Joint Pain: Is Low Testosterone the Cause?

Low Testosterone and pain

When you hear the term “joint pain,” you may think of arthritis. Arthritis can cause both pain and swelling, or inflammation, in joints, which are the areas where bones in the body meet.

Arthritis isn’t the only possible cause of chronic pain. Hormonal imbalances may also contribute to joint pain. These imbalances sometimes occur in people with low testosterone, often called “low T.” Ask your doctor for an evaluation to determine
whether your pain is associated with low T, arthritis, or an unrelated medical condition.

Common symptoms of low T

Low T develops when testosterone levels decrease in the body. This sex hormone is the primary one of its kind in the male body. According to the Hormone Health Network, low testosterone may be diagnosed if your testosterone level is less than 300
nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) of blood. While the natural aging process can lead to gradual drops in testosterone, it’s not normal to experience a significant decrease over a short period.

Some of the most common symptoms of low T include:

excessive fatigue
a loss of sex drive
infertility
anxiety
depression
breast enlargement
weight gain

In addition to its role in the male reproductive system, testosterone also helps maintain bone health.

Joint pain
Weight and joint pain

Arthritis is known for joint pain, but it comes in different forms with varying causes. The two main forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA is an autoimmune disease. OA develops over time due to wear and tear on your
joints. While it’s possible to have low T and arthritis at the same time, testosterone problems are unlikely to cause RA. If your low T leads to excessive weight gain, you may be at a higher risk of developing OA.

When pain occurs due to excessive weight gain, you may experience it at any point where your bones meet. Joint pain is most likely to occur in the knees, hips, and back. Some people who have arthritis also have pain in their toes, wrists, and fingers.

Osteoporosis
Low T and osteoporosis

One of the long-term risks of low T is osteoporosis. Unlike arthritis, osteoporosis is a disease in which your bones become fragile. Testosterone maintains bone density, so low T may contribute to osteoporosis.

According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, osteoporosis can be identified using a bone mineral density (BMD) test. The test can compare your bone density to the norm. The more your BMD deviates from the norm,
the more severe and established your osteoporosis is.

Maintaining bone density is important for preventing the loss of bone mass and subsequent fractures. Unlike joint pain, osteoporosis pain typically only occurs when you develop bone fractures. You may also experience back pain due to weakened vertebrae.
Recovering from fractures can be painful. While this can feel similar to joint pain, osteoporosis pain isn’t the same as arthritis.

Treatments
Treatment for low T and achy joints

Testosterone replacement therapy is the most common treatment for low T. Depending on your prescription, you may take testosterone orally or use it topically as a patch or gel. Hormone therapy helps improve low sex drive and energy, and can increase bone
density. Over time, you may find it easier to manage your weight and take pressure off of achy joints. These treatments aren’t without risk. Men with a history of prostate cancer should avoid them.

While low T treatments may help improve bone density and weight management, they won’t alleviate joint pain on the spot. If you experience regular joint pain, you need separate treatment. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are among the most common over-the-
counter pain relievers, and they also come in prescription strength. Regular exercise, though difficult at first, can go a long way in preventing future joint pain.

Outlook
Outlook

Joint pain and low T aren’t necessarily related, but it’s possible to have both at once. Men who are obese are also at a greater risk of developing OA from excess pressure on the joints.

Low T therapies are unlikely to alleviate joint pain on their own. Feeling better usually involves treating both joint pain and low T. See your doctor on a regular basis to make sure you’re getting the right treatments so you can move in comfort.

SOURCE: https://www.healthline.com/health/low-testosterone/joint-pain

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Testosterone therapy may help improve pain in men with low testosterone

Testosterone therapy is associated with decreased pain perception in men with low testosterone levels related to opioid (narcotic) pain relievers (analgesics), a new study finds.

The results were presented Monday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

"In this study, we attempted to determine whether testosterone replacement improves pain perception and tolerance, and quality of life in men with low testosterone levels due to narcotic analgesics," said the study's lead author Shehzad Basaria, MD,
Medical Director, Section of Men's Health, Aging, & Metabolism at Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, in Boston, MA. "We found that testosterone administration in these men was associated with a greater reduction in several measures of
pain sensitivity during laboratory pain testing compared with men who were on placebo."

Opioids belong to a class of pain-reducing drugs that are used to relieve chronic pain from injuries, surgery and cancer treatment. These drugs include morphine, codeine, fentanyl and oxycodone, and are among the most frequently prescribed medications in
the United States today.

In addition to being highly addictive, opioid use is associated with a number of side effects, including suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in both women and men, resulting in decreased testosterone production. Low testosterone, in
turn, can result in sexual dysfunction, decreased muscle mass, increased fat mass and decreased quality of life.

Previous animal research has demonstrated that castration of rodents is associated with increased pain perception while testosterone replacement reduces pain perception, suggesting an analgesic effect of this sex steroid. Whether these beneficial effects
can be replicated in humans, however, remained unclear.

In this study, investigators found that, compared to placebo, testosterone therapy significantly improved pain perception and tolerance during laboratory pain testing. Testosterone therapy also improved some aspects of quality of life.

"If larger studies confirm these findings, testosterone therapy in this patient population may be beneficial in improving pain perception," Basaria said.

The study included 84 men ages 18-64 years old with opioid-induced testosterone deficiency. Their average age was 49 years. Of this group, 65 participants completed the study. Investigators randomly assigned participants to receive either testosterone
gel, applied to the skin, or placebo, for 14 weeks. Thirty-six men received the testosterone gel, and 29 received a placebo.

At the beginning of the study, and then again at 14 weeks, the investigators assessed pain measures and quality-of-life parameters.

SOURCE: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130617142047.htm

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That's a big question! To answer it, yo got to follow the successful couples driven by high T, usually negro male and white female singer couples like e.g. "2 Brothers On The 4th Floor", E-Rotic, Pharao, 2 Unlimited, until their very end...

Dopamine and Testosterone are not life extending hormones, IMHO... On the other hand Progesterone and Pregnonolone could be...

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