still in the early stages, which means that so are measures to counteract the effect that the microbes may possibly be having on your body. However, some people are seeking strategies that may help to balance out the effect of microbes in the body and actually help to keep your gut healthy.

Some are adding more foods to their diets that have good bacteria, or probiotics. As we have already discussed in this article, microbes can help to balance one’s body. Some foods that contain this type of bacteria are yogurt, sour pickles, miso soup, milk, and aged cheeses.

How can you manage joint pain?

Strategies to manage joint pain are to use supplements, perform regular light exercises, and to use balms and creams on the inflamed areas of your body. Super Blue Stuff by Blue Spring is a pain relieving cream that is %100 natural, paraben free, and extremely effective for joint pain, oxycollasyn Natural Joint Aid is also better for joint pain treatments.

References:

The November 2013 study –   ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Joint pain treatments – Consumer health digest

oxycollasyn Natural Joint Aid –  Consumer health digest