View Full Version : aches and pains
finally feel like i'm moving towards accepting my anxiety diagnosis however the symptoms are still persisting to an alarming level, particularly the headaches which i posted about yesterday.
One of the most troublesome things i've experienced is the aches and pains i get as a result of anxiety. I understand that in an anxious state our minds magnify normal aches and pains that everyone gets but i'm definitely suffering a lot more since this began. I get sharp pains in my fingers, hands, toes, the soles of my feet, legs, wrists, arms, neck pretty much everywhere on and off. I also get hot itchy feelings all over which are pretty uncomfortable on top of the usual tingling sensations in my face, hands, arms and feet. They're horrible. I haven't really seen much information about how anxiety causes joint pain but it's one of the nastier symptoms.
Does anyone else experience these random aches and pains with their anxiety?
Hi Dave, there's a great post on Calm Clinic that might answer some of your questions:
http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/signs/aches-and-pains
I know that others have mentioned TMJ to you, and I really think it's something you should get checked out, it can cause a lot of problems that you might not normally associate with the jaw muscle.
Personally when I'm extremely stressed I've gone through periods where my arms didn't feel like part of my body, or my right arm felt weird and numb, I got lots of tingles, feel out of my body - a lot of it is down to muscle tension and gets noticably worse when my TMJ flares up.
Have you been doing anything to help out with the anxiety? Like trying some relaxation, exercise or anything that will help your mucles to relax?
I know that you're struggling to believe that this is anxiety, but doing some work to reduce the stress levels will not do any harm and will help you cope with it better.
Hi HoneyLove,
thanks for the link, interesting to see it can cause aches and pains however mine aren't in the usual places people tend to associate with anxiety induced pain.
I'm going to bring up TMJ with my dentist next week & seek some more information on that front.
It's just frustrating that the symptoms persist so much even when i feel calm and relaxed, the arm not feeling part of your body is awful, i've had that too. I always worry that my left arm is going to stop functioning one morning cos my brain seems to be telling me it's getting weaker day by day.
I've been doing relaxation techniques and receiving reiki as well as starting my anxiety meds. I feel less anxious but the symptoms are still just as bad as ever which gets me concerned.
I do have slight IBS from anxiety issues in the past & i'm not sure whether this could cause some of my joint aches and pains. My stomach has been gurgling and churning so loudly all day, every day since i started getting anxious due to my dizziness.
One of my struggles with accepting it's anxiety is how the symptoms just arose from nowhere and how i've had periods of high anxiety in the past but didn't experience any physical symptoms from it.
TMJ can cause dizziness and balance problems, as can anxiety (and anxiety can cause TMJ problems) - it's important to remember that. But at the same time worth checking it out with your doctor.
The thing is, even though at times you feel relaxed, you've still been in a state of high anxiety for a while now and I assume are getting anxious when you feel your symptoms. It's going to take some time and work for you to unwind from that. The effects of stress can last a while, it take consistent effort and understanding for your body and nervous system to relax again, so don't expect it all to change quickly. It will take time.
Have you considered CBT to help you deal with the symptoms?
There's another article from Calm Clinic here about joint pain in particular:
http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/symptoms/joint-pain
The symptoms do make me very anxious yes. Particularly the worsening headaches as i never, ever get headaches usually. Short pains all over my head that have lasted for about 9 days now. Very worrying. My left ring finger and pinky feel numb as well on top of the aches and pains. I'm trying to organise CBT over the coming week.
A lot of people seem to attribute joint pain and tingling to hyperventilation but i focus on my breathing and know fine well that this isn't what i'm doing so it can't be the cause. So frustrated with these awful symptoms.
Did you read the link I posted there about joint pain? It can be down to a lot more than hyperventilation, there are several reasons for it.
I know you are stressed about the symptoms, but like I said a couple of posts ago, the best thing you can do is focus on bringing your stress levels down. It can only do you good, and if it helps you feel better physically then even better.
Yeah i read the link, maybe my joints are inflamed from stress. I just have such a variety of sensations it's concerning! one of my first symptoms was joint pain in my fingers.
I don't feel particularly stressed, my heart rate is always normal and i never break into sweat but i'm obviously quite worried and stressed internally. These headaches are really starting to worry me more than other symptoms. They're getting worse by the day.
Dave, anxiety and worry are a type of stress. Anxiety is like being chronically stressed. By reducing your stress levels you're doing the same thing as reducing your anxiety levels.
You don't need to break out in a sweat or have a high heart rate to be stressed. Your brain cannot tell the difference between real or imagined stressors, so if you're simply worrying in your head about your symptoms this will have the same effect as a more obvious stressor and your brain will release stress hormones just the same.
Headaches can all be down to stress and TMJ (which can be triggered by stress).
You're obsessing and fixating on your symptoms, which will only make things worse. It would be good for you to learn to put them aside with distraction techniques. CBT will be really helpful with this.
