Can anxiety cause this?

[Ormonde]

In August I was a healthy 40yo woman who lifted weights and went on five mile hikes. But over the course of two weeks I suddenly became very stiff and achy with pins and needles and fatigue. The pain was so severe that I was unable to walk.

For the past month I’ve slowly been recovering and the pain has been reducing. I’m still suffering pain but it’s less severe and I can slowly walk about a mile now. Extensive tests have shown nothing wrong with me.

The GP initially said the pain must be viral. But it hasn’t gone away after two months so she’s now saying it could be anxiety. When the pain started I don’t think I felt particularly anxious. I did get very anxious when the pain was at its worst because I was scared about what was causing it. The anxiety has eased off as the pain has started going away.

I know anxiety can do lots of things and make you feel achy, but can it really cause pain so severe that you can’t walk, and which persists for months? If it is caused by anxiety, how do I stop being anxious when I don’t even feel consciously anxious?

This could be MS - do you know if they have investigated it?
The specialist said it would be very atypical for MS, which doesn’t usually appear suddenly over the entire body. Apparently I don’t have the hallmarks of the disease. She told me to mobilise and take paracetamol.

Definitely possible for anxiety to cause muscle pain although maybe unusual to be the only symptom.
Here is a list of the main physical symptoms of anxiety: https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/articles/symptoms
It could be that you had a virus that did cause physical problems and that anxiety has now lead to those symptoms continuing?
It maybe useful to read Claire weeks book self help for your nerves as if it is anxiety that will help.

I have at times had similar symptoms less pain but pins and needles, numbness etc, one side weakness and did tests including MS and all clear.

I have noticed that sometimes it's at periods of high stress / trauma (son in hospital) and anxiety is often used as a generic term for anything psychological that might cause physical symptoms. If you are going through anything stressful or traumatic it could be worth seeking help with that like counselling, or swimming if able to do that I found helped and I could do when struggled to walk with asthma type symptoms with it, or even anti depressants. Though I would still do physical checks especially if you have no stress etc source or you see no improvement. I have since been diagnosed with breast cancer and for that as well found swimming and a multi vitamin helped with symptoms esp magnesium, calcium plus vit D seemed to help pain.

B12 deficiency can cause pins and needles

Have you been checked for ebv / glandular fever antbodies ?

I think I saw a PP had already suggested functional neurological disorder.

My daughter was diagnosed with this last year. A sudden onset of odd symptoms including non-epileptic seizures, pins and needles, brain fog, crippling fatigue, limbs that feel like lead weights. Sometimes she’ll wake in the morning and feel like her legs are paralysed, etc.

She had about a billion tests - EEG, MRI, etc and was diagnosed by a neurologist.

It’s pretty misunderstood - lots of “it’s just anxiety”. Treat the anxiety and you’ll solve the symptoms, but it’s a bit more complex than that.

Have a look here and see if anything rings any bells.

https://fndhope.org/fnd-guide/

Yes I was given FND and CFS diagnoses but I found what helped was multi-vitamins, swimming and things to reduce trauma like counselling, talking to other in similar situation etc. The FND and CFS diagnoses were given in a similar way to anxiety diagnosis, just given and goodbye so felt like fob-off things but I do think the mind when overwhelmed can cause a lot of physical symptoms. People often search for physical causes as there's stigma attached to that and also you feel fobbed off as there's no help given but sometimes it is the mind. They really should offer support though rather than just we aren't testing anymore its x now go away. Its hard to know when to stop physical tests as important to rule out but if you carry on too much it causes more anxiety.

It’s a chicken and egg situation.

Were ayou anxious before the onset of your symptoms? If not, it’s not anxiety that’s the cause. I think often when GPs are flummoxed, they look to anxiety as a way of explaining the symptoms away.

Keep pressing for more tests.

Have you been checked for Lymes disease. Since you liked hiking you may have been bitten by a tick. Doctors are sometimes slow to pick up on it. Just a thought.

@Silkiefloof DD’s diagnosis was given in the same way. Just - you have FND, sort out your anxiety, here’s a website, I’m discharging you and referring you to CAMHS.

DD felt totally fobbed off. She’s like, but I don’t even feel anxious.

I found a Neurophysiotherapist - they were really good and gave DD lots of advice and things that may help and a better understanding of it.

Her symptoms are worse when she’s stressed or tired. She’s been doing some work with a therapist on not using up all her ‘spoons’

DD has since been diagnosed with Autism at aged 18 following years and struggle and masking which DD feels is the trigger

I had this for 3 months. Then it just went. I had loads of tests, found nothing. It was horrible whilst it lasted.

I would like to suggest you read “It’s All in Your Head” by Suzanne O’Sullivan.

It talks about Functional Neurological Disorders as others have mentioned.

There are times when there is real pain, but none of the current medical tests can identify what’s causing it.

So, in this your problems are put in the FND basket, along with anxiety and it’s ‘just the menopause dear’

I read the book and a lot of it makes sense, but at the same time I kept thinking “ what if there’s a test that no one has thought of yet, or a disease/disorder they don’t even know about yet?”

I agree that you should look at your blood/other test results yourself as some NHS ones have stricter protocols for treatment than other countries.

I agree you have real symptoms and real pain and those should be being treated properly.

Finally, read the book if only so you can see you are not alone.

Theres also a Netflix film called Brain on Fire. It’s based on a true case of a girl who was treated for psychotic episodes when she had in fact a rare brain disease.

Im sure in generations to come people will look back on our current medical knowledge and think we were still so so ignorant.

Also look up Doug Lindsay. It’s not the same as you but shows that doctors and even specialists don’t know everything.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow were your symptoms the same as mine, and did it just go away completely after three months? Fingers crossed that’ll happen for me x

Have they done an MRI of your spine? I have similar but slightly different symptoms mine kept getting worse amd now I have bladder issues and other stuff but it started exactly how you describe. Been on and off for over 2 years and just getting told nothing wrong with me must be functional neurological disorder (caused by stress). I was scared I had MS so insisted on MRI. I don't have MS but my spine is degenerating and impinging my nerves. It explains all my symptoms.