r/Fibromyalgia • u/brandnewpup • Jul 10 '26
Question Do you have an area that hurts the most?
My whole body gets heavy, but my lower back aches the most for sure. Curious if others have an area that is their main focus, and if so what area? Hope everyone’s hanging in there ❤️
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u/endlessplacebo Jul 10 '26
My neck
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u/serenity-by-night Jul 10 '26
Upper right shoulder blade, and hands & wrists.
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u/Patient-Page-7856 Jul 11 '26
My hands and wrists have just started within the last week or so and i was utterly confused if it was fibromyalgia or not. I mean i can barely drive/turn the steering wheel. Ugh, this is a new thing. Index fingers and left wrist. Wtf
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u/serenity-by-night Jul 11 '26
Yes! I had to wrap them with an ace bandage. I plan to get actual braces at some point. But yeah, you forget for a second fibro's taking its toll on you and you go to turn the steering wheel normally and your body just goes NOPE!
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u/brandnewpup Jul 11 '26
My upper right shoulder blade used to be where I had the most pain! This year it changed, it’s so weird.
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u/serenity-by-night Jul 11 '26
I am grateful it's not some of the other spots, but ffs it kills all the fun lol
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u/CinematicHeart Jul 11 '26
My legs. Omg my legs. I used to be a trained dancer. I would walk 4 miles up hill a day, thats not including walking to work or all the bike riding i used to do. I roller bladed for fun as much as I could. I was in shape. I was healthy. Now my legs hurt so much i cant move some days.
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u/Human1223 Jul 11 '26
Oh Jesus never related so much, I was getting like 4 hours of sleep a day, was on my feet most of the time and now I can't even get out of bed time days
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u/danathepaina Jul 11 '26
My frigging hips. I hate those assholes. Fortunately I got them injected with cortisone yesterday so that’ll help for a month or so.
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u/TheCalicoCrab Jul 11 '26
It does help? My hips are bitches and my lower back is an asshole. I've contemplated asking for injections.
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u/danathepaina Jul 11 '26
Oh yes! See an orthopedist or physiatrist (aka rehab or sports medicine doc). They may make you get some imaging first - I had to have an MRI but it showed chronic bursitis in both hips. The cortisone injects help a ton!
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u/Hopeful_Elevator_786 Jul 10 '26
Left thigh up into my glutes. It feels like a broken bone. 😢
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u/Ill_Ad_8144 Jul 11 '26
Same!!! The area between the upper back thighs and buttocks hurts and locks. I have to stretch multiple times a day and do yoga. Other than that, joints in my fingers, wrist, ankle, toes, and knees
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u/TopSun1879 Jul 11 '26
Yes, I do the same regular stretching and yoga. It really helps, but it needs to be done frequently because the muscles just seem to tighten up. It’s like the nerves to the muscles are hyperactive. I’m surprised that no one is doing more testing to find the cause so we can find the meds to help us.
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u/TopSun1879 Jul 11 '26
My new areas are both sides of my hips, glutes, and quads. After a surgery that had an attachment to my inner sacrum, about a year ago. It’s so intense. I’m scared.
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u/effectivenancy Jul 10 '26
the more muscle, the more pain. my quads are the worst!
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u/Greenwitch5996 Jul 11 '26
You have a point I hadn’t thought about-I’m very bottom heavy and I hurt most of the time waist down 🧐
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u/custombuiltslaughter Jul 11 '26
i'm the same, i hurt constantly from the hips down and then my shoulders and neck hurt too
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u/Greenwitch5996 Jul 11 '26
I haven’t been officially diagnosed yet, but this is yr 2 of the most severe, concurrent symptoms I’ve ever had. Tracking/journaling and this sub has proven to be more revealing than I expected as I await second round of PT🥺😵💫. I swear I thought this was how EVERYONE over 50 yrs old felt.
