Have you considered myofascial trigger points? For me, it’s always myofascial trigger points.
Tooth sensitivity? Trigger points in jaw or neck. Headache? Probably neck. Finger tingly or numb? Trigger point in the chest, neck, or armpit. Ringing in the ears? Trigger point on the jaw or side of the face.
Every. Single. Freaking. Thing.
(Heck, the other day I had heartburn that turned out to be not directly related to a trigger point, but there were some trigger points involved.)
A trigger point is basically a “knot” in a muscle, that usually refers pain somewhere else because it’s pinching nerves or blood vessels. (This is my layperson’s understanding, I’m sure there are better/more correct explanations.)
Trigger points do not respond terribly well to standard massage or stretches. If you’re not going “ow ow ow” from what you’re doing to it, you’re probably not doing anything to it. Direct, hard, and continuous pressure (i.e. invariant and unceasing) for around 60 seconds, using a tool specific to the purpose, or something like the rounded point of a broom handle generally works best for me, though I’ll use my knuckles or thumbtip if I have to. (Mostly, though, I use one of the specialized tools I own for the purpose now.) You may have to do it more than once in a day, depending.
Anyway my point (no pun intended) is that if I had any weird sensations in my feet or legs, I would start by running my hands up my legs from the affected area looking for tender spots or knots, and apply pressure, trying to see which ones affect the sensation (either toning it down or making it worse).
I would also drink water, because my points are more likely to act up more when I’m dehydrated or hungry. I might also move and stretch.
Dunno if any of this will help you specifically. Also, if you haven’t dealt with these things enough to know where they are, look for trigger point charts on the internet. Typically they’ll show points and the general area where the pain (or other weird sensations) will be. (Rarely will the trigger point be inside the pain area!)
The key indicators for whether your problem is being caused by a trigger point are that you 1) have a tender spot in one of the places identified on a chart, and 2) pressing deeply on the tender spot makes a difference to the problem (either better or worse). (If it makes it worse while you’re pressing, though, it’ll usually get better when the knot releases—which can take a minute or more.)
AFAIK, not a lot is known about how/why trigger points form, though in my case they seem to stem from being in a certain posture for an extended period. For a long time I kept thinking my dentist was doing horrible things to my mouth every time I went because I’d have all sorts of pains afterwards, and it turned out that holding my jaw open for a long time usually sets off some trigger points that then refer pain back into my teeth! Now I start working the points when I get home and don’t have that issue any more.
While it might seem that “knot in jaw” and “weird feelings in legs” are unrelated, I personally find that if I am generally in poor health for whatever reason (incl. dehydrated, hungry, tired, etc.), I will often have trigger points going off all over the place. That is, global bad conditions like illness will make me more susceptible to trigger point-generated pains.
Anyway, hope you figure it out, and hope this is also helpful for anybody else who may be dealing with weird unexplained pains or sensations.
AFAIK, not a lot is known about how/why trigger points form, though in my case they seem to stem from being in a certain posture for an extended period.
When fascia is in good health there’s fluid flowing in them. Certain postures lead to the fascia having pressure on it in a way where fluid can’t flow in them. Without fluid flow, fibrin gets formed which then makes the fascia hard and makes it stay in a state without much fluid flow.
The idea of trigger point massage is then a mix of breaking the fibrin and putting the fascia in a position where fluid flows through it by stretching it.
This description likely leaves out some of the involved mechanisms but I think stretches out a basic idea.
If you’re not going “ow ow ow” from what you’re doing to it, you’re probably not doing anything to it.
I don’t think that’s the case, there are plenty of techniques that work effectively with fascia. It might even be that techniques that don’t produce “ow ow ow” are more likely to produce lasting effects as they are more global and not just localized to one single spot. I think it’s just that the “ow ow ow” techniques require less skill to apply.
Do you find you’re able to do this on your own, or do would you recommend a certain kind of massage specialist? I’m seeing some results of Google for myofascial release in my area. Does that sound right?
I’ve never been to a professional. It’s literally “press and hold”. I have a few items I use (a Knobble and a BodyBackBuddy), but anything hard with a rounded end (like the size/shape of the rounded tip on a broom handle) will do in a pinch. I read in one trigger point book the best ways to use your hands to reduce giving yourself hand pain, but tools are even better. For some trigger points, a hard rubber ball, a flat surface, and your weight are the easiest way to do it.
Finding the points isn’t terribly hard either—you know when you’ve found one because they’re tender. (If it doesn’t “twinge” or “twang” when you press on it, it’s probably not a trigger point.) And you know if it’s relevant if pressure affects your sensations. Tons of online charts show the spots where they’re most likely to be and the regions they’re most likely to affect—and you need a chart because a lot of them are really not very intuitively located.
So you can literally figure out in maybe 30 minutes (including googling trigger point guides/charts and finding something to press with) whether there’s any chance your problems are being caused by this, then decide whether you need a pro or just some tools.
The harder part is figuring out what lifestyle changes you might need to make (like drinking more water in my case, or posture, etc.) to reduce the odds of the points being created or set off in the first place. That’s something you’ll have to experiment with.
To be fair, there probably are better ways to deal with trigger points than just (almost literally) poking them with a stick, but poking them has the advantage of being fast and effective. If you have trouble pressing hard enough to squish the fluid out of them, or find yourself bruising due to bad angles or moving around too much, you might want to see a pro in order to learn better methods. Just be aware that “myofascial release” is not necessarily the same thing as trigger point treatment.
