Elsie from Edmonton asks: Can rheumatoid arthritis can lower back pain?
While rheumatoid arthritis can potentially affect nearly every joint in your body, the one area that is uncommon to be affected is the lower back. If someone has lower back pain and rheumatoid arthritis, the lower back pain is more often mechanical in nature, or “normal” back pain. That said, other forms of inflammatory arthritis – like psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and others – can involve the lower back. Sometimes, it is difficult to know what type of arthritis someone has. Inflammatory back involvement can be an important clue to help.
Posted: August 3, 2026
Tagged: back pain, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis