The Crawling Sensation with Fibromyalgia
Those who suffer from fibromyalgia are going to find that there are several issues that come with this illness.
Fibromyalgia is one of those illnesses that are just now starting to be understood. And even with our advances in the world of medicine, it is still one of those illnesses that we are just starting to understand. There are still many questions that are left unanswered.
Fibromyalgia is an illness that is often categorized as feeling extremely tired and having aches and pains throughout the body.
However, there are several other issues that can go right along with fibromyalgia that most people do not connect to be caused by this illness. And one of these issues is a crawling sensation throughout the body.
What is a Crawling Sensation?
For those who are not sure what the crawling sensation is, the formal name for this is Formication.
This is described as the sensation of small insects crawling on or under the skin, even though there are no insects there.
The person may alternatively have a tingling sensation that is also included in this definition.
Those who do have this often complaint of this crawling sensation accompanied by tingling, pins, and needs, burning and even pain.
Other terms for this crawling sensation is called paresthesia. This can come and go, and come only suddenly and even disappear all the sudden.
It is still the same sensation as described above as Formication. However, many people report more itching thus it is termed paresthesia.
These symptoms go hand in hand with those that are reported by most fibromyalgia patients.
Those who do have this crawling sensation may scratch or rub their skin in order to get this to stop.
However, they only succeed in upsetting the skin to the point that they may break the skin open.
The Connection Between Fibromyalgia and the Crawling Sensation
Fibromyalgia is an illness that can cause odd nerve sensations throughout the body.
While this often radiates as pain for some people, there are just as many people who report having a crawling sensation over their entire body when this happens.
The symptom of having a crawling sensation has been well documented in fibromyalgia patients. So, what causes this?
Through the research that has been conducted, it has been found that there is damage to the peripheral nerves, those that are found in the arms and legs.
The arms and the legs are most often the areas that people with fibromyalgia report these crawling sensations. However, they can be reported to stem from anywhere including the face.
These nerves are highly sensitive due to the pain response that is coming from the brain, hence why fibromyalgia patients often report having this sensation.
Most patients feel that there is something else wrong aside from the fibromyalgia. IN fact, many people report that this sensation often makes them wonder if they are not having a stroke.
Going to a doctor can rule out other serious issues. In the majority of the cases, the crawling sensation is due to the fibromyalgia.
Treating the Crawling Sensation
Those who have a crawling sensation on their skin are looking for relief. While this sensation may not happen all the time, when it does it can be extremely uncomfortable.
It is not uncommon for patients to report that any clothes touching these areas become unbearable. So, what can be done?
There are several methods that people can utilize in order to treat this sensation and get back to a more normal life. These remedies include:
1- Stress and anxiety can make this sensation worse. Thus, it is important to get this under control.
Many patients undertake yoga or meditation in order to handle their feelings better. Once these are under control, many people report that this sensation is rare.
2- Eating the right kinds of foods is important. You will find that B vitamins are essential to helping to control this sensation.
For those who are not eating right, it could be caused by nothing more than a lack of B vitamins in the body.
Magnesium is also a vitamin that could be low causing this sensation to happen and should be tested to ensure the person has the right levels in their blood.
3- Alcohol and smoking can make this sensation worse. Thus, these activities should be avoided as much as possible.
4- Getting a full body massage can help tremendously. This can stimulate the nerves and release this crawling sensation feeling.
In addition, this can help the person to fully relax, which is great for those who may be suffering from more stress or anxiety.
5- Be sure to stay moving as this can help the sensation to pass. While it may be hard for someone with fibromyalgia to move constantly, adopting a small exercise routine into their life is going to help greatly.
Be sure to talk to your doctor about any exercise routine to ensure you do not overdo it too much!
Since this issue is something that is caused by the nerves, many people receive some sort of nerve medication in order to alleviate these symptoms.
This is something that your doctor will have to recommend and will only do this once they have concluded that this is definitely the reason for this sensation.
Other people find that if this crawling sensation becomes too much, a cool shower or a warm shower can help with getting this to stop.
Most people find that if you utilize the many remedies for dealing with fibromyalgia, that many of these will stop the crawling sensation as well.
Due to this sensation being caused by the fibromyalgia, this approach does make sense.
How to Diagnose the Crawling Sensation
For those who have fibromyalgia, if they were to go to their doctor complaining about this sensation their doctor is going to immediately notice that this goes hand in hand with this illness.
However, for those who have yet to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia, the doctor may look that nerves in the body and test the blood for any mineral or vitamin deficiencies that could be causing this.
From here, the doctor is going to look at what can be done in order to alleviate these symptoms.
They may recommend those suggestions above, or they may recommend that the person looks at other types of therapy if they believe that this is related to their stress levels.
If you are suffering from fibromyalgia and are finding that this crawling sensation is something that you are dealing with, do not be quiet about this.
Talk to your doctor about what you can do to get this to stop as it can cause you to feel as though the illness is taking over your life.
In addition, it is through reporting this issue that more studies are performed in order to see the correlation and possibly devise new treatments that would help other people in the future.
Fibromyalgia is one of those illnesses that is not new, but the many issues that go along with this are getting discovered daily.
For those who have the crawling sensation, do not let this get you down. There is hope in getting this under control.
Than you for this article. I thought this problem, that I’ve had for 15 years was separate from my fibromyalgia. I call it the creepy crawlies. It starts in my calves, eventually arms and even the sternum. I have associated this with tiredness, and I will move around a bit until I feel it is a suitable time to go to bed. Sometimes as early as 8p.m. It is exascerbated by tiredness. It drives me crazy. If I wait too long, I am unable to fall asleep unless I lay on my stomach. I was always afidgety child and know I have overactive nerves and hyper reflexes.