sudden muscle pain and weakness

[Doctrinaut]

Has anyone experienced a sudden onset of severe pain and weakness in your arms then suddenly disapears?

 

[sunkacola]

yes, and in other parts of my body as well. I don't think this is all that unusual for people with fibromyalgia.

 

[JayCS]

Yep, this suddenness actually more often in my arms than elsewhere.
Usually due to something I'm doing with my arms, like shaving or hair drying, housework (window cleaning!), kitchen work, yardwork.
Often combined with heavy breathing / short breath, which is similarly sudden (but that also happens without arm Ache).
For a certain while what I'm doing seems OK, but then it suddenly forces me to stop what I'm doing.
It's independent of my actual muscular strength, which is still pretty full.
Like many of my problems it has to do with endurance/stamina, not strength.

 

[fitzy]

If I hold anything above my shoulders, the pain becomes so severe in my arm I have to stop or drop whatever I'm doing. Holding a phone to my ear can be incredibly painful and I have to use speaker phone. Bringing in groceries from the car is painful to even think about. After about a minute of stopping whatever it is I was doing, the pain subsides to a background dull ache. JayCS explanation is similar/the same to what I'm describing.

 

[fitzy]

Yep, this suddenness actually more often in my arms than elsewhere.
Usually due to something I'm doing with my arms, like shaving or hair drying, housework (window cleaning!), kitchen work, yardwork.
Often combined with heavy breathing / short breath, which is similarly sudden (but that also happens without arm Ache).
For a certain while what I'm doing seems OK, but then it suddenly forces me to stop what I'm doing.
It's independent of my actual muscular strength, which is still pretty full.
Like many of my problems it has to do with endurance/stamina, not strength.

You seem to have very similar symptoms to me. There is a wide range of symptoms and yours seem to overlap with mine a lot. I'm interested to know how you manage your symptoms. Im new to the forum so I'm not sure if that's an appropriate question to ask or how/if we sidebar convos.

 

[JayCS]

I'm interested to know how you manage your symptoms. Im new to the forum so I'm not sure if that's an appropriate question to ask or how/if we sidebar convos.

Hi fitzy: No problem to sidebar on this forum, but your interest at this point is not really a sidebar at all. (Whilst posts and threads are pretty well navigable from all sorts of angles on the forum (e.g. good search) it's good like you've done to quote or put in the other's name @fitzy so we can see where the reply is going.)

Always a challenge to put my millions of ideas into a nutshell, but -> sunkacola's Big Advice Post is pretty much how I'd've written it, but nice'n'short. Then I've expanded on it -> here in all general details.
Then this'd be my collected generalized overview in a nutshell up to this moment:
Getting a handle on it means grieving, accepting, trigger hunting, symptom prioritizing, tracking & analysis, treatment trialling. Localized pains, incl. IBS (diet), and sleep can be improved greatly (physio & supps), the overall Ache can be harnessed by pacing, fatigue can be toughest for most... Treatment types: 1. Mental / pain management, 2. expert physio & self-physio, 3. diets, 4. adapting to/the environment, 5. supps & herbs are the areas where there is so much to try, 30+ things in each category (diets can be broken down to 3-5 fundamental ones).

Sometimes similarities in symptoms help, but I think the main similarity would be in the area of meds or in my case no (after warily trying), and instead trialling everything else anyone has ever thought of (if there is medical/study evidence or/and skin, gut & seizure side effects are unlikely).
Don't want to overdo it, so praps that's enough for starters - just ask or search for more...

 

[sunkacola]

Just a thought, fitzy......and it may be no use to you, but I thought I'd mention it. Usually when I get pain in my shoulders or arms, the source is not my shoulders, but my back. My chiropractor, who is amazing and very knowledgeable, has taught me that pain doesn't always tell you where the source is. In the legs...could be your sacroiliac joint or back. In the shoulders, could be your upper back. In your arms, could be your shoulder joint or coming from your back. And so on.
I know this is true because he will test to see where the issue is, and work on that without even touching the place where it is painful, and the pain lessens. Often the source that he works on is not where the pain is felt.

 

[fitzy]

Just a thought, fitzy......and it may be no use to you, but I thought I'd mention it. Usually when I get pain in my shoulders or arms, the source is not my shoulders, but my back. My chiropractor, who is amazing and very knowledgeable, has taught me that pain doesn't always tell you where the source is. In the legs...could be your sacroiliac joint or back. In the shoulders, could be your upper back. In your arms, could be your shoulder joint or coming from your back. And so on.
I know this is true because he will test to see where the issue is, and work on that without even touching the place where it is painful, and the pain lessens. Often the source that he works on is not where the pain is felt.

