Is it usual to have pains that move about - or settle in places previously damaged?

[Skylover]

I’ve noticed that my symptoms seem to have progressed through muscles & joints with my skin being last to join the ‘party’. But is it folk’s experience for the joint pains to move around? Also they seem to be in places where I’d had previous injuries.. is that a usual pattern of things? I’m 🤔

[Dizzytwo Moderator]

Hi there, to the best of my knowledge fibro tends to effect muscles not joints.

[Hazel_Angelstar Administrator FMA UK Staff]

Fibro pain will typically move around and often change position from one area to another

This is because the pain is due to disordered pain processing rather than actual injury /inflammation in the muscles or joints.

[Skylover in reply to Hazel_Angelstar]

Thank you Hazel 🙏 that was a good explanation for my many & varied a&p’s (aches & pains!). There’s much to get my head round - think it’s gonna take a while. Also I can see how it might be easy to blame any old a&p’s on fibro - which is a whole other rabbit hole! 😂 I wish you well j x

[desquinn Partner Volunteer FMAUK Trustee]

Also if you have pain in an area that has had a previous physical injury then you may want to speak to your GP.

[caico]

Yes yes and yes to pain moving constantly around and getting into damaged areas - though my damaged areas are all muscle/ligament related not bone. Each day and part of it brings such fibro related joy!!!! Take care

[Skylover in reply to caico]

Thank you- it’s reassuring to me - still trying to get my head around all the many ‘fibro related joys’ my body is giving me! 😂 take care & be kind to yourself 😁

[JayCeon]

People with fibro do often (are said to) say their joints hurt and are stiff, but if it's fibro you will probably be able to feel them while moving and notice that it's not the joint itself hurting or making us stiff, but the tendon insertions (muscle endings) above and below them. The muscles seem to shorten while we're not moving. Things like stretching, acupressure and exercises for these local problems often help. 2 weeks ago I got 7 newer or older pains and tackled them immediately with youtube acupressure or exercise videos.

The appearance that pains, whether tendons or muscles are moving around is that they are all there, but 'hibernating' and alternating. This appearance may be increased by us sensing one more as soon as another gets less for some reason, praps explainable by the Gate Theory of Pain saying that we can only feel so much pain - that of course can be argued, but does seem partly right. "My local pains" have never "subscribed to" the central sensitization hypothesis. My acupressurist and I tackled them one by one and got them all down to zero. (BTW: My overall Ache from overdoing it also doesn't subscribe to it, I feel: A long time before the onset of my ache, my wife can see it in my face. That's no proof, but I believe there are actual "injuries" in cellular processes that just haven't been found yet.)

I can't see a pattern if you are saying the muscles started, then joints/tendons came, and skin is last, that'll probably be something individual. But maybe "skin" is just too general, maybe depends what exactly you mean by that - itchiness, burning, hives? Also it might be something completely different, like in my case extreme itchiness due to dry oversensitive skin, and now burning with itchiness due to a histamine type reaction to the jab. It might have developed secondarily due esp. to meds/supps or you are treating it differently....?

"in places where I’d had previous injuries.. is that a usual pattern of things?"Well I've heard it quite often, and interestingly pain for years after I'd broken my clavicle went away for years, but came up again when I got fibromyalgia. There will be several possible explanations for this, e.g. it wasn't completely treated, sort of hibernating, or it's a weak point or scar tissue, which starts acting up again due to us moving differently, but also again I here admit it could be a central sensitization issue. In my case my acupressurist treated it singly and got it away. If it does sometimes come back up, then I immediately do various shoulder stretching exercises. I do think essentially and logically old injuries are our weak points and healing them completely cannot be guaranteed - an injury has always changed tissue and bones. But in my case it was/is with a lot of diligence possible to get the local pains all down, and I'd think the majority of my "joints" and muscle areas were affected, so far more than 20 areas.

[Skylover in reply to JayCeon]

Thank you for such an in depth answer 🙏 it’s so helpful to me & helps me process what the heck is actually going on in my body! No wonder it takes so long to get a diagnosis with all these intermittent & different symptoms. it seems that as Caico said in the reply before yours.. so much fibro related ‘joy’ to get my head around 😂 I’ve been dealing with chronic backpain for many years and been up and down the ‘analgaesia ladder’ enough times to roof an entire building! I’ve weaned myself off gabapentin and pregabalin in the past, so I’m not too keen on using them again 🙄 it does seem that the pains are liking to visit my years old injuries to thumb wrist and knee joints, thank goodness not all at once tho!

