Lady Gaga May Not Have Rheumatoid Arthritis
/By Pat Anson, Editor
Lady Gaga has not publicly disclosed that her chronic hip pain is caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
In a cover story published in Arthritis Magazine, the 31-year old entertainer appears to be quoted as saying, “I fought RA pain with my passion." The issue hasn’t been released yet, but a copy of the magazine cover is already circulating on Twitter.
Several websites, including Pain News Network, have wrongly assumed the quote was attributed to Lady Gaga. We regret the error.
The magazine story focuses on a “career-threatening injury" that Lady Gaga suffered and "why she’ll never ignore joint pain again.” But the article only states that she suffers from synovitis, an inflammation of the joint that can be caused by overuse or injury.
Synovitis is also a common symptom of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but Lady Gaga never actually says she suffers from the autoimmune disease.
The singer hid her chronic pain from fans and even her own staff until 2013, when she finally had surgery to repair the injured hip.
“I hid my injury until I couldn’t walk,” Lady Gaga told Arthritis Magazine. “I had a tear on the inside of my joint and huge breakage.
“The surgeon told me that if I had done another show, I might have needed a full hip replacement. I would have been out at least a year, maybe longer.”
Lady Gaga has been fairly open about her struggle with chronic pain. Last November, she posted on Instagram two images of herself, trying to ease her pain by getting her shoulder massaged and by sitting in a sauna.
“Having a frustrating day with chronic pain, but I find myself feeling so blessed to have such strong intelligent female doctors. I think about Joanne too and her strength and the day gets a little easier," she posted.
“Joanne” is Lady Gaga’s aunt, who died from lupus at the age of 19 before the singer was even born. The posts drew an outpouring of support from her Instagram followers.
“I was so overwhelmed by the empathy, confessions & personal stories of chronic pain in response to my previous post I thought what the hell. Maybe I should just share some of my personal remedies I've acquired over the past five years,” she said.
“When my body goes into a spasm one thing I find really helps is infrared sauna. I've invested in one. They come in a large box form as well as a low coffin-like form and even some like electric blankets! You can also look around your community for a infrared sauna parlor or homeopathic center that has one."
Lady Gaga is apparently coping quite well with her pain. She soared around the stadium during a spectacular halftime show at this year's Super Bowl. According to the magazine, Lady Gaga is planning another concert tour as well as her first movie, a remake of A Star is Born.
