Pain from pressure

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cissyalice

Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2021
Messages
11
Reason
DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
01/2016
Country
AU
So about 70% of my pain seems to be caused by pressure and/or motion. For example, lying on a mattress (I’ve gone through about a dozen with no relief), sitting down, the pressure of putting weight on my big toe as I walk as well as the motion of it being bent, if I put pressure on my fingers or they get bent in the act of doing something, etc. The areas that have had pressure on them will then continue to ache long after the pressure has been taken away. And this pressure also seems to make my muscles stiffer. Which is the cause of the rest of my pain. My muscles are all constantly really tight and stretches only help a little bit and massage helps but only for a few hours.

All the medications I’ve tried either don’t work or aren’t worth the side effects. Muscle relaxers help a bit but they make my depression really bad so I only take them once in a blue moon.

Has anyone else experienced this and have any advice? I’m at my wits end in terms of mattresses because I’m so tired of only getting a few hours sleep and waking up in agony

In saying all this, I do fine with hard pressure during a message. The pain feels different and it releases the tightness rather than increasing any aches.

Thankyou :)
 
I have the same thing, usually in my shoulder blades. I get stiff if I sit for more than a few minutes, too. I'm sorry you're going through this. FM is different for everyone, but there are similarities for sure.
 
Thanks sweetie <3 it really does suck for all of us.
 
Has anyone else experienced this and have any advice? I’m at my wits end in terms of mattresses because I’m so tired of only getting a few hours sleep and waking up in agony
From what I've read, this sounds like allodynia - which is a symptom of fibro that some people experience more than others.

From the website Living Smarter With Fibromyalgia:

Types of Allodynia


Allodynia impacts some fibromyalgia sufferers, but it’s also becoming a problem for many people with diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, and chronic migraines.
Not only can the cause of the pain vary, but the symptoms can vary as well.

There are currently four types of allodynia:


  • Tactile Allodynia: Pain is caused by light touch. Something as simple as lying on a bed or putting on clothing can cause incredible discomfort.

  • Mechanical Allodynia: Pain is caused by light movement of objects over the skin. Imagine brushing shoulders with a loved one in the hallway and wincing in pain.

  • Thermal Allodynia: The body overreacts when exposed to heat or cold. For instance, an ice cube barely touching the skin can cause extreme pain or a sunny day can lead to unbearable discomfort on the skin even without a sunburn.

  • Static Allodynia: This is a form of mechanical allodynia that results from light pressure applied to the skin. A finger touching the skin might not cause pain, but someone gripping your arm lightly may feel extremely uncomfortable.

I had a total nightmare with mattresses too, which was finally resolved (to a point at least) when I splurged on a memory foam mattress topper that I couldn't afford! Overall, at that time, I was in a really horrific flare that went on for months, so maybe the mattress was the solution, or maybe it was managing to get my body to cooperate in general that helped. I really feel for you - it's just awful - I was lying on icepacks every night, moving frantically from the bed to the couch, and hardly sleeping at all :rolleyes: Not fun!

I've heard of people with fibro wearing a kind of support glove if they have pain in their fingers, but this is not something I've ever seen.

The website I mentioned above says on its allodynia page:
You would also want to be sure that edema of any kind is not exacerbating this symptom.

I have no idea if that would apply to you, but perhaps worth looking into. Edema/Oedema is when you get swelling from fluid trapped in your tissues - I had this all over my body when my fibro was at its worst (think unflattering puffiness all over!) A Boswellia supplement helped me get rid of that.

I hope you find something that makes you feel better soon 🌼
 
Yeah I've always associated Allodynia with pain in the skin when pressure is applied (which I get as well). This on the otherhand is really deep into the muscles and joints and worsened by how much of my body weight is weighing me down. But I could be wrong.

I'm sorry you went through that! Yeah, my latest mattress is memory foam and it seems to be the best so far. It's hard to know whether it's the wrong one for me or if my pain is just so bad right now that no mattress will work. Oh man, I was lying on ice packs as well for about a year because it was the only thing that let me sleep but then I had to stop because I got chilblains all over my back from it :(

thankyou for the tips! I don't think I have any swelling, thank god (one less thing to deal with). I appreciate the help.
 
but then I had to stop because I got chilblains all over my back from it :(
Oh wow, that truly sucks!!

The times when I was in that phase, the pain I felt from lying or sitting in the same position went from my skin right through into my bones. It was really excruciating! The tight muscles also sound realllly familiar - and nothing seemed to help until the whole flare receded. I guess my luck is that I've never had a major problem with my feet or hands - they generally ache, but nothing sharp or very reactive.

