Do you experience pain from a simple touch? Do you cringe when someone goes to give you a hug? Do these simple gestures result in excruciating pain? Skin pain is another one of those fibromyalgia symptoms that just doesn’t seem to make sense. This type of pain is called Allodynia and is usually felt as a burning sensation.
Allodynia is believed to be a hypersensitivity to stimuli that would normally not cause pain. The pain can be provoked by a light touch to the skin, pressure from clothing, showering, combing or brushing your hair. Even a light breeze blowing across your skin can feel like agony.
What Causes Allodynia?
Allodynia is considered to be the result of a process called central sensitization. The pain comes from a malfunction of specialized nerves, called nociceptors. These nociceptors sense information about things like temperature and painful stimuli right at the skin. For some reason, our nociceptors become chronically activated and send persistent pain signals. Any sensation felt by the skin becomes painful.
Allodynia is a fairly rare type of pain. It is only associated with a handful of conditions. These conditions include fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia (shingles) and migraine. Allodynia is also linked to the lack of restorative sleep.
There are three sub-types:
- Tactile Allodynia: pain caused from something touching your skin.
- Mechanical Allodynia: pain caused by movement such as your clothing brushing against your skin or the breeze from a fan or the wind blowing across your skin.
- Thermal Allodynia: pain caused from mild heat or cold temperatures.
Allodynia often overlaps with hyperalgesia (abnormally heightened sensitivity to pain), which seems to be the case with fibromyalgia. So not only are we experiencing pain from stimuli that should not cause pain, the pain is amplified.
Treating Allodynia
The skin pain comes from a malfunction of specialized nerves. It is also related to a lack of restorative sleep. Standard treatments for fibromyalgia can also help ease allodynia. This includes eating healthy, exercising, reducing stress and improving your sleep.
Medications that work for some people include:
- Tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline, desipramine, doxepin, imipramine, nortriptyline)
- Lyrica (pregabalin)
- Neurontin (gabapentin)
- Lidocaine patches
Some people also get relief from topical pain creams. You may have to be careful about the way you dress, as well. Loose fitting clothing made from soft natural fibers are recommended.
If your skin itches, burns, tingles or you have numbness, it could be a condition called Paresthesia. It’s also seen in Fibromyalgia and migraine patients. The sensations are usually felt in the hands, arms, legs, or feet, but can also occur in other parts of the body.
Painful skin is a new symptom for me. It seems to be triggered by temperature. It doesn’t even have to be hot. When I feel a little warm, my skin starts stinging and burning, then anything touching or moving across my skin intensifies the pain. Being exposed to the sun makes it worse.
My doctor increased my dosage of amitriptyline and said if that doesn’t help we would try gabapentin. It’s been three weeks since the dosage increase and so far it hasn’t helped. Since summer is almost over, I am wondering if the skin pain will lessen when the weather gets cooler.
Or is that just wishful thinking?
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I would also like to add one more important thing I have to keep learning the hard way…when I have good days NOT to do too much just because I’m not flaring…if I do, I end up more often back in a flare. I also have kept my distance from anyone (family included) that tends to stress me because I flare soon after. Holidays are the worst for me…because soon after I’m in major flare due to running around, doing too much, and the stress of it and tbh some family members. I love them but it has gotten so bad I now must do what’s best. Once I was feeling great for months so what do I do…I started fostering bottle baby kittens for a rescue, ended up with 13 at one point as they kept coming in! Then I guess I got scratched somehow ended up with a horrible staff infection in my ankle. I went to a dermatologist and it wasn’t ready to lance but she did and it made is worse to where it was spreading up my leg and I ended up in the urgent care where they had to lance it and at that point I do believe the entire place heard me screaming into my spouses chest…appearently our ankles have the most nerves the dr said and add that to someone with fibro n neuropathy…yeah not fun. However I made sure the babies where taken care of…ya should have seen me with my crutches to make their bottles n baths etc n crawling with my leg up to set up for feedings etc lol was a sight for sure and all the babies found forever homes…I even adopted one from the first litter I received…and I ❤️ her to pieces ? ! Anyhow i had to stop because I went into the worst flare…wasn’t days or weeks anymore…wasn’t even months…its been over a year and my CFS just started easing up and here we go again…Easter…now it’s beginning…the flare I just know if I don’t pace myself I will regret it….the problem is I forget… hell I forget everything now a days…even words…ok this pain is bad so gtg but will keep u posted on Savella treatment n anything I find that helps.