Even if it turns out that you have a joint problem, or any physical problem, stress management and reducing anxiety levels will still be beneficial.
i know what you're saying HoneyLove.
It's annoying as i've been stressed for a long time and the headaches have only come on recently. Typically as soon as the dizziness i was suffering from has improved the headaches have come along and my left ring and pinky finger are constantly tingling.
I'm hoping CBT will help me get over some of my more noticeable and unpleasant symptoms, i've heard it's very useful for this.
I've had basic tests, neurological tests, optic nerve exams, blood tests and nothing has been found yet but the symptoms still persist. I think a majority are anxiety related but some stick around more than others which alarms me
I'm sort of just turning this corner myself. I only had obvious anxiety for the past few months (the longest 3 months of my life, tbh)... but am realizing that the past few months have stemmed from 3 years of a low level anxiety that came from all manner of life stresses that I thought I was dealing with. Well, I was dealing with them, by squashing all of those feelings inside me and storing them as tension in just about every muscle fibre in my body. And then I had 3 months of major tension where I was truly wound tighter than Tigger's tail.
I've been reading about muscles a lot lately in an effort to understand physically what I am feeling. And what I am slowly realizing a few things:
1) Tight muscles strain more easily. So carrying all that crap from my car to my house which I do every day that doesn't hurt me, now hurts the next day. Sitting on an office chair all day now makes my butt throb hours after I've gone to bed. Even doing my usual stretching exercises aggravates things, so I need to go much gentler.
2) Muscles attached to bones via tendons. Tight muscles = tight tendons. Tight muscles + tight tendons = sore joints. So all my joints hurt. Fingers, wrists, knees, hips, even toes sometimes.
3) Nerves travel through muscles. So tight muscles mean that nerves get compressed. Compressed nerves create pain, tingling, pins and needles, zaps in random places. I get burning pain in my thighs, pins and needles in my feet and hands, and even in my tongue.
4) I've also learned that muscle tension can create trigger points which are sore spots in the muscle, often sore to the touch and frequently lumpy. These trigger points not only cause pain at their site, but can also refer pain to other parts of the body.
I'm finally starting to "unwind" ... and all my muscle symptoms are constantly moving. It's like one part of me unwinds and another picks up the slack. Kind of like my body has been so used to constant tension, it just does not know what to do when I tell it to stop. There are days where I feel almost "normal" only to be greeted by a new pain that winds me up again. Then I spend days bargaining with myself "If it doesn't calm down by next week I'll go to the doc", only to have it go away and be replaced by another.
So, anyway... you're not alone in this. It is weird, freaky, strange, and defies even the most rational of thought. But you are okay. I'm okay too... it's just really hard to remind ourselves of that.
hangingbasket
22-01-14, 21:58
I wonder does rib pain fit into muscle or joint pain? Ribs arent really a joint are they??
Anyway.. I get rib pain every single day. Right sided, always. Apparently this is because of anxiety although I dont really understand how it's such a small, specific area.
Yes it does, ribs are covered by a lot of muscle, you could sleep on it awkwardly :)
Worriedwellornot
22-01-14, 22:12
I wonder does rib pain fit into muscle or joint pain? Ribs arent really a joint are they??
Anyway.. I get rib pain every single day. Right sided, always. Apparently this is because of anxiety although I dont really understand how it's such a small, specific area.
Hi hanging
I'm still struggling with my right sided pain. It's a weird pain that doesn't hurt my tummy when I press on it when lying down. It seems to be coming from underside of the bottom of the rib. I'm wondering if it's costochondritis? Months ago I kept prodding it when I was worried about cancer. Trying not to think about it.
i often get shooting pains behind my ribs as well, i got them even prior to my other anxiety symptoms but i suffer from IBS so always thought it was because of that. I'm starting to get really worried about my headaches, they're getting worse as each day goes by and tonight i have a horrible one and feel dizzy. Started prozac a few days ago but had head pains beforehand so it's hard to know if it's the meds or a progression. Really scared about having a brain tumour
Evening Dave!
Come on, you've been doing great. The positivity in your posts has been great to see! I've got something for you that cured me of a back of the headache earlier.
Do you have a ball ? like a tennis ball or something?
Hi Luna,
Thanks, i feel like i've just had a really bad day today with the headaches getting much worse, they just come and go with such sharp pains! and when i lie down i feel really dizzy when i move, it makes me get horrible surges of adrenaline! I don't know if this is the meds.
When i'm walking around i actually feel a lot less dizzy than i have in the past few weeks as well. As one symptom goes another takes its place!
Yeah i've got a ball here, not a tennis ball but it's a ball none the less!
I'd imagine the surges are coming from the anxiety although it's not uncommon for an SSRI to make you feel a little anxious at the start which would explain the surges, pains and dizziness.
I know the feeling of symptoms changing, it's pretty annoying and doesn't help things at all!
