Moving Pain

[dw1256]

Hi All,

Part of my experience with FM is pain that moves around my body. I might have a pain in my arm for 10 seconds, then in my calf, constantly moving around. Rarely does one spot hurt for more than 30 seconds before moving on. Recently, a lot of these pains have been in my abdomen, low rib cage, and in my back. Since the pain location is focusing around one area, it makes me think I have something else going on internally.

Does anyone else experience this type of pain. Every time the pain comes, all I do is think about what it could be, or try to convince myself what I have done that could bring this on. It is exhausting thinking like this almost non-stop.

Thanks for listening.

 

[cookiebaker]

i do get random pains in different areas, but mine usually last longer than a few seconds.. most often on& off all day.. then the next day it will be in a different spot..

however, if yours are focusing in a specific area, i would suggest getting checked out - you dont want to ignore things, or just put them off to fibro without making sure.

 

[sunkacola]

Pain that moves around is not uncommon with fibro. I think most of us feel it for more than 30 seconds before it moves to a different place, but one thing about fibro is that it manifests in each person differently.

Try not to spend you time and energy on trying to figure out what you have done to cause this. If you have fibromyalgia, the chances are pretty high that you didn't do anything to cause it. Fibromyalgia caused it.

Now, if you lift a bunch of heavy things or go running or work out hard or fall and wrench something, and afterward or the next day you feel pain, then you have done something to cause the pain. If not, don't waste your energy on trying to figure it out. Just do what you have learned to do to manage it the best you can.

If you have a new area of concentration, it is best to see a doctor about that specific thing, as cookiebaker says. You don't want to assume that it is fibro without getting it checked out, because if it is something else happening you need to know. Make an appointment now (because it may take time to get in with your doctor).

 

[JayCS]

I prefer calling it "alternating" pain, rather than "moving", because they are sometimes connected to one another (physically, body-wise) and sometimes it's just that I have a whole load of parts of my body, which don't hurt all the time, so it's just chance if one bit hurts and then another. I'm very sure about this because I have been able to sort out all local pains, as I call them. whilst I can only control my overall Ache with pacing accordingly.
Pain around abdomen, rib cage and back are in my experience very much related to one another. (Heart and gut may also have to do with it, e.g. Roemheld are gut problems squashing the heart.)
For this pain centre of yours I'd check with the doctors if you haven't yet if there is anything you need to know about your spine, but aside from that in my experience these are muscle problems, possibly independent of fibromyalgia muscle problems, and you could carefully try out various costochondritis and back exercises to strengthen these muscles or ask a good physiotherapist, meaning not the normal kind, but osteopaths, chiropractors, acupressurists, myofascial release: Someone gentle who listens to you and your body. Docs are too blunt for this kind of thing unless they are properly trained, e.g. an orthopedist trained in osteopathy.

 

[dw1256]

I prefer calling it "alternating" pain

Thanks for this. That is a much better way to describe the pain that I feel. I will be using that going forward.

Have you personally suffered from costochondritis? If so, are there any specific exercises you found helpful? I have tried some and haven't had much success.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[JayCS]

Have you personally suffered from costochondritis? If so, are there any specific exercises you found helpful? I have tried some and haven't had much success.

Yes, very long ago. From studying a lot in a bad sitting posture as a teen my chest muscles once cramped so hard I could hardly breathe, then laid down and couldn't breathe at all, so actually panicked I was literally going to die, but getting up it got moving again. I had loads of chest and back/spine pain. A few years later I went to a great orthopedist who recommended shoes without heels, or negative, and a hard mattress, both of which if I've had to keep up till today. Plus isometric erercises. Did them with 6 different physios. The first 4 didn't help at all, because they didn't focus enough on keeping up a tight posture while doing the exercises. The fifth was brilliant because she showed me exactly that, and for the first time I got sore chest and back muscles from doing these exercises. That was then my measure for knowing I'd done them correctly. The 6th was a brilliant build-up on that, altho she didn't focus on doing them well, but she showed me >50 exercises, which I immediately pinned down with matchstick men drawings when I went out, to remember them, then decided on my 5 most important ones, to which I've only added 1 more, and I need to do these every morning without fail, if I don't there'll be a severe backlash from the following night on.
As short workarounds I have used a cushion under my hunchback in the first 2 years of fibro, no longer that necessary at the moment. But I do use it whenever I've hunched too much, like looking forward, sitting too long etc., but also when lying in bed too curled up, which of course puts pressure on my rib muscles and causes pain and resulting in inflammation = costochondritis. I actually (have to) make sure I lie twist-stretched outwards to stretch the chest muscles or at least alternating most of the time while sleeping.
Also hanging from a pull up bar in the door of my room can give some quick relief, but that's not sustainable, it's the active use and training of the rib muscles.
Since fibro I've also added about 20 back "yoga" exercises which I can do standing when I'm bored waiting, but they're not essential for the costochondritis (prevention).

 

[dw1256]

Also hanging from a pull up bar in the door of my room can give some quick relief

Are you doing a "dead hang?"

Thanks for all of your advice. You help a lot of people on this forum.

 

[JayCS]

Are you doing a "dead hang?"
Thanks for all of your advice. You help a lot of people on this forum.

Aw, that's nice, much appreciated, good and heart-warming to hear and know! 👐
Yeah, dead hang. About 25% of the time my spine "pops" with relief inside the first 15-30''. Occasionally I've actually managed 2 mins., but probably cheating with a tiny bit of support. My kid suggested to try that when I wailed around I can't do any pull ups any more.

Sorry, I couldn't get my head around how to put the crucial exercise bits above,
but having just done my back exercises (late in the day, but better than not at all), here goes:
For the lower back: pinching buttocks and pressing the hollow back(w?) outwards, whatever exercises I'm doing, lying on back or front.
For upper back: pressing my wrists on to the floor as I can.
With both I sometimes have to be careful not to cramp, if so, I quickly curl up and try again.
The upper back exercises: Lying on front doing a sort of aeroplane, with arms as U or hands under forehead, AND of course pinching buttocks and pressing hollow out.
Harder the harder surface - floor or a yoga mat on it is hardest, mattresses are usually too soft, even my hard straw mattress is much easier than the floor.
Sometimes feels impossible, that's the fun of it and is what causes the sore muscles at first....