While I might not be able to feel exactly what you're feeling or know the best way for you to ease it, know that you're definitely not alone in this! What I do believe is that getting out of a flare is possible - and if I'm right on that, then you're not going to feel like this forever. I hope I'm proven right really quickly!
 
gah that's aweful, I'm glad the flare receded for you.

Most of the pain I get aren't flares in the sense that my pain gets better or goes away. Once I get a new pain I'm stuck with it, it just gets worse as the months and years go on (and it will stick to the same general location). The ice packs were for my sacroiliac joint pain which I don't think is connected to my fibromyalgia, though I think my fibro makes the pain worse.

But the pain that's come on in my back right now is a flare because it does wax and wane so yes I'm hoping that will pass soon :)

I've actually got a lot of pain in the joints of my fingers and my big toes at the moment, go figure lol. I'm hoping that will turn out to be a flare too and not another permanent pain.

Thankyou very much for your kind words. I really appreciate them ❤️
 
Most of the pain I get aren't flares in the sense that my pain gets better or goes away. Once I get a new pain I'm stuck with it, it just gets worse as the months and years go on (and it will stick to the same general location)

Oh, that must feel so frustrating! For context, what I consider to be my big "flares" have lasted as long as 4-6 months - perhaps that inspires some hope. I get smaller ups and downs, but the real doozies can last for ages! I'll have everything crossed for you (maximum irony 😅 I'm sorry!) that it all improves.
 
I have the same thing - I’ll get a new pain somewhere on my body and it never goes away. I’ve gotten to the point that almost everything hurts and I don‘t feel like doing anything. Have you found anything that helps? Have you found any kind of doctor that listens and helps at all? Thanks for the info.
 
Hi cissyalice i have different types of allodynia too my thermal type only happens in the cold times yep your %100 on the right forum , feel free to gripe anytime 😊
 
I used to have a Temper Pedic and that helped, but I had to get rid of it, too big for my new apt. tried several. others without success then I bought a Big Fig mattress set.. 120 days trial period and after 1st night it has made all the difference, now I am able to get out of bed without pain and stiffnesss, also Big Fig is also more affordable than others. I do better with massage therapists that concentrate on pain relief massage, after an hour or more, my knots finally work out of my muscles. I still. cannot find any meds or anything else that relieves the constant tenderness and soreness in my lower tendons around my ankles and muscles in the calves. No amount of massage takes that away. Gabapentin was a miracle for me 3 times a day, it has stopped the all over pain flares. Don't have any idea about for relief for your toe joints and pressure, I have recently noticed that too. Keep trying and hope for more good days!
 
NRB, does your gabapentin make you very sleepy? I take 4 every day 300 mgs each I’m considering asking for one more ( cos my pain is very bad) I also read that gabapentin is bad for liver and organ damage , nobody ever told me that! , I read it on one of the threads yesterday.
 
Oh, that must feel so frustrating! For context, what I consider to be my big "flares" have lasted as long as 4-6 months - perhaps that inspires some hope. I get smaller ups and downs, but the real doozies can last for ages! I'll have everything crossed for you (maximum irony 😅 I'm sorry!) that it all improves.
yeah it gets pretty frustrating. Yeah I'm hoping this shoulder thing will turn out to be a flare and just last months rather than years like all my other stuff, so that does inspire a little hope :) thankyou so much, you've been so kind <3
 
I have the same thing - I’ll get a new pain somewhere on my body and it never goes away. I’ve gotten to the point that almost everything hurts and I don‘t feel like doing anything. Have you found anything that helps? Have you found any kind of doctor that listens and helps at all? Thanks for the info.
It really is so hard when it just sticks around and everything hurts - like how are you supposed to function? The only things that help me are heat, massage, chiro, osteo and massage (but it's only temporary lessening of pain but still better than nothing). THC oil helped me sleep through the pain but I didn't like the side effects. I have an integrative GP who is empathetic and listens (a rarity) but she hasn't been able to help unfortunately. I just started seeing a pain specialist and he was basically like 'you need to exercise more'. I exercise like 1-2 hours a day already because otherwise my hips stiffen up too much but I hate it because it makes the rest of my pain worse. I don't really know how he expects me to exercise more or how that could help me. He also put me on some medication to help me sleep but it made me suicidal so I'm wary to go back on it. I think finding anyone who can help is kind of like finding a unicorn.
 
Hi cissyalice i have different types of allodynia too my thermal type only happens in the cold times yep your %100 on the right forum , feel free to gripe anytime 😊
Lol thankyou. God the cold is the worst, isn't it?
 
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