My skins ‘sensitivity’ is mostly my wrists, back of hands arms and shoulders, feels like I’ve been rubbed vigorously with sandpaper 🤨 fortunately again, it’s not every day. I’d already adapted my clothing to soft light things before I got my diagnosis. I have found that menthol based ibuprofen gel can give temporary relief. I’m also trialling regular amitriptyline only 2.5mg as I it gives me a long hangover and I can’t work effectively the day after.

I appreciate your advice and you sharing your experiences. Especially your blog and own trials... they’ve been very beneficial for me to read. 🙏😄

I guess I’m starting the long road of self experimenting, if I can with more natural remedies, but I want to do it somewhat scientifically and not introduce too many variables at once. My own working theory is I’ve had/having having some sort of weird auto-immune response. But I totally am with the disordered pain processing theory and want to find the best ways to calm my system down. So I will take your advice about stretching and acupressure and am going to give the GABA a try.

Thank you so much again. I wish you joy and well-being . Jools 😄

[JayCeon in reply to Skylover]

Hi Jools - "the pains are liking to visit my years old injuries to thumb wrist and knee joints"There were actually quite a few things, e.g. IBS, which I'd got 80% good, but now with FM added, I decided to tackle each and every one I could, regardless - not all at once, often rotating, prioritizing what seems most important (which might be something that doesn't hurt much, as that might be easier to get rid of than something that's flaring). My stomach & gut have never behaved as well as now, as well as all the local pains. Down down down to zero, and then zero tolerance to anything fresh or old ...

"skins ‘sensitivity’" / "adapted my clothing to soft light things"

This sounds a bit like allodynia - that actually would make it central sensitisation type, i.e. nerves. However before treating nerves with supps like magnesium malate & glycinate, B12, B6 as P-5-P etc. I'd first look more superficially if I can influence the skin (you say "menthol based ibuprofen gel can give temporary relief" - what about cream? ice? cold washing? blowing over it? stroking over it?), and before that when it happens, i.e. what (e.g. water) is triggering it, esp. as you say "it’s not every day" - what's different about that day, e.g. what did you do in the 1-2h before, with your hands or arms...

"trialling regular amitriptyline only 2.5mg as I it gives me a long hangover and I can’t work effectively the day after."

I think all doses of it gave me a long hangover, but my experience is that whatever we try the dose can make all the difference. For me all things that zombified me I could reduce to the minimum and it did the same, no escaping. But trying passiflora again and again never worked, until I doubled the dose to 4x0.3g (overdose), and that then helped.

"advice ... experiences.... your blog ... trials... "

That's exciting for me to hear, thank you. I often feel very alone on this journey, despite my successes, and am glad for company.

"I want to do it somewhat scientifically and not introduce too many variables at once".

My way too, normally. For everything I try I also look at any ideas & experiences people have and compare it to any studies on pubmed and JAMA and extrapolate that to my experience of my body. As regards variables: Many things work very quickly for me, so I can react very quickly. But usually one after the other. Sometimes I'm too fast - but then I just go backwards again, to make sure. I return, turn over every stone again and again, esp. if I have other experiences where I think I might change something and it might then work. But since November I have a few problems (esp. jaw inflammation, high lipids and the jab side effects) which made me say: I want to get this stuff down immediately (jaw: trying to save a tooth), no time to waste/wait, with every supp for it I can find, and if that works, I'll take down some of it, to see if it still works.

"some sort of weird auto-immune response" vs. "disordered pain processing theory"

I wouldn't want to disregard any single bit of the cake if it helps to help. Supps & cold showering (& a year of cryotherapy) for autoimmune/inflammation/cytokines just seems easier to find, whilst nociplastic/idiopathic pain/central sensitisation is hard to influence, e.g. I can't tolerate any electrotherapy (as well as many meds) due to focal seizures.

Best to you as well! - and I'll be glad to continue to keep company...

[SlothMode]

Hiya Skylover,

Fibro is widespread pain across the body but our brains seem to focus on one or two of the pain sensations. I even name mine lol! I have one called the Pinball as it seems to feel like it is bouncing all over my body. My fibro loves to mingle with my nerve damage pain and b12 pains too. So yes it does feel like it's moving around but it's just smoke and mirrors.

🤗😊

[Skylover in reply to SlothMode]

Thanks for your reply 👍 I love that you’ve given the pains names.. made me smile 😊 I hope that you’ve not too many fibro ‘friends’ today! Well wishes x j