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Can Fibromyalgia be Cause of Foot and Hand Pain?

Q: Do fibromyalgia symptoms include foot and hand pain? I have such persistent pain in my thumb that it's difficult for me to write, and both my feet hurt when I put any weight on them. My hands and feet used to be the only parts of my body without persistent pain. Now this. Can you explain this?

A: Fibromyalgia is a condition characterized by persistent pain throughout the body. The pain is usually felt in the muscles and soft tissues. The joints themselves do not show signs of arthritis such as pain and swelling. Fibromyalgia can occur together with another form of arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis.

The prominence of your foot and hand pain suggests that arthritis, rather than fibromyalgia, may be – but is not necessarily – the cause of your pain. Foot pain can be caused by a condition called plantar fasciitis, which is the irritation of a band of soft connective tissue that spans the sole of the foot. Planter fasciitis can be associated with fibromyalgia. It is important that you get a full medical evaluation to determine the precise cause of your pain and to begin treatment, because treatment for other arthritis- related diseases is different from that for fibromyalgia.

David Pisetsky, MD, PhD, Rheumatologist

nancy

13 Mar 2010, 08:48

Thank you for all your helpful comments. I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and take lyrica. However, the burning on the tops/backs of my hands and tops of my feet...that does not respond to the lyrica. I'm just grateful to read that others experience what I do. Right now my hands and feet are on fire the tops of my feet feeling almost like they could pop. So, thank you for helping me know I am not alone and that this really likely is an extension of my fibro. Take care all of you.

Cheryl

02 Mar 2010, 19:31

Hi There, I am 51 and I do believe I have fibro as the balls and tops of my feet have sharp pain also affecting my ankles. Walking slowly without flexing feet keeps the pain low plus very expensive shoes with cork and also the new rocker shoes that places more weight on instep and not heels or toes.Orthotics definately supports the instep relieving pressure. Pure Glucosamine with MSM and Pure Bozwaila (Maxi Boz)are very helpful but prolonged use over 3 years may upset stomach. Very good for headaches from tight shoulder muscles.Anti-imflammatory natural herb.
As a data inputter,my shoulders often give out but I learned to completely rest arms over lunch hours and it has improved my pain, less of it but still there. Ergonomical mouse tilting your wrist on an angle reduces wrist pain believe me.Don't use a flat mouse inputting, not a natural movement for wrist.Rehab has given me this huge tip and it saved me from pain.IN MY CASE I HAVE many cousins/aunts on same side of family that have same pain and officially diagnosed. Runs in our family and now we are all aware it could be in our genes.Good Luck!

Pam

23 Feb 2010, 18:18

I am so glad to find this discussion, about symptoms I have wanted to know about for weeks.
I have fibro and osteoarthritis, even though I have symptoms of rheumatoid; my newest dr. says it's not rheumatoid. Anyway, today is the worst all-over pain I have had in months, but the balls of my feet and ankles have been hurting for weeks. I have been trying to find out if the foot pain is fibro, and from your answers I find it may be arthritis. I am on a pain med, Ultracet, because I cannot take the anti-inflammatories. I take it for fibro, osteoarthritis and headache prevention from the arthritis in my neck. Today, though, the Ultracet is not working. A free chair massage only helped for about an hour.
Don't take this wrong, everyone, but I am glad that I am not the only one experiencing the ball of the foot pain that makes my ankles hurt. I'm hurting like mad as I write this, and can't wait to go home from work and get into a hot tub with epsom salts.
I am also going to crank up my electric mattress pad to high, to help with my pain for sleep.

