Pain is usually the central symptom in fibromyalgia and is often a problem for people with CFS as well. For people with FM, pain is generally felt all over the body, though it can start in one region and spread or move from one area to another.
It may be accompanied by neurological problems such as intermittent tingling and burning or numbness in the hands, arms, feet, legs or face. For people with CFS, pain may be experienced in the joints or, more commonly, as an overall body pain sometimes described as feeling like being run over by a truck.
Because pain in CFS and FM can have a variety of causes, it is usually managed with a variety of strategies, such as the following:
- Pacing
- Exercise
- Posture & movement
- Relaxation
- Addressing worry, frustration & depression
- Treating fatigue and poor sleep
- Heat, cold & massage
- Problem solving
- Distraction
- Healthy self-talk
- Medications
If pain is a problem for you, you can create a pain management plan from the approaches described on the next several pages.
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