Basically you can use the ball for a type of massage called Myofascial release, there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube on how to do it, you probably need to look for a self neck/shoulder one as I doubt you have someone to help you, it's fairly simple to be honest. you can either lay down and gently roll it around your neck/shoulders in circles, or use your hands.
You may feel tired after, but that's normal :)
the dizziness is particularly bad tonight it's like when i look at something first glance and zone in a surge of adrenaline goes through me, it's horrible. the headaches have got a lot worse since i started prozac but it's hard to tell if that's the reason why.
Thanks Luna, i'll try that out! i got a massage earlier from a family member who;s trained and she said that my shoulders weren't tight and i had no knots but my neck and scalp felt very tight and stressed.
I really wish i hadn't read so much about brain tumour symptoms and diagnosis, now my headaches are worsening it really hasn't done me any favours at all!
Morning Dave :)
Yeah I'm not surprised that your neck is tight, I think you should work on trying to release some of the tension in that area, I know it's helped me a lot. even though I probably don't do it right as it comes back sometimes!
I know how you feel about reading symptoms, I'm sure a lot of people here would say the same. I know I would even start to look for mine. I think the best thing you can do is remember how common they are in other less serious problems, TMJ for example.
United got beat again last night, I feel for Andrash ;)
Doesn't Mata :)
I like what you did there ;)
i think Mata will be a really good signing, i'm hoping no one bids for Cabaye before the window closes!
I'm trying to stay calm today but feeling woozy with head pains and body pains particularly my calves. I took a long hot shower earlier which made me feel a lot more relaxed and calmed me down when i was getting stressed at symptoms.
I noticed a small lump/bump at the top-middle of my forehead earlier just below the hairline and i don't know if this is normal or not. It's kind of got me worried, i always have my hair down so i don't know if it's just come or it's always been there :huh:
Good too see the shower calmed you down, I think that show's something don't you? maybe you could try getting a hot water bottle and placing it on places that are giving you problems :)
Is the bump a little sore too touch?
And I can't see why they would let united have him, oh wait. Chelsea have no more matches against them! typical Mourinho..
i still have the aches and pains it just makes me feel a bit more settled about things.
Not really it feels mostly hard and goes up into my hairline, i can feel it when i run my fingers sideways across the top of my forehead. i never noticed it before so have no idea how long it's been there i just had an ache around there earlier so put my hand up there and felt it.
haha i can't believe Arsene criticised Chelsea for selling to a direct rival though! he forgets about Nasri, Adebayor, RVP, Clichy, Cole, Toure!
To be honest that sounds like your skull if it starts just before your hairline, I have the same. there's your expression muscles there as well, but I doubt you can feel that. if it was sore it could be a knot as I had them before I got my mouth guard.
And yeah I though that when I read the article!
Somehow the word Klingon keeps popping into my head ;)
Positive thoughts
Somehow the word Klingon keeps popping into my head ;)
Positive thoughts
Ahahahaha, brilliant ;)
it seems slightly sore but i don't know if that's just because i've been feeling around since discovering it earlier. I
n regards to TMJ i don't know if i have it! sometimes when i open my mouth i hear the clicking but sometimes i don't. I get very sharp pains just above my ears which could be because of my jaw but i get these pains all over my head so it's hard to tell.
Fishmanpa- hahaha i'm going to look like one if i keep fiddling with it
You don't necessarily need to have a clicking jaw for tmj, mine clicks but I don't think it has too, mine closes incorrectly aswell . them sharp pains are exactly where your jaw joint is, and also I was reading an article yesterday that said it can refer pain to anywhere there is muscle in the shoulder neck or head :)
Your problems do sound jaw related to me, especially as you've damaged it before.
the left hand side of my jaw is quite painful when i tense it. My head pains haven't been quite so bad today i've just felt weird all day, i think it might be the medication. I hope so anyway. My head feels really foggy and my thoughts are muffled, i don't like it. I have no clarity in my thoughts at all. Since taking them i get very strange dizzy feelings when i sit down as well or when i quickly change position.
I'm not sure whether the medication suits me.
My thoughts were all over the place before I started my medication, they seem to slowly be getting back to normality though (hopefully)
I'd stick with them, they take a couple of weeks to build up, and remember you have been incredibly anxious for a while now so it's going to be a little disorientating as you return to your normal self :)
it's so difficult to know what's a side effect and what is my original symptoms. i experienced a horrible dizzy spell earlier where i felt like i was about to pass out and had to sit down. i'm still feeling really dizzy now and my head feels full of pressure. really don't like this at all. I've had a twitch under my right eye and above my left eye for 4 days now as well.
Cabaye is a good player, would be nice to have him too on board :)
As for Arsene, he's always complaining about something :)
As for the twitch, I have had twitches under my right eye for the last 20 years. When I am stressed or mulling over something, it twitches. It isn't even anxiety-it's nothing really :)
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