Barb

19 Feb 2010, 10:14

Hello my name is Barb and I can relate to all of you. I have RA and Fibromyalgia. I am taking Cymbalta for the fibro and Enbrel for the RA...The meds are helping me because when I decided I didn't need the Cymbalta anymore because to co-pay was $50.00 I paid dearly..lol I am always in pain..Everyday and Every Night...it's awful. I am 49 going to be 50 in June and people always say you look great...so when I complain of all my aches and pains they tend to look at me as it I were crazy..the people that know me well can see it in my face. My hands have been killing me forever right now they are stiff and swollen. I have a great doctor and she is very good about trying to help me and really listens to what I say...But she also says to me that it's good that I realize that there is always going to be pain..I'm learning to deal with it because I don't have a choice...I cry too...believe me..Well I'm glad I found this site and not that I want anyone to suffer but it makes me feel a little better to know that I'm not the only one feeling like this...Good Luck to everyone. : ) try to smile and be happy!!!! It helps...sometimes..lol

Gwen Clien

26 Jan 2010, 16:16

I wakeup with my fingers bent down and numb. I shake my hands to get feeling into them. Last night my right hand the finger closer to my little finger felt it had a tight ring on squeesing my finger as though it were cutting off the blood. Does this happen to anyone else. I've been very stressed and the days have been leading up to me feeling really terrible.

julie

17 Jan 2010, 20:42

I also have had fibromyalgia for several years. At first I was diagnosed with RA and after 3 years of treatment with different drugs and no relief he Rheumatologist then changed it to fibro. I can't take ibuprofen since I am on Warfarin and Tylenol does nothing for me. I also have pain in my hands and the top of my feet. Pain in knees, shoulders, back etc. Does anyone have problems with balance and shin pain? I have those also. I have got to the point where I think I will have to get a cane for when I am away from home. My husband and grown sons don't understand the pain I am in because I look well. I feel embarresed using a cane at 62 yrs. old

Carol

09 Jan 2010, 15:51

I have Fybromyalgia, and like a lot of you it's worst in my hands arms and feet. This probably sounds strange, but I get some let up from the pain by using support bandages. The 'squeezing' seems to confuse the pain sensation and gives real relief. Hope this helps - (crep bandages work best for hands and tubi grips on arms) I've also tried medical thermal gloves meant for arthritis that work well too - the heat helps as well as the squeezing sensation.

Carol

19 Dec 2009, 10:36

I have experienced the same symptoms plus a 640 ANA and no answers from doctors. I think I traced my muscle and sleep problems back to the antibiotic Floxin. Magnesium, vitamin C, melatonin and apple cider vinegar have helped as has staying away from MSG and nutrasweet. My ANA is normal now and my hair quit falling out and I sleep better too. 250 mg of Magnesium 4-6 times per day and keeping calcium supplementation under 500 mg per day seems to help the muscle pain and muscle cramps. My blood pressure is normal too. Vitamin C and apples/apple cider vinegar seem to help the joint pains and foot pains. Melatonin and occasionally St. Johns Wort helps for sleep. Omega 3 or lots of fish and shrimp seem to help with mood and brain fog. All this helps but certainly is no cure.

sandi

08 Dec 2009, 10:50

I am so grateful that people on this site have opened up their hearts to share the awful pain of fibromyalgia. I raised two fine guys (23 and 18) and went back to school to get my Masters degree when I found I could no longer type. I quit last December and was hopeful the pain in my pinkie, ring finger, and thumb could be diagniosed. I did not want to accept I had fibromyalgia because it just hit me like a tornado. It seems to be spreading to my calf. I have cried enough to fill up the Dead Sea. I have found that yoga stretches, hot salf water baths and a 30 minute walk help for me. It is true you have to distract yourself from this syndrome and keep busy or you will find your self feeling stiff and uncomfortable when night comes. In the morning, my pinkie finger sticks and I feel terribe pain in my wrist and forearms. I sleep with hot water bottles and ice packs. I am now on Cymbalta and hope it works--some. pai Has Cymbalta helped anyone on this cite with the hand pain? You are all in my prayers--sandi

Ida Marie

02 Dec 2009, 20:51

I have fibromyalgia, arthritis, bunions and a hernia. The fibromyalgia makes everything worse. I came on this website to see if it effects the feet. I will soon be 70, but I don't consider myself an old 70. I clean houses 3 days a week, do all my own yard work, paint my own home etc. However, as everyone is amazed at what I do, I could sometimes just sit and cry if I would let myself, as everything I do hurts me more and more. I am going to a foot Dr. tomorrow, but I am afraid he "won't" find anything. I will return to this website to read more from others.