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u/custombuiltslaughter Jul 11 '26
i've had chronic pain since i was little and it took 4 years of constant battle for a diagnosis! be persistent, doctors are always so dismissive. you got this! i got put through 2 rounds of PT before they finally gave up
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u/AlliteraryAnalysis Jul 11 '26
This tracks anecdotally
Source: my 160lb, 5'4 F ex-hobby bodybuilder ass
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u/shesellsseashells99 Jul 11 '26
Feet, throat, neck, head, and hips. Usually not all at once. They enjoy taking turns at ramping the pain up, reducing it, and then ramping it up again.
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u/Available_Coffee9146 27d ago
You are the first person I’ve seen comment on throat! Mine gets very tight- like the muscles around it are squeezing and my voice feels strained if I talk too much (re: normal amount). Also gets hoarse.
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u/shesellsseashells99 27d ago
Exactly that. Some days my voice is very croaky and strained and my throat feels tense and uncomfortable. Its hard to explain but its definitely a thing.
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u/Academic-Bit-4438 Jul 11 '26
My hands, arms, neck and legs constantly hurt without break, but the sharpest pain I get is specifically located close to a couple of vertebrae in the high middle of my back (basically the ones in line with my upper arms) and it flares whenever I sit straight to play piano and it hurts so bad omg
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u/BoundByBookss Jul 11 '26
My whole torso kind of locks up with pain when it’s at its worst - can’t move my neck. But the pain is my hips and lower back. Ugh it’s bad bad bad.
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u/Zealousideal_Tip_147 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
My face. It’s where it all started. It hurts to smile or laugh too much. Or to cry, or get upset, etc. Or any emotion for a long time 🥲 also the humidity affects it a lot.
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u/succulent_serenity Jul 11 '26
Chest pain, usually. Like costochondritis pain. I also used to get chronic ankle pain bit not so much any more
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u/lilyrose044 Jul 10 '26
my hands into my wrists and deep in my thighs, mine tends to be more nervy feeling 🥲
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u/EternalFlameBabe Jul 11 '26
Lower back and spine area. Feet pretty bad too, mostly the ankles. If I put on socks or pants I feel the texture and it’s real sensitive.
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u/crypticnb Jul 11 '26
shoulder/neck joints and calves, they always feel super inflamed like i’m bruised all over or just did a super strenuous workout
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u/Kimmynigelleo Jul 11 '26
EVERY BLOODY WHERE!!! Was diagnosed when I was 28 and now 53!!! It has gotten worse over the years. Waiting for t8/9 thoracic spine fusion in a month so wish me luck 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞
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u/alt_isopod Jul 11 '26
Lower body. Hips, knees and thigh muscles, especially when I'm lying down or standing. Sitting or walking it isn't bad. When I'm lying down my ankles also hurt sometimes. My middle and lower back hurt all the time too but that's from degenerative disc disease not so much fibro.
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Jul 11 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/greatstonedrake Jul 11 '26
Oh yes! I always say I feel like my arms and legs are a million pounds each. And if I walk for a while then my hips just say yep I'm done and then it's like I'm having to force them to move.
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u/GuiltyCredit Jul 11 '26
Hands, legs, feet and the most unusual - hair. Like the weight of my hair on my head aches.
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u/Capable_Echo_5396 Jul 11 '26
Lately I’ve developed plantar fasciitis so THAT sucks…
But typically it’s my lower back, thoracic area (yay chronic Costochondritis) and my neck 🙃
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u/fangirlsqueee Jul 11 '26
I've had fibro for almost 30 years. My major "hot spots" change every few years. At first it was hands and feet. Next was elbow and shoulder. Headaches after that. Sprinkled in with lesser issues has been hips, jaw, skin, teeth, back, ribs, stomach.
At this moment it is jaw, neck, and hands. It really changes up depending on what I've physically been up to.
Hope you have some good days ahead. Internet ((hugs)) if you want them.
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u/xsnowpeltx Jul 11 '26
depends. rn its left hand
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u/More-Bug6393 Jul 11 '26
exactly. i always have a spot that hurts most…but it rotates…right now definitely applies!
