Skeletal System
Crohn’s disease doesn’t generally weaken bones, but patients can have related issues, with or without inflammation.
About 20 percent of people with IBD experience arthralgia [7]. These aches and pains in the joints do not involve inflammation or damage the joint. About 30 percent of people with IBD are affected by arthritis. This type of joint pain is caused by inflammation. Arthritis can lead to reduced flexibility and permanent joint damage.
It may be hard to tell if your arthritis is associated with Crohn’s. When it is, symptoms usually improve when your intestinal symptoms do. If you have been treated with corticosteroids, you may be at an increased risk of bone fractures, joint pain, osteoporosis, and swelling.