kathyh

21 Nov 2009, 09:52

dianne i also have the same problems with my feet it started out with platar flas? then the feet kept hurting i walked and climbed ladders for 23 years at work have had both hands operated on for carpal tunnel and trigger thumbs both one finger three times and i was only 20 now i'm 53 lost my job no insurance they tell me i have osteoarthritis had left knee sugery its bone on bone need replacement, i can't hardly get to bathroom from my bed thats only about 20 steps and the shooting pain i can't describe it now the depession is getting to me. does anyone else have this

Patty

10 Nov 2009, 10:53

I have read all these posts and I can't believe there are so many people that have the same pains that I have. My feet hurt so bad when I get up in the morning, I can hardly walk. I have pain in my hands and elbows, too. Actually, I hurt all over...it moves from day to day. I have an appointment with a rheumatologist next week but I am concerned that I won't be diagnosed with anything. I just want to know that it is not all in my head as some people seem to think. I am 55 and I have felt so good until the last 6 months, I feel like I have aged 20 years!

kwiklip

06 Nov 2009, 22:33

I thought I was the only one with these symptoms, but it looks like a lot of people have hand and foot pain associated with fibro. I am having a tough time getting a diagnosis -- the last rheumatologist I went to just went on a tirade about how fibromyalgia "isn't real" for my whole appointment. I have done extensive research on it for the past couple of years (beginning at the onset of symptoms) and I know this is the diagnosis. Soon after the symptoms started, my hands swelled up so much I thought I was having an allergic reaction to something. The swelling soon spread to my feet and is now the norm. I look like I have small, bright red sausages for fingers and my toes aren't that far behind. I have gone up a full shoe size and still can't really find anything that fits right. The intense pain is more recent, getting worse in the past month or so (onset of winter?). My heart goes out to those that described crying over the pain, and feeling uncomfortable sharing with loved ones exactly how bad it can get. I had a small breakdown in front of my 10-year old son earlier tonight. I felt foolish crying because of something that isn't really visible, but IT IS REAL. It hurts. Does anyone else have the redness and swelling I described?

annie

01 Nov 2009, 18:58

for the past 6 months, when I get up in the middle of the night to walk, my toes and feet hurt so much I can barely walk. When I wake up, my fingers and toes feel very sore. But once I am up, it seems to go away. If I sit for a movie or at work, and go to get up, its my toes, balls of my feel and fingers that are so sore. I tried Aleve, tylnol for arthritis, and advil, and there is no change. I had a bout of plantar facia in one foot years ago and treated it with the boot and it has not reoccured. this is very different from that.
any ideas?

Jama

15 Oct 2009, 23:16

For the past 7 years I have been experiencing pains in my hands starting from the top of my wrist to the tops of my hands and the same for my feet, starts at the tops of my ankles and radiates on top of my feet.Both hands and feet burn and sting, I have spasms and cramps, on occasion I have bone pain. I live in Alaska and the cold makes my muslces tense up and makes them hurt even more... When there is a low weather pressure coming, I could feel it in my hands and feet that bad weather is coming 2-3 days before it hits us....When I first wake up in the morning, the pain is barely there but when its bed time..OMG, I have cried myself to sleep on many occasions. Finding shoes that feel comfortable or even fit because of the swelling is quite a chore so I have resort to slip on shoes and slippers. My rheumatology panel shows slight elevations but not impressive for the doctors to treat me.I have seen different types of specialist and none of them know what it is, so they pass me on to the next doctor...I have been diagnosed with different things but none fit the symptoms I have.

At the moment I am on a Neurotin and lots of Ibuprofin... sigh!!!!

Mary

02 Oct 2009, 15:15

This is to Dianne,
Your symptoms sound like Plantar Facia, I have it as well very severe. It is exactly how you desribe it. You are not crazy.. You need to go to a foot Doctor, there is treatment. Although mine is so bad they have done everything there is and nothing helped me. I also have Fibro Myalgia. I am in constant pain.