I think we all learn the hard way but it so hard not to want to catch up on the days I feel well. Thank you for taking care of those kittens. I could not imagine a life without pets. I have a cat and two dogs. Taking care of them keeps me going.
Does anyone have excruciating pain when coming in contact with anything water based? My son has been diagnosed with Asperger’s and Classical EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome). When he comes into contact with anything with a water base, takes a shower, gets caught in the rain, etc., he said it feels like acid is on his skin. It is so severe he cannot bathe anymore. He is 23 and cannot be around moisture which is very hard to do. If anyone has any information, please, please contact me. Allodynia is the first thing I have heard or read of that matches the symptoms he has.
Hi, Samantha. Although it is very rare it is possible to be allergic to water. The condition is called aquagenic (water) urticaria. The skin will itch or burn after exposed to water. Hives, rash or redness may also appear.
For the author: You may have Erythropoietic Protoporphyria.
Hi, Ejay. I read up on Erythropoietic Protoporphyria. Very interesting. Although, the rash I get looks nothing like pictures of Erythropoietic Protoporphyria and there is no swelling. Also, the pain and rash get better once I am out of the sun. High humidity can also cause my skin pain even without the sun.
Thank you so much. I have fibro and scratched my itches over the years wondering if I was allergic to my own sweat. What a relief it is just another symptom of fibro!
Your welcome, Shelley.
I have severe all over body pain from head to toe sleepless nights I get rashes on both legs periodically I feel like something crawling under my skin now I’m broken out in blisters and little bumps that itch horribly today I go a stinging burning pain on the lower part of my neck went to ich it felt little bumps a in big blister that broke and drained and it’s unbearable to deal with what should I do I have fibromyalgia for 8 years and it’s been hell on me
Hi, Deborah. The most common reason for a blistery rash is direct contact with an irritant. Many things can cause this reaction including soaps, cosmetics, fragrances, foods, plants, and sun exposure. I have dealt with this since I was 16 years old (long before I was diagnosed with fibro). The best thing to do is eliminate your exposure to as many chemicals as possible. Easier said than done, I know. It was a long process of experimenting with different product brands to figure out which ones I could use. Taking Benedryl and a warm Epsom salt or oatmeal bath can help with the itching. Gentle Hugs!
Hi everybody,
I am Nicolas from France, 27 and suffering from mechanical allodynia for 3 years.
I suggest to all of you to have a look at small fiber neuropathy, as small fiber nerves are the one responsible for burning sensations and pains. A skin biposy is usually enough to highlight the disease.
All the best to you all.
Hi, Nicolas. Thanks for your tip. Some studies have demonstrated that approximately 50% of patients diagnosed with FM may have SFN. Take care.
I am so glad someone else can exacty explain it. I feel like I have a sunburn all over
🙂
Hi, Pam. I’m so sorry to hear that you burn too! A sunburn all over is the perfect way to explain it. It is absolutely miserable and mine is getting worse all the time. Curious though, do you have triggers or is it just 24/7? Flexeril has kept mine from constantly burning from no cause, but my triggers are growing and I’m not sure why. Has your doctor prescribed anything for you? My current rheumatologist doesn’t seem to have any ideas, so I’m looking for a new one!
I have seen others mention Flexeril to help with allodynia. Does anyone know why a muscle relaxer would help with the burning pain? What is the theory behind using that drug? thanks.
I appreciate all the info. I’m still trying to sort out my triggers. I also have facet joint RA, CFS, fibromyalgia. I take gabapetin already. I take it at night so I can function during the day. Otherwise I feel stupid all day. I may need to increase my gabapetin at night.
Hi, Leisa. It can take time to sort out your triggers. Even when you think you have it figured out new triggers occur. In regards to Allodynia, heat and humidity are my biggest triggers. I hope you find some relief. Gentle Hugs. 🙂
I think Lovan is making my allodynia worse. Anyone else?
I have had this pain from my waste down and on my arms my first time having this pain was when I was 18it went from on ankle all the way up to my privates and then back down to my other leg and still to this day I get places on my skin to where i t is painful to the touch , heat or cold . one doc said it may be shingles but she don’t look any closer at it it does happen every day but when it does omg!