Worsening muscle soreness / pain / fatigability

[InitialConditions]

Hi folks,

This could have gone in the Pain and Inflammation sub, but I chose this sub because what I seem to be experiencing is worsening muscles issues which I think are linked to fatiguability.

My muscles are just so sore. I am now getting this slight burning pain I associate with overworking certain muscles. It has been quite bad when I have woken up in the morning. That feeling like my legs have been run over. Pain yes, but nothing that I'd need strong pain-killers for. But they are sore, and my muscles feel stiff and lumpy in places.

I have lots of other soreness around my body. Even before ME my shoulders and back were a hotspot of muscle tenderness. This seems a little different, and seems to be affecting my upper legs more.

I should also add that I occasionally (say once per month) wake up with a numb left thigh - sort of down the side. No idea what is happening here. It's only when waking up, and never in the right leg.

Anyone any experience with what I'm describing. And any possible suggestions?! Thanks.

 

[andypants]

Hi folks,

This could have gone in the Pain and Inflammation sub, but I chose this sub because what I seem to be experiencing is worsening muscles issues which I think are linked to fatiguability.

My muscles are just so sore. I am now getting this slight burning pain I associate with overworking certain muscles. It has been quite bad when I have woken up in the morning. That feeling like my legs have been run over. Pain yes, but nothing that I'd need strong pain-killers for. But they are sore, and my muscles feel stiff and lumpy in places.

I have lots of other soreness around my body. Even before ME my shoulders and back were a hotspot of muscle tenderness. This seems a little different, and seems to be affecting my upper legs more.

I should also add that I occasionally (say once per month) wake up with a numb left thigh - sort of down the side. No idea what is happening here. It's only when waking up, and never in the right leg.

Anyone any experience with what I'm describing. And any possible suggestions?! Thanks.

No suggestions, just wanted to say that you could have been describing me (except it's my right leg that keeps going numb, quite often, not my left)

 

[Trish]

My muscles are sore/painful all the time, and get much worse after activity. I've been trying recently to put it into words, and it's difficult.
- 'bone deep' muscle ache that escalates to pain nearly as bad as when I broke a bone, I sometimes describe it to myself as like having period pains all over.
- plus a closer to the surface burning feeling - also worse with activity
- and on the surface - skin burning and sensitivity to touch and pressure. The latter made worse by lying on crumpled fabric, so I can't wear pyjama trousers in bed, as they inevitably rumple up under my legs and cause aggravation.

I occasionally wake up with a numb area but always attribute it to lying position and pressure on a nerve when sleeping and it wears off quite quickly, so it may not be the same thing you're talking about.

 

[andypants]

and on the surface - skin burning and sensitivity to touch and pressure. The latter made worse by lying on crumpled fabric, so I can't wear pyjama trousers in bed, as they inevitably rumple up under my legs and cause aggravation.

Allodynia is one of my major PEM symptoms, like you I mostly get mechanical and kinetic allodynia. From what I can tell it’s mostly seen in patients with ME and FM, which suggests it’s probably neurological in origin?

 

[arewenearlythereyet]

I am mild and I have low level joint and muscle pain all the time that flares during PEM.

It’s definitely worse in the morning. I get out of the bed like an arthritic crab most mornings and it’s a few hours before it subsides.

Before I got diagnosed I was in constant flare and my pain (mostly hip and knees) spiralled out of control affecting movement. Regular painkillers didn’t touch it (naproxen and rest/pacing did sort it out eventually).

The other evening whilst sitting I got something new ...shoulder pain and localised weakness travelling down from my left shoulder blade under armpit and travelling down left side ....it came on quite suddenly but I went to bed and woke up as normal but the pain was much worse and didn’t subside until I eventually succumbed to some paracetamol which definitely took the edge off. I’m not sure if it’s just a trapped nerve or something minor, but it’s so difficult to tell when you’ve got all the other background noise going on.

Nowadays when I get some new symptom (pain or otherwise) I adopt a ‘wait and see if it persists for two weeks’ approach ...so I have a few more days to go. The fact that paracetamol sorted it out makes me feel that in my case this is probably a general effect of being immobile and sitting most of the day/recovering from a cold and it will resolve itself in time.

Sorry that’s a pants response....ME is pants though isn’t it?

 

[theJOYdecision]

Lumpy sore muscles in legs and neck. Referred pain in arms. Here’s what I’ve done to help and depending on causes might help some other people too. I think muscle pain might theoretically be a combination of things such as lactic acid buildup due to ME, inefficient metabolism in muscles due to ME, sedentary lifestyle, etc. I’m sure some of you can add to the list your PEM symptoms. We might only have control over some of those factors but if what I’ve learned can help someone I don’t want to keep it to myself. Forgive any spelling errors, having one of those lives.

Calf muscles pain appears to be paired with a tight and very painful thigh (sartorius) muscle. A bit of research suggested that the sartorius muscle is known to shrink painfully with being over-rested. Some light stretching of this muscle daily during any good days has rapidly improved my symptoms of pain and appears to be gradually reducing how often I got lumpy sore calf muscles. I’ve been simply gently holding the butterfly stretch position https://www.healthline.com/health/tight-hips. I massage out the offending muscles daily with a muscle rub I find pleasant to use (my own recipe with a coconut oil and arnica infused oil base and essential oils that have a gently calming effect on me—happy to share details). Muscle massage has sometimes required a lot of pressure and pain to get the muscle to behave. Now that I’ve been including gentle stretch, I’m able to skip the occasional massage day now without much issue. It’s the kind of pain the prevents sleep.

Tight neck muscles. These have bugged me for a long time and been very hard to get on top of. Recently I have been really focusing on the tight muscles under my shoulder blades. I have a real tendency for my shoulder blades to be squeezed together. On good days I’ve put into my routine some easy Pilates/yoga moves designed to open up the shoulder blade, release the neck and shoulder areas. The neck tightness that went all the way up my neck to my shoulders is much improved.

Arm pain. I am prone to referred pain down my arms. For me this feels like nerve-type pain. Tingly or burny sensations used to be common and could be extremely unpleasant. Pain also could feel like tight sore arm muscles. Knowing that fibro is associated with ME for some people my experiences might have some benefit maybe. (I had a fibro-like pain condition which lead me to a habit of managing this referred pain.) I have myofascial (trigger) points on the pectoral (chest) muscle just beneath the clavicle, behind the armpit (in the region of the teres muscle but I’m not entirely sure which specific muscle) and the neck (trapezius muscle I think). I’m giving my best guess of muscle name as they will pinpoint the regions specifically enough for another layperson who can relate to the referred pain. I’ve become very practiced at releasing these points though massage and 95% of the time I can entirely relieve the referred pain to the degree that I no longer say I have the chronic pain condition I lived with for years. Recently adding some Pilates/yoga moves that work on the shoulder blade, neck and shoulder areas appears to be helping with the trapezius muscle which is the most recalcitrant.

I hope this helps someone. Muscle pain, referred pain, etc is not joke. It often spirals out of control. It affects sleep. And it can make life miserable.