Hello, I hope everyone is having a pain-free-as-possible Bank Holiday weekend.
Recently my legs have been feeling as though they are being crushed. The best way to describe the sensation is as though I am wearing long stockings which are tightening around my legs from my toes to my thighs. Everyday the pressure is getting worse.
Has anyone suffered from this and if you did how did you cope with it?
Is there anything I can do?
Take care everyone
Sx
Hi Sandy247
I am so genuinely sorry to read that and I sincerely hope that you can find the answers that you are looking for. What you have described could be the result of so many different things? It could be Fibro related or it could be a different medical condition?
I have a compressed sciatic nerve and it gives me quite a similar pain as to what you have described. However, a trapped or pinched nerve could also do this? I have pasted you an excerpt below from WebMD about this issue:
*Causes of pinched nerve
A pinched nerve in the neck or lower back can be caused by a herniated disc, arthritis, bone spurs, or spinal stenosis.
A pinched nerve in the wrist can be caused by carpal tunnel syndrome.
Swelling around a nerve can be caused by an injury, bruise or other conditions, including the swelling of the extremities that can occur with pregnancy. An inherited tendency, from a family history of a similar condition, can also increase an individual's chance of developing a pinched nerve.
Early diagnosis is important to prevent further damage or complications. Pinched nerve is a common cause of work-related injuries.
*Excerpt From WebMD.
I have also pasted you this excerpt from WebMD as it also gives other examples of what you have described:
*This sudden, tight, intense lower leg pain is often caused by muscle fatigue, heat or dehydration. Muscle cramps are more common among older people, endurance athletes or athletes who are not well conditioned. In most cases, you can ease muscle cramps by stopping whatever triggered them. If needed, gently stretch or massage your lower leg muscle. Applying heat to tight muscles or cold to tender muscles may ease some symptoms.
*Excerpt From WebMD.
It is probably best to discuss this with your GP to ascertain what is happening for you? I want to sincerely wish you all the best of luck.
All my hopes and dreams for you
Ken
Yep that is exactly what it feels like Ken!
Hello Sandy247,
What you describe sounds so uncomfortable, I'm not a fan of wearing those surgical stockings even when I should -can only imagine what it must be like to wear nothing yet feel squeezed.
I had same suggestion as Ken, which is re-hydration. In this uncomfortable, sticky heat it is easy to forget we need to drink plenty.
Could I suggest you also keep your legs elevated when seated (should be slightly higher than heart in ideal world) in reality aim to sit with legs propped as high as possible /comfortable-propped up with cushions etc.
maybe try gentle massage as well, always towards the heart-this doesn't have to be long drawn out process-just as if you are applying body lotion.
Gentle excerise when seated can help-try to get some flexibility in ankle area which will encourage blood flow. Point your toes a few times and then stretch the other way, also try to twist ankle one way then the next.
Make a note how many you can do on starting day and then end of week, you'll be surprised how quickly you build up doing this.
Good luck
Pea 🌻
Good morning S., from a wet and windy Merseyside!! I had/have something similar, but mine feels like, what I can only describe as, if the insides of my legs were being wrung out like a towel. This has been going on for as long as I have had FM symptoms. I kept telling the doc about it, to be told that it was part of the Fibro, which I accepted, but the pain was relentless and so was I. Every time I went to the docs, I would tell them that the pain was unbearable, but it was only when I changed doctors that I was very quickly diagnosed with RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome). Initially I thought she was joking but turns out to be a recognised condition with a separate method of pain relief. I was just so relieved that I wasn't going all dramatic, something I have tried to avoid since having FM (most people think we're whingebags at the best of times, so I didn't want to give any ammunition!!).
Anyway, it only took a year, but if this makes any sense to you, don't let it take you that long. Speak to your doctor about it asap xx We all have enough to contend with, without the addition of a separate condition that is missed as, like a lot of other things, is put down to FM.
I hope this has helped and that your day is looking brighter than our weather!! K.xx
Hi, I did a reply to Sandy earlier, but like you I have restless leg syndrome and have been on Rotigotine patches for 5 years now. Unfortunately I still experience the same pain and symptoms. My dr diagnosed this when I was found to have obstructive sleep apnea and they did an overnight test. I also have many other conditions that could contribute to this, and as I am in a wheelchair it is so hard to do any exercise except moving my legs about in the chair.
Any suggestions from anybody would be greatly appreciated. M
Restless legs come from you thinking about moving legs around and the brain starts a "loop"... leg move, stop,leg move,stop.leg move.. and so on- you actually stop and start the problem yourself and its hard not to think about it..so get a tens machine which I swear by, place on the base of your spine and start with low setting work to high settings- this will settle down your nerve endings and stop the legs working overtime- good luck.
thesia1948
Thank you for your reply.
With regards to exercise if you IM me I can tell you about an amazing workout DVD for those who are wheelchair users. Sx
Hi Sandy, that would be great. Because of all my health issues I recently had a gastrectomy (main part of stomach removed) to aid in losing weight. I am losing weight but because of no exercise I am getting a lot of loose skin which needs exercise to tone it up, so something to do in a wheelchair sounds fantastic. Thank you, M
Hi, this is the sort of pain i get in my chest! Hope it improves for you. Mine just comes and goes....x
I can get that kind of pain in my chest and I thought it was angina.... was given nitromin spray by gp for that.