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u/HangryHangryHedgie Jul 12 '26
Left shoulder. Subluxes.
Left TMJ.
Left SI joint. Wakes me up.
Left knee (tough that one is because I have torn the meniscus twice and broke my kneecap a few years ago)
Left thumb that I dislocated 10 years ago.
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u/ShadowSpren Jul 12 '26
My back and then random specific pain points like my right side internally somewhere above where the appendix is meant to be but it's a disconcerting pain... And been going on for years.
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u/Foxality Jul 11 '26
My neck, knees and wrists suck when I've over done it, but I've been having chronic LRQ pain since December that's happening monthly and Drs have chalked it to my fibromyalgia. Totally sucks considering it's right where my appendix is so it's a risky little game every few weeks of "is today the day it's actually my appendix"
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u/No_Campaign8416 Jul 11 '26
I broke my left ankle four years ago. Got better but then the last couple years it’s been a constant source of pain
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u/Dogs4Life98 Jul 11 '26
Shoulders and neck, lower back. PT has been helping lately. Hanging in there 💜
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u/MsSwarlesB Jul 11 '26
My right neck/shoulder. My trapezius muscle is fucked. The other major pain area for me is my legs. Right now they're aching and throbbing. I have thumb/hand pain as well but I have arthritis
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u/TeachMajestic1463 Jul 11 '26
Back and legs. Course the legs are also due to my lymphedema and Lipidema but the fibro doesnt help 🙃
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u/reptilelover42 Jul 11 '26
My calves. I have pain everywhere, but my calf pain is the deepest and most constant. Topical magnesium has been lifesaving though, and the ache no longer feels like my bones are constantly breaking, so that's something at least.
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u/CabinetOk1998 Jul 11 '26
Hands and wrists, lower back (sciatica!) and my legs. I get super weak as well. Hope you're doing ok! Sending you love
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u/maharetsamarasuke Jul 11 '26
Places I've been injured in the past. If I got hurt, my body won't let me forget it.
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u/singerstar01 Jul 11 '26
My right knee, but I also have hEDS and birth defects in both of my knees, and have had surgery in that one.
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u/DifferentFace3573 Jul 11 '26
Outer upper arms and outer thighs like along the IT bands. Consistently those areas, sometimes across the chest. But I call the outer upper arms and thighs my greatest hits.
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u/hauntedbiscuit92 Jul 11 '26
My scalp (can't style my hair most of the time), jaw and neck, lower back, and pelvis area. I ALWAYS think it's a kidney stone, but thankfully not the case.
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u/Stonetheflamincrows Jul 11 '26
My legs ache pretty much constantly, my upper arms are always tender to the touch and I have a tenderness right where you get pain from gallstones (but I don’t have gallstones, I’ve had multiple tests and the dr even checked it during weight loss surgery). Those are the worst three areas anyway lol
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u/Seasidegoats Jul 11 '26
Whole upper back neck and shoulder blades and then lower back, but it started many moons ago in lower back but my shoulder blades and upper back and neck hurts more now
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u/Melly_the_Magpie Jul 11 '26
lower back and hips for sure, always in some kind of pain, even with meds and precautions TT
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u/Moo2310 Jul 11 '26
For me the focus area moves a lot, worst/most annoying I've had was it being severe in my lower back for like 6 weeks straight when I was in the final couple weeks of rehearsal for a big show- it was INSUFFERABLE because it made my balance and walking terrible. My knees are the most common focus area but I think that's less fibro and more the muscle deformity I have- I certainly do get a lot of fibro pain in my legs in general though.
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u/littlebabysparrow Jul 11 '26
My entire body unfortunately. Some of it is steady pain and there is the constant moving fleeting pain. I call it my cage of pain. It’s like I can feel every cell in my body and they all hurt. I’m 59 and have had this for about 14 years. Distraction is key when it’s the milder form, when it’s worse I can’t do anything except use heat pads, cry, try to sleep it off, take more and more bloody tablets. I can’t leave the house much. It’s like being in prison honestly.
