Anxiety, Stress, Joint & Muscle Pain!

27 Male. If you have read my previous posts, you may already know about this, but I'm going to sum it up for those of you who don't.

For the past month and a half I have been having neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. The first week, it all started in my neck, and only my neck was effected. It felt tight, stiff, it cracked, popped, made micro tearing noises when stretching it etc. It caused some headaches and head pains. Week 2, my lower back started to stiffen up and was very sore, deep in the bone. Week 4, I my neck would have flair ups, but was having good days and bad days, and my lower back quit hurting finally for the most part. But on week 4, I started getting muscle twitching all over my body, including my legs, feet, hands, arms, face, neck, shoulders, even my tongue a couple of times! Freaked me out!

I'm close to week 5 now, and this has REALLY taken a toll on me mentally. I suffer from anxiety already, but this made me think irrational thoughts. I think we (anxiety sufferers) usually do this, we jump straight to the extreme fears that may be wrong with us. We don't think of pinched nerves, stress etc... we jump to crazy thoughts like cancer, MS, or ALS. etc.

The past 2 days I have started to feel better, then today my neck and back and shoulders were all hurting again. I was SO upset, I could barley sit at work, I was taking many breaks... my anxiety went through the roof, which doesnt help at all!!!

I called my Dr's office and told the receptionist I'd like to move my July 16th appt to this week if possible. I then asked her to leave a message with my Dr. to call me. (He's the best Dr. ever! I've been seeing him for 3 years for anxiety).

He called me, and I told him about my fears, and my muscle twitching etc.

You know what he told me? He said that he can REASSURE ME THAT NOTHING IS WRONG WITH ME. =)

It felt SO good to just hear that from him. He said that ANXIETY AND STRESS can cause all of these symptoms, EVEN JOINT PAIN!

The strange thing is, is that I wasn't feeling stressed when this all started. But I guess you can still have anxiety and stress without really feeling it.

So if any of you are having this symptom, JUST KNOW THAT ANXIETY AND STRESS CAN ACTUALLY CAUSE JOINT AND MUSCLE PAIN/SPAMS ETC. =)

I'm gonna keep working out at the gym and see if that helps.

[Haych22]

i too suffer this, i get horrible lower back pain, stiff neck and headaches plus shoulder pain...it comes n goes...i have my days. and i also stress thinking what you do, but thats anxiety ey...thats so good you have a good, caring doctor, i hope your feeling a bit better after talking with him, did your doctor give you ant remidies to help the pain beside pain killers?? i seem to take them on a regular basis which i dont like to do and dont wanna go back to a chiroprator after a bad expierience...

[Haych22]

also i get horible aching pain in my joints all over my body which worries me. i havn't for a few days now but i think i know where your comming from when you talk bout expieriencing pains....not nice

[cnote]

Hey! Sorry you are going through the same thing I am. The good news is today I'm having a SUPER DUPER DAY! Getting lots of video production stuff done, feeling VERY CREATIVE and AWESOME.

Sometimes, when my anxiety is getting out of control, all I need to hear from my Dr is that I am okay! It really helped me mentally. Although today I'm still having a little bit of a sore low back, it's a GREAT DAY!

He used to have me on antidepressants (Lexapro once and then tried Effexor once) but the Lexapro was good for me... but he felt like I was doing great without it, and making progress mentally without them. So I no longer take them even though I still go through bouts of anxiety spells like this. I'm getting better, so thats a good thing.

I do however take Ativan whenever needed to help calm my nerves down. But thats it, he recommends for me to keep excersising and thats the BEST thing for anxiety stress and depression.

[cnote]

Was having a GREAT day today, GREAT attitude and feeling ALIVE! I still had a little discomfort in my back, but not my neck so much.

Then tonight when I got home from work, my wife and 2 kiddos went out for dinner and then by the restaurant theres a fountain we went to watch (its a fire and water fountain made by the guys who built the Bellagio).

I was feeling fine, watching the show with my wife and kiddos, and then all of a sudden I got a little light headed feeling and an ELECTRIC BUZZING feeling in my BRAIN.

The feeling probably lasted about 7-8 seconds, then i just kept breathing and it stopped.

I was surprised I really didnt freak out too much while it was happening, but afterwards I was a little concerned.

Can that feeling be an anxiety symptom?

[Haych22]

i love how positive minded you are, it great that you keep yourself busy and active...i envy that, i struggle with motivation when im feeling these symptoms...it tough to find the strength to go about your normal day when your bodys acting against you making you feel oddness all over. Then you stress over the symptoms because some how you dont feel anxious at the time of them...its a visious cycle....i have had the best week in 2months this week, its my 21st birthday monday and id love to crack open a champaine to celebrate but scared at the same time, since my diagnosis ive not been able to drink as my heart races and sets off anxiety at a high, im on meds for my heart pulps but im still scared. Its weird how much you apreciate a 'good day', i think i took everyday for granted because now i know what its like to wake up and not know if ill be able to leave the house or how im going to feel that day. Regarding your electric buzzing feeling, i got a simular feeling in my head last week when shopping in a mall(which i love doing, as every girl does) it was the oddess feeling in my head then my feet got all clammy n i felt dizzy and short of breath not long after it happened again, i had to leave the mall and go home because it set of more anxiety symptoms..so i definatly think it was anxiety, no doubt in my mind! it does all kinds of things to us, but i too need reasurance that what im feeling is just anxiety sometimes, i think we all do. And its great to have a support team on this site =)

[ashley334]

Hi,

I too faced the same problem as you like I started getting muscle twitching all over my body, including my legs, feet, hands, arms, face, neck, shoulders, even my tongue a couple of times! Freaked me out! I have been facing anxiety from past 1 year and with right treatment, I feel a lot better than what I was few months back.

[cnote]

Haych22, sorry to hear about your symptoms as well. I really wish you a WONDERFUL happy 21st birthday! You don't have to drink to have a good time. =)

Ashley334, thanks for writing! It's always nice to hear someone who is having similar issues.

I have been suffering from anxiety for the past 3 years, but each year is getting better and better. My muscle twitches have stopped pretty much! I still get them but not as much as I was!

Also, my Dr called me yesterday on his day off just to tell me that my bloodwork and x-ray came back perfect! just so i could enjoy my 4th of july weekend. =) love that guy.

and ive noticed hardcore working out helps SO much as well with my back pain and neck pain. =) I'm almost pain free today except for the NORMAL soreness from working out so hard yesterday. =)

Hope all is good with you guys, God Bless, and thank you for writing.

[Paxiled]

While it's true anxiety can cause these, so can real problems.  For years I had neck pain, and just assumed it was from my anxiety, but it wasn't, it was from deteriorating cervical discs.  So there might be something going on that physical therapy or massage or chiropractic or acupuncture can help.  Something else happening with me is my arms and shoulders starting hurting so badly I can't lift weights anymore, so I shifted to running more and aggravated an old meniscus injury.  What I've learned is that just because you have anxiety doesn't mean there isn't something physical wrong, and just because you feel something physically doesn't mean it isn't being caused by anxiety.  So it's still best to rule out those injuries that occur in people who work out a lot and with aging because they get worse if you don't intervene.  That's why athletes all have trainers -- to distinguish the physiological from the psychological, the injuries from the fatigue.  Whatever it is it doesn't sound serious, just annoying, but there might be treatment that can make it go away.

[cnote]

Hey paxiled, it's funny you say that. My dr said though he found nothing wrong with my bones nor my muscles. He said it could be a lot of reasons including stress it anxiety, but he also said it could be from bad posture ect.

The good news is my big fears are gone. So my anxiety has lifted greatly!!