Fibromyalgia Severely Weakens: The Legs

Fibromyalgia and intense pain in the legs: why does it happen?
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that goes far beyond "body pain". Fibromyalgia profoundly alters how the brain and nervous system process pain, causing common stimulus to be interpreted as intense suffering. Therefore, one of the most common and debilitating complaints is deep pain in the legs, especially in the thighs and calves.
This pain doesn't arise from inflammation or visible muscle injury. What happens is a mistake in the way the brain amplifies the painful signals, a phenomenon known as central awareness. In people with fibromyalgia, the nervous system remains in a constant state of alert, sending pain signals even without a proportional physical cause.

Fibromyalgia causes abnormal pain types that can strike the legs. These include:

Allodynia: Pain from things that shouldn't hurt (the brush of soft fabric, sock elastic, mild cold temperatures)

Paresthesia: Abnormal nerve sensations including tingling, itching, burning, crawling, shooting, or electrical "zaps"

Hyperalgesia: Amplifies pain signals from other sources, making them more intense.

The muscle weakness that you are feeling can be directly linked to Fibromyalgia because the damage to your nerves can disrupt signals to the muscles. This nerve damage makes it hard to move your muscles and leads to a heavy feeling in your legs (or other areas of your body). Fibromyalgia spasticity can cause any muscle in your body to feel weak, heavy and difficult to move. You may feel that as a result of Fibromyalgia you aren’t exercising regularly. This inactivity can lead to your muscles naturally becoming weaker which is known as deconditioning.

Pain or restlessness in the legs is a common symptom of Fibromyalgia and can be caused by a number of factors,
including:
Nerve damage: This can cause nerve pain in the legs, arms, or face, which can feel like burning, pins and needles, or electric shock.
Weakened muscles: This can lead to aches and pains in the knees or back.
Joint pain: This can be caused by other FM symptoms, such as fatigue or declining mobility.
Balance challenges: This can lead to hip or back pain or muscle spasms.

Fibromyalgia Symptoms in Legs

Leg pain from these causes may feel like fibromyalgia pains in the rest of your body or it may have a different quality.

Severe leg weakness is a commonly reported symptom of fibromyalgia, frequently described as a heavy, tired, or “jelly-like” sensation that can significantly limit mobility. While fibromyalgia does not typically cause permanent muscle damage or paralysis, it can create profound, functional weakness, often leading to instability, stumbling, or buckling of the knees. Feeling weakness in one or both of your legs can be a direct result of FM. You can also feel weakness in your arms and other areas of your body, but to feel it in your legs often occurs more frequently. The weakness can make your legs feel heavy, as if they are being weighed down by something. They may also ache and hurt. Some people with FM describe it as like having bags of sand attached to their legs.

This muscle weakness combined with FM fatigue can be upsetting. Weakness in your legs can cause balance and walking difficulties and you may be more likely to fall. You may find that your legs can tire quickly making you feel a lack of physical strength, while fatigue brings on an intense exhaustion and lack of energy. Due to your legs feeling weak you need that extra energy to keep moving! It’s a vicious cycle as muscle weakness and FM fatigue are closely linked and one can make the other worse.
Legs may feel heavy, fatigued, or harder to move, especially after walking or standing for long periods.
Numbness or Tingling: A “pins and needles” sensation, or complete numbness, often starting in the feet and moving upward.
Balance and Coordination Problems: Difficulty maintaining balance, a feeling of unsteadiness, or trouble coordinating movement, increasing the risk of falls.
Pain: Can be musculoskeletal (from altered gait or posture) or neuropathic (burning, stabbing, or electric-shock-like sensations).
Fatigue: A heavy, leaden feeling in the legs not always related to exertion. It can be more disabling than actual weakness.