'I turned to alcohol due to pain from undiagnosed arthritis'

A 29-year-old man says he turned to alcohol to cope after his arthritis went undiagnosed for more than a decade, leaving him in severe pain.

Arthur Reynolds, from Kennington in south London, first developed persistent chest pain aged 15.

An X-ray showed no abnormalities and doctors attributed the issue to playing rugby, advising him to rest.

"The doctors told me I'd just been playing lots of rugby, to have a rest, and then it would get better," he said.

However, his condition did not improve. By 18, he had developed severe pain in his lower back and had to stop exercising altogether.

While studying at the University of York, the pain began to affect all aspects of his life, he said.

He struggled to sit through lectures and said he "had to wriggle around in my seat all the time to try to get comfortable.

"That made the academic side of university difficult, and because I was never comfortable, it also affected my social life."

He said he increasingly relied on alcohol to cope.

"If I was going to be out for a long time, I would keep drinking to take the pain away – of course, I'd wake up the next morning in even worse pain."

After graduating in 2018 and starting an office job, his symptoms worsened further due to prolonged sitting, he said.

Despite multiple GP visits, scans and referrals, no clear cause was identified.

He was prescribed painkillers, referred to physiotherapy and told at one stage to consider a job that did not involve sitting down.

Out of desperation, he sought private treatment and consultations, including with a chiropractor and osteopath, but said they offered "ridiculous explanations", such as that one leg was shorter than the other.

In 2023, after further referrals and inconclusive tests, a private MRI scan finally revealed inflammation.

A consultant subsequently diagnosed axial spondyloarthritis, a form of inflammatory arthritis, and prescribed biological medication.

Reynolds said the treatment had helped "significantly" and that his life had been "transformed", allowing him to sleep better, socialise more and enjoy improved mental health.

Reflecting on the years without answers, he said: "After I stopped exercising I no longer had an outlet to relieve stress… I didn't want to see friends after work or at weekends, and I thought it was going to last forever."

He is now preparing to climb eight peaks in eight days across the Brecon Beacons, the Black Mountains and Snowdonia in September to raise awareness of the condition. According to the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society, it takes an average of eight years to diagnose.

"It won't be easy, but I'm quite a competitive person and I want to raise awareness of the condition," he added.

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