That's very useful. I'm learning I need to try chiropractor, massages, and yoga and see which ones help the most. I think I'll start with chiropractor for a month or 2 and go from there. It seems I should try one of these things at a time for a month or more so I can determine which has the greatest benefit? Or should I try them all (chiro, massage, yoga) spread out over a a week or a month or something like that? Do you have a recommendation on that?

 

[JayCS]

Or should I try them all (chiro, massage, yoga) spread out over a a week or a month or something like that?

I've done some things at the same time, some things separately. We often need at least a day in between for it to work well.
With supps I'd say if you're desperate and know a lot about them and their interactions then it's possible to load them on fairly fast and then take some back down. With physio I'd say that's even more difficult, so I'd go with your first plan.
With each expert physio, e.g. chiropractor, you can ask what it's OK to do at the same time. Some things support each other, some conflict. Cryotherapy may be good before acupressure or acupuncture, but it ´neutralizes the effect if you do it after - expert opinion and my experience.

 

[fitzy]

I've done some things at the same time, some things separately. We often need at least a day in between for it to work well.
With supps I'd say if you're desperate and know a lot about them and their interactions then it's possible to load them on fairly fast and then take some back down. With physio I'd say that's even more difficult, so I'd go with your first plan.
With each expert physio, e.g. chiropractor, you can ask what it's OK to do at the same time. Some things support each other, some conflict. Cryotherapy may be good before acupressure or acupuncture, but it ´neutralizes the effect if you do it after - expert opinion and my experience.

Thanks for the advice. As for cryo, I also have Raynaud's and super low tolerance to cold weather. 10 years ago I was able to marathon train in a Tshirt and shorts in the snow. Now I can't be outside under 50 degrees without my hands going into Raynaud's state and my body uncontrollably twitches/jerks. Do you have that experience in cold?

 

[sunkacola]

That's very useful. I'm learning I need to try chiropractor, massages, and yoga and see which ones help the most. I think I'll start with chiropractor for a month or 2 and go from there. It seems I should try one of these things at a time for a month or more so I can determine which has the greatest benefit? Or should I try them all (chiro, massage, yoga) spread out over a a week or a month or something like that? Do you have a recommendation on that?

I always recommend doing one thing at a time if you want to find out what helps the most, as it is the only way to know which things are best for you. If you just want fast relief and don't need to know right now which thing works best, it's fine to do them all at once.

 

[JayCS]

Thanks for the advice. As for cryo, I also have Raynaud's and super low tolerance to cold weather. 10 years ago I was able to marathon train in a Tshirt and shorts in the snow. Now I can't be outside under 50 degrees without my hands going into Raynaud's state and my body uncontrollably twitches/jerks. Do you have that experience in cold?

Yep, I also have Raynaud's (5 pairs of socks day & night etc.). However cold showering for 1 minute or cryo for 3 is something different altogether, because of the vasodilation immediately after! If necessary I use a hot water bottle after the cold shower before going to bed, as I need it to get the Ache and unrest down to sleep. Not necessary after whole body cryotherapy tho.

 

[Looby69]

Thanks for the advice. As for cryo, I also have Raynaud's and super low tolerance to cold weather. 10 years ago I was able to marathon train in a Tshirt and shorts in the snow. Now I can't be outside under 50 degrees without my hands going into Raynaud's state and my body uncontrollably twitches/jerks. Do you have that experience in cold?

Hi @fitzy I dont have Raynauds but I do experience the jerks especially when cold. I also struggle with the cold which seems to send me into a flare. I have only experience one winter with a Fibromyalgia diagnosis and already I am dreading winter 2022

 

[JayCS]

uncontrollably twitches/jerks

Oops, forgot: No. Overall debilitating Ache for up to 4-5 hours.

I have only experience one winter with a Fibromyalgia diagnosis and already I am dreading winter 2022

Firstly: Dreading is bad for you! !
The second winter is much better, cos you know what's coming and can adjust your clothing and times outside in time!
I use onion-layering, "rain legs" on fronts of thighs (off and on quickly), small heat pads in gloves and shoes, hot water bottle and long johns with you... etc. I get my stuff together, experiment, compare with others, and always have it with me.
I start adapting everything early, every time I feel a little chilly, so I'm in training. Less as soon as I'm warm enough....
I trial short exposures to cold and heat, test how far I can go: it's as always the dosage that matters most.
Re-learning my-self, starting low, but expanding.

 

[Looby69]

Good advice @JayCS