Solve this trivial medical mystery

November 24, 2024 12:53 PM

A few times per year I'll notice a localized spot on my skin that for a day or two is mysteriously very achy in an odd feverish way, typically worsening when pressed or touched. The spot moves around (mostly somewhere on an arm, leg or hand) and there's never any visible lesion or injury associated with it. Sometimes this precedes the onset of a cold or flu, but not always. Do other people get this? Does anybody know a name or a potential explanation?

The achy spot is usually about 1" square, sometimes a larger 3-6" patch of arm or leg.

It usually stays for a solid day, then fades away only to recur somewhere else in a couple of months.

What the heck is up with this?

posted by Bardolph to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)

Trigger point pain? Maybe including referred tp pain, which is when you feel it at a distance from where the actual muscle knots are.
posted by trig at 1:17 PM on November 24

(If you think that might be it, you can try pressing down with your fingers all along the muscles in that area to see if you find any points of "exquisite tenderness". Though sometimes referred pain can happen pretty far from where the actual problem is.)
posted by trig at 1:20 PM on November 24

Is it a kind of burning or like almost electric-ish pain? Just on the skin, not in the muscle? If so I know it intimately but have no idea what it is, would be thrilled to hear an explanation too!
posted by cabbage raccoon at 1:37 PM on November 24 [3 favorites]

I wonder if this is herpesvirus related, like a nascent cold sore or shingles without the blistering? The various types of herpesvirus lie dormant in nerves, and tend to flare up when one's body is under stress (such as... preceding the onset of a cold or flu).
posted by heatherlogan at 1:53 PM on November 24 [9 favorites]

Have you had shingles or shingles vaccine?
posted by funkaspuck at 2:00 PM on November 24 [4 favorites]

I have no idea, but have a spot on my eyebrow that does this, so will be watching for answers!
posted by Ausamor at 2:01 PM on November 24 [1 favorite]

Allodynia? I often get this on the side of my left hand and forearm (a larger area than you've described) before a migraine.
posted by aincandenza at 2:39 PM on November 24

Here's a map of skin dermatomes: X You may find a pattern that correlates with your symptoms. Shingles can cause pain along the dermatomes.
posted by effluvia at 3:41 PM on November 24 [4 favorites]

I had nerve damage that produced a symptom we could only call “allodynia.” It got really bad and I went to the doctor for it. We went through the dermatologists and other specialists just in case. Eventually settled on it being something called “neurodermatitis,” but I think that’s just the best name my doctor could give it. I went on gabapentin and never had the issue again, thank God.
posted by elzpwetd at 7:42 PM on November 24

And, yes, like yours, the pain could move around. A sleepless night could trigger it. My vote is that it’s related to nerves or the spine.
posted by elzpwetd at 7:48 PM on November 24

Sometimes when I’m run down, I get a weird tingly uncomfortable almost painful Itch inside my back that can’t be scratched. It lasts for a day or two and then fades away. I’ve always assumed it’s some kind of nerve thing, like maybe I have a very mild case of shingles that my immune system has never quite beaten away, but also manages to keep in check until my immune system is compromised, so the mini-shingles have a mini-flare up and cause weird nerve itches. I’ve never had a medical investigation of the itch because it doesn’t stick around long enough to be a big problem for me, so this explanation is totally made up - but just to say, non-trauma related pains when run down is definitely a thing that happens to people!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:07 AM on November 25