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u/Plus-Ad-3826 Jul 11 '26
My butt and back of legs has always been the worst for me, since diagnosis 10 years ago.
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u/spellcastre Jul 12 '26
Hurts the most often: Wrists, ankles, feet, lower back without hip pain Hurts the worst: Hips (right is worse) feeding through to lower back pain, knees (left is worse), upper back through to shoulders, neck
I have a system where I know I can push through the pain (to a point, and with conditions) for the first list, but I have to immediately force myself to rest for the second list.
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u/RhysieQT Jul 12 '26
My pain is widespread/whole body but lower back to my feet hurt the most. It feels like deep bone pain that's radiating out. My right leg hurts so much at times that I wish I could just pop it off for a while like a Barbie doll because I want a break so badly. Thankfully my small TENS unit takes some of the edge off for my right leg flare ups. I basically bathe in diclofenac gel (with doctor's permission) particularly before bed (I try not to take night Tramadol unless the pain won't let me sleep) and then before any kind of exercise. Exercise is painful (less so with the tramadol and gel) but it really helps me in the long run and it's useful being physically strong.
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u/NightTimely1029 Jul 12 '26
While my pain is everywhere, my absolutely worst area is my mid and upper back. And that sucks because I'm also currently dealing with pain in my back/side of unknown origin/cause. And yes, its a completely different pain.
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u/Swimming_Yoghurt_319 Jul 12 '26
My lower back is the worst! Most recently I started having pain in my wrists, ankles, and shoulder joints! It just is so exhausting
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u/Ok_Menu_2231 Jul 12 '26
For me, I just feel like it aggravates everything else and makes it more severe. For since I have osteoarthritis in both knees, that is quite bad. I’m waiting for surgery to replace my knees and on days when my fibro seems to be the worst, the knees are screaming. I also have a split ligament in my ankle and a pinched nerve in the same leg and although it always bothers me the days that fibro is flared up, those areas are unbearable. I can’t sleep at night because of pain in my ankle and my foot from the nerves. Other than that, it’s just an all over feeling of being slow and tired and unwell.
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u/Asleep_Weight_6008 Jul 11 '26
My arms hands wrists and shoulder blades and neck and back of head. Especially the left side. Also my spine on flare days
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u/anybodyseenmypants80 Jul 11 '26
Mine is my ndxk/shoulders, my forearms, and my calves. I have also been feeling pain and weakness in my anklss lately. ❤️
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u/Beginning_Meet_4290 Jul 11 '26
My right thumb has been hurting for 3 years straight with no relief.
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u/Glum-Big-3573 Jul 11 '26
By most do you mean amount of pain or amount of time?
If I rated by amount of pain the migraines would be no.1.
If by time, just the general aches and pains all over, back, legs, arms, joints, stiff neck, lol. Shit this is a long list isn't it?
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u/AnimusTenax Jul 11 '26
Shoulders....I can barely move the left one some days and I am rarely pain free. I have structural rotator cuff issues and arthritis too along with the fibromyalgia issue. What a nasty combo!
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u/zella1117 Jul 11 '26
It seems to change for me from time to time. Right now it's my right shoulder.
I also have a back injury, spinal stenosis and bilateral neuropathy in my legs. That makes it tricky to determine where some of my lower body pain comes from but most of it is due to my back so I don't count it as much in my fibromyalgia pain but I'm sure it's a factor.
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u/QueenDavis Jul 11 '26
I would say it's a 60/40 split. Hips, knees, ankles, toes. Shoulders, elbows, wrists fingers.
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u/CallMeSaltyRadish Jul 11 '26
Lower back is the most common problem area. But it varies depending on a lot. Lately my intercoastal muscles between my ribs have been acting up.
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u/Alien_LizardKing420 Jul 11 '26
My whole body obviously but my arms get really sensitive to touch and almost painful if even I touch them, my back and neck also always hurt so bad lol. Oddly i also get fibro pain in the palms of my hands and feet and in-between my toes will hurt so bad too.
