Joint pain
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I can only speak to my own experience and hope that gives you some insight into what POTS is and how it can affect you or the people around you.
What it feels like: aches and sharp pains when you move any joint in your body, some worse than others.
Joint pain happens in a lot of people with POTS. I was once told by one of my doctors early on (around 2007) that POTS and fibromyalgia were linked. I was unable to find any literature on that at this point in time so I’m going to say that was debunked? If you find anything about that please let me know. I do know that a lot of people are initially misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia initially, I have known a few personally and there are a few articles on it (links below).
For me joint pain is a daily occurrence, at times it is worse and others it is much better. I find that when my fatigue and my overall health is worse my joint pain is the worst. Some days it is so bad, I don’t want to move my pinky finger. Other times I have no issues at all. I have to say the worst days are only a few times a year. I normally have the worst joint pain in my feet, toes, hands, elbows, and sometimes my knees. When it is really bad I can feel every joint in my spine and hips when I walk.
Solutions I’ve Found
Taking Advil can help somewhat, I find that Aleve and Tylenol do not but everyone is different. Sometimes a warm bath can help but be careful with baths as it can raise your temperature which can be bad.
Further Reading
Johnson, Cort. “From Chronic Fatigue Syndrome to Fibromyalgia To POTS To Success: One Woman’s Journey Through the Medical Profession.” Health Rising, 20 August 2013, https://www.healthrising.org/blog/2013/08/20/from-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-to-fibromyalgia-to-pots-to-success-one-womans-journey-through-the-medical-profession/. Accessed 24 March 2023.
“POTS, Fibromyalgia, or Both? – Piedmont Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, P.A.” Piedmont Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, PA, https://piedmontpmr.com/pots-fibromyalgia-or-both/. Accessed 24 March 2023.
Leave a Reply