I had this happen with a flare up after my mother died. Alas it never went away. I saw my doctor who said it was the Fibro, and he changed my medication. That was a couple of years ago. I am still taking the medication. It doesn't get rid of the pain completely but it certainly helps. I soon know if I have forgotten the medication as the pain returns with a vengeance.
I am not at this stage mentioning the medication because what suits one person may not suit another, also it may not be Fibro that is causing your pain. You definitely need to see your doctor to ascertain just what is causing your pain and get the correct treatment.
Good luck. Em xx
Yes, this is one of my commonest symptoms. I find it goes along with feeling overcome by exhaustion and slowly losing my consciousness. I sometimes suffer from it for hours, and other times, I just blank out and eventually sleep. Recently I found that if I move my legs a little bit (at times when I actually CAN move them) it alleviates the pain for a few minutes. Sometimes, oddly enough, doing that a few times over half an hour or so seems to disperse the energy of it and I end up feeling better. Don't know why and don't know if this will work for everybody. I experience it as if my legs were surrounded by steel and the steel growing stronger and stronger pressing against my legs. It is horrible. I take 2 cocodemol with coffee when I feel it coming on. (I am on very high doses of Pregabalin already, so don't like to take a lot more meds on top of it-- even though my gp prescribed the cocodemol and said it is very low dose and I could take more.) The coffee for me works with the codeine and makes it more effective than the cocodemol alone. That's why they include caffeine in a lot of migraine medications. It will not be good for everyone, and I don't take more than one or two doses of low dose cocodemol in a 24 hr period.
Sometimes if I do this as I start to feel it coming on, it seems to go away. Hope it helps to know you are not alone.
I know that caffeinated beverages are not good for Fibromyalgia sufferers, but as it helps with my pain control, I have limited my breakfast coffee to one cup, so I can save the additional cup I used to drink for possible pain relief later in the day. I also drink decaf tea most of the time.
Also I have made a 40+ yr habit of drinking at least 2 liters of water a day, in addition to whatever drinks I may have (like juice and cup of coffee at breakfast and tea in the afternoon.) and I have never found that it made any difference to this pain which I have had for the last 10 yrs or more. I am sure that hydration is very important, though, so if you don't drink enough, that would be a good plan to start doing it.
The pain your getting is from the muscles contracting. As in muscle spasms. Which can be any where else come to think of it-Tens Machine will help, used often and in short bouts. Experiment with settings gets good results. quick explanation..Muscle spams in Fibro people are due to lactic acid not being taken away by blood, so builds up to a large amount, Active people who move around would not get this problem as much, or often- resting does not mean getting better with Fibro, quite the opposite. Constant moving slowly is better than sitting with feet up, believe me.. you need to get the blood to flow- best wishes, kazz
Sandy....I get pain on my entire left side of my body...left leg, left arm....just started India ayuverdic self care of applying organic, cold pressed sesame oil over entire body (dry brush first, arms toward heart, and legs toward lymph nodes in pelvic area) ...I even put on my scalp to help me with my itchy, red dry scalp. Been doing for about a month. My itchy heady has gotten about 90% better, and the rest of my body not sure yet. I believe itis helpful and I do every morning. Got up one morning with so much pain in my left knee, I couldn't walk on it. Put sesame oil on immediately, and the pain went away. India cultures says, we are dry on the inside, and need moisture. Leave on 1/2 hr, wash off. Also, sun protectant believe it or not. Good luck.
I also have nerve problems , so yes I do feel that way. I don't know if fibro or other issues.
Hi Sandy, I do sympathise with you as I suffer from this same situation and have done for many years. I cannot bear to have any covers over my legs in bed as the weight of my 1.5tog duvet is even too heavy.
I bought myself a little gadget that fits at the end of the bed and holds the blanket up to keep the weight off, but it only works on the bottom half of your legs so the tops still hurt. Hoping that somebody will come up with some answers that will help
Try to keep smiling
Buy a tens machine- place onto leg just above knee- (On top not under the leg) set at mildest setting and work to higher stronger setting over 2 weeks. Layman terms.. Frazzle the nerves as they are giving the wrong message-this method resets them to their correct state- good luck.
Hi, I did have a series of tens sessions at the hospital but unfortunately they didn't help for me. I have tried many different types of pain relief over the years including acupuncture but none of them have helped.
Also being in a wheelchair makes exercise very difficult and due to other health conditions I have to have my feet elevated all day too.
I take so many different very strong pain and other meds I am reluctant to ask my GP for anything else (even use fentanyl patches too). I do welcome any suggestions though as I am willing to try anything that will relieve this situation. Thank you for your comments though as I am sure they will help others in the same situation
I have had the same thing for a long time now it's like somebody squeezing the inside of the back of my legs all I get from my doctors is its all connected to FIbromyalgia. The pain relief I have is not working anymore I have that many different places in pain at the one time I don't know how long I can keep working and now they have stopped my pain injections. I am in so much pain I don't know what to do.
Thank you for all of your replies. Your kindness is overwhelming. I will try my tens machine and also moving when this sensation starts again. I will also try the oil to see if that helps me.
Once again, Thank you fro your help.
S x
Pain in both legs only when walking 
Pains in legs
Legs pain 😞
Week legs
Dead legs.
