Is this usual?

[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 🤔 puzzled and would be glad if any advice or people’s experiences. Thanks

[LeighBlyth]

Pains in previously injured areas sounds typical - speaking from my experiences of 40 odd years of symptoms - and my recovery over the last few years:

Much of the pain and weird sensations of fibromyalgia are due to physical restrictions that form in our body-wide web of connective tissues. These restrictions form as a response to inflammation. Inflammation makes connective tissues 'sticky' (scar tissue and surgical adhesions as well-known examples of this). Injury, infection, stress, trauma all trigger the inflammatory process - i.e. there can be a lot of initiating factors.

If not released through movement, restrictions remain in our tissues - a record of damage the body has sustained and stress it has suffered, which I think of as "stored trauma". Old injuries never really seem to fully heal, the pain remains and spreads as the body adjusts in an attempt to avoid the pain and keep on going day-to-day.

Physical restrictions reduce range of movement, which may be subtle at first and (since the body is great at adapting) may not be appreciated. But over time, these restrictions stiffen us - and the body becomes more unbalanced and misaligned - tense, twisted, restricted - increasingly painful. Restricted tissues send tensions throughout the body, causing pain and weird sensations from head to fingers to toes.

If you are not using the right muscles you are using the wrong muscles - which results in body-wide 'myalgia of imbalance'. Pain, stress, spasm, fatigue in muscles.

My recovery has come through working with the right muscles - "the 5 main muscles of movement" and learning to feel how to move in order to release these restrictions. Little by little, I have regained movement and freed my body of its stored traumas, working towards a body that is more balanced and physically aligned, able to be in a good position (posture) - whatever I am doing - so my body is less stressed. I feel better than I ever have before.

Everything started from working from Base-Line:

- Activating my pelvic floor muscles, the solid base of the body. (it takes practice)

- Activating and extending my rectus abdominis muscles, section by section, from pelvis to chest.

Breathing with my Base-Line, extending my midline.

The linea alba is the midline strip of connective tissue between the rectus abdominis muscles. The linea alba connects the pubic symphysis, navel and xiphoid process of the sternum - 3 easy to find midline anatomical markers. Using these midline markers can help to focus the mind on the body's Base-Line.

Base-Line muscles - the body's core pillar of strength, from where the rest of the body extends.

I've written more here: healthunlocked.com/my-fibro......

And am always happy to discuss!

Base-Line muscles. Pelvic floor solid base of the body, rectus abdominis central line.