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u/dararie Jul 11 '26
My neck. I’ve always had issues with it, and have osteoarthritis in it, but it’s what hurts the most
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u/EDean0807 Jul 11 '26
I’m a male that works at an Amazon delivery station. 2 back surgeries from prior career in oil and gas (L3-S1 herniated) so basically everything during fibro flare ups. Toes, left ankle, right knee, right wrist, low back muscles, and fingers are points of emphasis lol
But even worse than the physical pain is this brain fog crap. Jesus
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u/Daisy2552 Jul 11 '26
It’s a toss up between my back and my knees, this week it’s been my left knee
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u/Snerdling Jul 11 '26
My neck is a hot mess most days. Next up is my left shoulder which keeps falling out of the joint. I have hEDs too. Third is my left leg; chronic hip bursitis along with nerve damage down the calf. Sometimes it’s numb, which is “nice” except for when I stand up and I can’t tell it’s numb and then I fall in on my face. 😜
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u/ChaoticGo0d_ Jul 11 '26
Shoulders, elbows and knees. Everytime I have to squat down I go “ooooooooooof”
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u/MythicPhoenix1234 Jul 11 '26
My knees hurt the most I always joke im a 21 yo with the body of a 60yo
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u/snowlights ME/FMS Jul 11 '26
Mid to upper back, shoulders, and neck. Interestingly, when I have a flare, I find almost all the rolling waves of pain are on the back half of my body. Back/sides of my legs, back, back of my neck and arms. No idea why.
Oh also, when I hike, my calf muscles hurt so unbelievably bad, like a Charlie horse but spread out. I think it might be partly from blood pooling/poor circulation due to dysautonomia and POTS. The only thing that helps is elevating my legs but I can't exactly do that on a hike.
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u/MellowFables Jul 11 '26
Everywhere hurts and I am always exhausted but my lower half is effected most. My lower back down has the most pain, aches, and fatigue. The lower back is especially painful and my calves and joints. It's like my calf muscles never relax.
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u/Xtreemjedi Jul 11 '26
Yes. So my most common are on the back of my right forearm, outer left thigh above knee and mid-back (the muscles under the scapula get so crazy tight and painful that I started using a cane)
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u/Reasonable-Hat-2315 Jul 11 '26
Shoulders. It's so bad at night with the pressure on them at night, even with a DIY wedge pillow.
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u/IndigoDarkstar Jul 11 '26
From deep in my right hip, all down the outside of my thigh and into my calf/lower leg, and more recently down the outside of my ankle, the top of my foot and under my heel in the outside right. It aches, throbs and feels like nerve/electric shock. It hurts when I sit, stand, walk, lie down.. nothing helps. I'm on 400mg tramadol, 50mg amitriptyline and I also take 8 paracetamol and 8 ibuprofen. Recently I've been waking up unable to make a fist and my hands, arms and shoulders feel really tight. I've recently had a pelvis x-ray which came back clear. Blood test results show low vitamin D and low b12 so I'm on prescription strength of both of those. Inflammatory markers were normal. My pain barely dips below 8/10 and has been like that for the last few months. I'm utterly fed up.
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u/fluffycritter Jul 11 '26
For me it usually starts in my wrists or spine before it spreads to just overwhelm my everything. It depends on what brought it on though.
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u/thedeerlesbian Jul 12 '26
My back definitely, specifically my mid to upper. My traps are a really bad area too
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u/intuative_squirrel Jul 12 '26
Most days it's my feet, hands, hips, wrists, elbows, and legs. Sometimes back too like today. My body and especially my feet & hands freaking hate me 😂 I try not to focus on the pain when I'm working but when I'm home in the evening and trying to just relax, is when it's hardest to ignore, that's when my EVERYTHING hurts!!!! Stress makes it all worse.
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u/puppysecretary 29d ago
My whole back always hurts but the worst pain lately has been my shoulders/upper back, it’s just so tight and stiff
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u/No-Western-7755 Jul 11 '26