Have you considered myofascial trigger points? For me, it’s always myofascial trigger points.
Tooth sensitivity? Trigger points in jaw or neck. Headache? Probably neck. Finger tingly or numb? Trigger point in the chest, neck, or armpit. Ringing in the ears? Trigger point on the jaw or side of the face.
Every. Single. Freaking. Thing.
(Heck, the other day I had heartburn that turned out to be not directly related to a trigger point, but there were some trigger points involved.)
A trigger point is basically a “knot” in a muscle, that usually refers pain somewhere else because it’s pinching nerves or blood vessels. (This is my layperson’s understanding, I’m sure there are better/more correct explanations.)
Trigger points do not respond terribly well to standard massage or stretches. If you’re not going “ow ow ow” from what you’re doing to it, you’re probably not doing anything to it. Direct, hard, and continuous pressure (i.e. invariant and unceasing) for around 60 seconds, using a tool specific to the purpose, or something like the rounded point of a broom handle generally works best for me, though I’ll use my knuckles or thumbtip if I have to. (Mostly, though, I use one of the specialized tools I own for the purpose now.) You may have to do it more than once in a day, depending.
Anyway my point (no pun intended) is that if I had any weird sensations in my feet or legs, I would start by running my hands up my legs from the affected area looking for tender spots or knots, and apply pressure, trying to see which ones affect the sensation (either toning it down or making it worse).
I would also drink water, because my points are more likely to act up more when I’m dehydrated or hungry. I might also move and stretch.
Dunno if any of this will help you specifically. Also, if you haven’t dealt with these things enough to know where they are, look for trigger point charts on the internet. Typically they’ll show points and the general area where the pain (or other weird sensations) will be. (Rarely will the trigger point be inside the pain area!)
The key indicators for whether your problem is being caused by a trigger point are that you 1) have a tender spot in one of the places identified on a chart, and 2) pressing deeply on the tender spot makes a difference to the problem (either better or worse). (If it makes it worse while you’re pressing, though, it’ll usually get better when the knot releases—which can take a minute or more.)
AFAIK, not a lot is known about how/why trigger points form, though in my case they seem to stem from being in a certain posture for an extended period. For a long time I kept thinking my dentist was doing horrible things to my mouth every time I went because I’d have all sorts of pains afterwards, and it turned out that holding my jaw open for a long time usually sets off some trigger points that then refer pain back into my teeth! Now I start working the points when I get home and don’t have that issue any more.
While it might seem that “knot in jaw” and “weird feelings in legs” are unrelated, I personally find that if I am generally in poor health for whatever reason (incl. dehydrated, hungry, tired, etc.), I will often have trigger points going off all over the place. That is, global bad conditions like illness will make me more susceptible to trigger point-generated pains.
Anyway, hope you figure it out, and hope this is also helpful for anybody else who may be dealing with weird unexplained pains or sensations.
When fascia is in good health there’s fluid flowing in them. Certain postures lead to the fascia having pressure on it in a way where fluid can’t flow in them. Without fluid flow, fibrin gets formed which then makes the fascia hard and makes it stay in a state without much fluid flow.
The idea of trigger point massage is then a mix of breaking the fibrin and putting the fascia in a position where fluid flows through it by stretching it.
This description likely leaves out some of the involved mechanisms but I think stretches out a basic idea.
I don’t think that’s the case, there are plenty of techniques that work effectively with fascia. It might even be that techniques that don’t produce “ow ow ow” are more likely to produce lasting effects as they are more global and not just localized to one single spot. I think it’s just that the “ow ow ow” techniques require less skill to apply.
I like the trigger point idea. OP should note too that there are injection treatments for trigger points: https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/trigger-point-injection
Do you find you’re able to do this on your own, or do would you recommend a certain kind of massage specialist? I’m seeing some results of Google for myofascial release in my area. Does that sound right?
And thank you! I have a lot more to try now.
I’ve never been to a professional. It’s literally “press and hold”. I have a few items I use (a Knobble and a BodyBackBuddy), but anything hard with a rounded end (like the size/shape of the rounded tip on a broom handle) will do in a pinch. I read in one trigger point book the best ways to use your hands to reduce giving yourself hand pain, but tools are even better. For some trigger points, a hard rubber ball, a flat surface, and your weight are the easiest way to do it.
Finding the points isn’t terribly hard either—you know when you’ve found one because they’re tender. (If it doesn’t “twinge” or “twang” when you press on it, it’s probably not a trigger point.) And you know if it’s relevant if pressure affects your sensations. Tons of online charts show the spots where they’re most likely to be and the regions they’re most likely to affect—and you need a chart because a lot of them are really not very intuitively located.
So you can literally figure out in maybe 30 minutes (including googling trigger point guides/charts and finding something to press with) whether there’s any chance your problems are being caused by this, then decide whether you need a pro or just some tools.
The harder part is figuring out what lifestyle changes you might need to make (like drinking more water in my case, or posture, etc.) to reduce the odds of the points being created or set off in the first place. That’s something you’ll have to experiment with.
To be fair, there probably are better ways to deal with trigger points than just (almost literally) poking them with a stick, but poking them has the advantage of being fast and effective. If you have trouble pressing hard enough to squish the fluid out of them, or find yourself bruising due to bad angles or moving around too much, you might want to see a pro in order to learn better methods. Just be aware that “myofascial release” is not necessarily the same thing as trigger point treatment.