Yes, I have generalized muscle pain (sometimes I think I may have fibromyalgia) and also knee and leg pain. I don't think this is related to my anxiety, but it certainly doesn't make my life any easier.

What's hard about this (besides the pain) is that it makes it difficult to exercise, and exercise is so important for our health, both emotional and physical. Right now, I am doing an at-home walking video, but I'm afraid I'm making my knee pain worse by doing this...

yeah but i'm also diagnosed w/fibromyalgia (which is known to go hand and hand w/anxiety and depression). i find swimming helps. am going to a chiropractor next week too.

you sound just like me. I told my husband once that pain moves around my body.

I am pain-free when I stay away from refined carbs (sugary stuff, pasta, breads) and walk everyday. It takes only 3-4 days for the pain to go away whenever I slide back and eat a piece of cake or candy---around holidays usually.

Recently, my friend and I were talking about pain (bursitis of the hips and low back pain) and she reminded me to stay away from mushrooms and asparagus. I had been eating a lot of it thinking it was really healthy and I liked it. Within a few days...no pain!

Try for 2 weeks to see if you notice any difference (because sometimes you go through withdrawals the first few days you might not notice a difference)
*WALK WALK WALK at least one hour a day if your doctor allows you to.
*No more than 2 teabags of tea...no more caffeine
*No refined carbs---sugary and white stuff---try fresh fruits and veggies and nuts
No chocolate or soda---since you're not eating sweets this should be obvious...but people are in denial at how much sweets they eat.
Get 8 hours of sleep a night.

If you don't feel better in a week or two than I guess you try something else.

For me, I have myofascial pain, fibromyalgia, shingles post pain, extreme startle response, along with the normal aches and bruises, so when I get pain, I mark where it is, and then as it travels, I keep up with whether it is increasing or decreasing.

I have to stay hydrated, and when I get the muscle spasms in my legs, drinking pickle juice works fast to release the spasm. For the sore and tender knees, I do sit walks-I sit on the edge of the chair and do the motion for the walk gently. Swimming gives me an all over massage of the loosening of tensed muscles.

How I learned to work the anxiety, depression, and the medical needs for the muscle health was to work with the extreme startle response first. A loud noise would combine with the urge to jump, sometimes, twisting, turning, and adding to the anxiety. With the fibromyalgia, the beginning of every movement is done like I was in the water, gentle, flowing, and slowly. For myofascial knots, it's a fingertip touch to see how big the area is, then a palm massage to loosen part of it, then a slow movement to help it ease a bit.

Best wishes to everyone!

Thank you for your suggestions -

I'm sorry you're in so much pain -

Janet

I have a lot of muscle pain. My lower back pain is chronic and I do see a chiropractor once a month for an adjustment. In the meantime, I do stretches every morning and yoga. I stretch before I get out of bed (bed yoga). Then I move to the floor for more movement. A hot shower afterwards loosens me up.

I have a heated rice sock for any pain during the day and my heating pad when I get home at night.

When I make any extra spending money, I treat myself to a massage at a massage school. They give massages for $30/hour.

Most of my pain is in my back and neck. I do progressive muscle relaxation too.

I would do yoga (and I used to do it), but my MD wants me to do aerobic exercise for my heart, and I put on weight from the medications I have been on for depression and anxiety - and unfortunately, I have found that yoga doesn't take the weight off like aerobics - unless you do the really intense kind -