Karen

29 Aug 2009, 00:35

I have had fibromyalgia for 13 years now, and I notice that the symptoms are always changing but the one constant is that when it flares up my hand and the tops of my feet are the worst. Does not feel like arthritis feels like when you have an ache that never wants to go away. My symptoms flare up in the spring and summer it gets really bad. I feel best in the winter, I guess I should move to Alaska. I do find that I feel the worst when I am at home an trying to relax, when I am working it keeps my mind occupied and off the discomfort. I also get tingling and numbness in my hands and it is very uncomfortable and in the summer I seem to retain water so I have to take a water pill to combat the swelling. It is not a very pleasant feeling and even though it is not life threatening, some days I feel like I just want to cry, but I won't let myself. The key as someone else said is to keep busy and light work out, for those that have the time.

Deb

12 Aug 2009, 10:33

My orthopedist sent me to an Arthritis Specialist office. I got 'Dougie Houser'. He took one look at me, decided I looked fine; and
the fact that I was a nurse, didn't help. Just
another one of those 'know it all, complaining
nurses'. He said he thought I didn't get enough exercise or take enough calcium. He refused to run a Lupus test. I'll be a great
looking corpse one day.

lydia

20 Jul 2009, 09:00

I have both fibro and arthritis. I was very fatigued and achey on most days. I got the book, "The fibromyalgia Handbook" and followed the regimen described. Very simple...exercise is the key..esp weightlifting. Start very easy...1 lb wts and 1set of 8 if possible...walk a little...if you are persistant, you will experience relief...exercise is very important but you don't have to do a lot...I also decided to eat more natural foods rather than prepackaged...your body needs the antioxidants to fight disease instead of all the additives in boxed food. Fruits and vegetables, soymilk, chicken, fish and some lean porkchops. If you strengthen your muscles, it will help you. I don't have too many fatigued days anymore and I sleep better at night. Also, get some sun for serotonin to help sleep. I hope this helps someone out there to feel better.

Dianne

11 Jul 2009, 02:49

Hi, I have pain in my feet, they hurt so bad when I get up, kind of lessen up, as I continue walking, but when I sit or lay down then get up again, pain.... it's really bothersome.... sometimes when I am relaxing, pain will shoot, it really drives me crazy.... sometimes I want to cry.... does anyone else feel this way????? sometimes I feel like if I complain too much, my boyfriend and my family will think I'm crazy....... I have pains in my elbows, both at times, but right now it's my left one, hurts when I touch it.... feels slightly swollen..... I really hate this....

Sue

21 Apr 2009, 04:18

I have Fibromyalgia have had it for nearly five years. I am a lot of medication but find that nothing seems to get rid of the pain. It feels like if someone just touched your muscles they would bruise. I also cannot write for any length of time without my hsnds hurting and my feet feel like they have pins in them. The fatigue is difficult to describe and I have to force myself to do things. Looks are deceiving the assumption that because you look alright does not mean that you are unless you havr this condition it is dilfficult to understand the level of pain and problems caused by it.

Jenny

10 Apr 2009, 17:55

I, like Mary, have severe pain in the hands and numbness/tingling in my feet. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia 25 years ago. I have also been diagnosed with Lupus and Sjogren's syndrome.
The pain in my hands is worse in my thumbs also. I can only write about 4 sentences before the pain is so severe I can't write anymore. Over the years my fibromyalgia has steadily gotten worse. I am on disability now for 6 years. It is to the point that the only place I feel comfortable is at home. I have become a hermit. I get so tired of people saying I look so good when I feel like I've been hit by a Mac truck... I have difficulty walking now and I am only 53 years old. I have used my father's cane around the house a few times because I've had such severe pain in my calves and outside of the knees. My feet are also a real problem in walking.

mary

30 Mar 2009, 17:40

I have Fibromyalgia and my hands are killing me.
I can't believe with all the pain med's I am on, they still hurt so much. My thumbs ach.
My Doctor says it's Arthritis.

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Can Fibromyalgia be Cause of Foot and Hand Pain?

Can Fibromyalgia be Cause of Foot and Hand Pain?

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