Impaired Coordination in Fibromyalgia

Definitely.Actually, this was one of the earliest of symptoms. I used to play football and I was quite good but once I started playing football again, I was unable to judge the ball.Also it was quite difficult for me to even maintain my body balance and definitely slows dow the speed of work. I don’t know why these conclusions are comming so late.

Wondering if it has to do with impaired sleep.

I did a lot of door-slamming early on.

Yes, I had an EMG showing cubital tunnel in both arms. I cannot crochet, write, use scissors without fingers locking up now. Door knobs, zippers and buttons are being rather irritating to me as well. If I can hold on to my keys without dropping them it is difficult maneuvering it in the lock as well, then I gotta turn the knob too??? AAAUUUGGGHHH!!! That is the frustration I have been dealing with for at least a decade now. I was diagnosed with fibro in 2006…getting worse

Yes I almost always have problems with my hands. It’s always the worst in the winter though. I don’t have enough hand strength to open cans, bottles, jars or even the plastic bags that food comes in. I also have trouble with turning pages of paper, picking things up and holding onto things. Door keys for the house of my vehicle are also tough to manipulate.

I don’t suffer from too much pain in my arms and hands. Most of my pain from my fibro starts at the tail bone and goes up to neck and down to toes.

hard to crochet. my hands hurt and feel numb. Always dropping things. Hate unlocking doors.

Yep. Over the many years, the fine motor skills of my fingers have pretty much gone on vacation, my hands and fingers cramp up easily, and I drop things often without realizing it. I’m forever losing my shopping list in the grocery store. I think I’m holding it, but lo and behold it’s nowhere to be found. Well, anyway, even though at one time I wanted to learn to knit and crochet (but my hands won’t do it), I now just find other crafty projects that my hands can manage. It’s sure interesting to learn that others with fibro have this situation. I didn’t realize it. Fascinating!

OMG, so glad it’s not just me. There has been a huge increase in the number of things and times a day I drop things. I am a constant fumbler. At first it was amusing that I’d send items sailing across the room without meaning to; now its just scary.

You betcha! My fine motor skills are deteroating more every year since being diagnoised in 2005. Dropped keys, dropping water glass, tripping up or down the stairsor tripping over a piece of nothing on the floor; bending over to pick something up and not getting it until the 4th or 5th try. Having to use a magnifying glass to thread that needle, rereading a paragraph in a book over and over again…. I used to draw horses. I can’t now. Been making jewelry to replace that hobby and to make some money but putting pieces together gets harder especially when I am tired. And it frightens me that this will get worse as time goes on. .. If I can;t do for myself or others down the road then.what?……

I’ve had Fibro for many, many years and during this time I’ve found that I’m loosing my fine motor skills. Always dropping keys, dishes, books, and just about anything else I try to pick up or try to carry; some days I can pick up /carry stuff but there are more not able to days. Zippers, buttons,door knobs, threading a needle and all things like this I find very difficult. Also find that I am having problems with balance. There are so many things that I find hard to do now.

I just thought I was a klutz!

I have always associated dropping things with the Fibromyalgia – I just didn’t know what the reason was! I’m very relieved to find I’m not the only person experiencing this.

Glad to know I’m not a klutz or by myself too. I 1st noticed my fingers & hands would make a sudden jerk or wouldn’t bend/hit or go in the direction intended. Reading & writing have became major undertakings. Until Drs. enabled me to sleep a little & prescribe a few meds I lost my ability to sign my name & then to write/type. I still have issues as with this, I’m re-writing multiple times. I was very accomplished in the culinary arts & have through the last few years lost many of my skills. I can’t judge distance or control my hands & others including family do not understand. A niece asked me to do an ice sculpture for her wedding & my sister didn’t understand my declining to do so. I drop things, can’t separate pages in the paper, I drop things or misjudge distance dropping things thinking I’m putting then on a table. I can go on & on. I no longer drive etc.

Absolutely! In fact, one of my first symptoms, which I didn’t realize till I was looking back, was hand dysfunction. I started dropping small items without even realizing I had done it.

I now find that I have trouble with fine motor skills, hand/eye coordination, balance and “navigation.” If I’m walking through a smaller space, or a room with lots of furniture, I’ll often bump into something because I couldn’t tell if I was centered in the open space. My hips and knees are always bruised these days!

I am not happy to hear of everyone’s difficulties however it is reassuring to realize it is not just me!! I have pins and needles in my hands and arms and also in my feet and legs. Lately when I turn my neck in one direction I have the same sensation in a certain part of my head. I dont know if that contributes to the inability to do certain things.
Thankyou for this newsletter .It gives me hope that we are moving closer to an understanding of this disease and perhaps a cure.

Yes I also have problems writing,sewing, my biggest problem is preparing vegetables I try to peal a potato and my whole hand locks and is very painful. . I enjoy doing craft work but I have had to put it aside till a good day . Yes I agree defiantly getting worse.

I broke my right pinky finger while playing softball in the late 90′s. I had to learn to write and type all over again. I still have problems with strength in that hand and can’t even close my hand around change without great difficulty. I can write about a page’s worth of manual writing. After that, it’s worse than a doctor’s chicken scratch lol!

After being diagnosed with Fibro, my hand skills deteriorated even more. I drop things all the time. It’s gotten so bad that my husband knows to come see what I dropped and if I need help as soon as that familiar noise of my cursing gets his attention haha.

It’s very frustrating when you lose control of your body like this. Worse when you know it’s permanent and only likely to get worse over time. Yet you have no choice but to roll over and give up, or decide to get on with life. I’m still kicking, and though I may drop more things than not, I still keep at it – fiercely trying to keep my independence as much as possible for as long as possible.

Not saying that Fibro is a degenerative condition. Just that lack of co-ordination seems to be yet another of so many symptoms.

I have trouble with this especially if it is repetitious. I’ve scored lower on some tests. I know there are patches on certain areas of my brain and it has coincided with some of my disability. Yet, it is not severe enough to be diagnosed as anything other than a little worse than a normal person. I also have trouble with sequencing in some ways. I do find that certain things help me exercise my fine motor skills and certain areas of my brain. I like incorporating fun things into my treatment plan like puzzles or computer games. One thing I’ve definitely have noticed is that more tired I am, the more difficulty I have even with my emotions. I’m just so down right exhausted it’s hard to function at all.

Yep, all of the above. I knew it had to do with the Fibro because it all happened at the same time. My handwriting used to be so beautiful, people would compliment me on it always. Now, on a good day it looks like a doctors signature or perscription. Awful!

I also have osteoarthritis in my cervical area which makes this problem worse. I can’t hang on to things and more tired I get the worse the problem is. A lot of times I can’t even turn on the knob on a lite switch, I really struggle open zip lock bags. One thing I want to mention here is that in reading the book by Mary Shomon “Living Well With Hypothyroidism”; she says that many people with fibro and chronic fatigue also have a thyroid problem. Some of the symptoms are so similar I was amazed. I am hypothyroid and have celiac disease along with fibro and probably chronic fatigue I learned that these can all be related.

I was asking my rheumatologist about this at my last visit. He mentioned that tremors can sometimes be inherited. It’s NOT tremors…rather a different type of disconnect between brain and hands. Interestingly, I can usually type, but often have trouble with writing. Printing is easier then cursive with my signature sometimes looking like it was done by a 5 year old. I also have issues with papers falling from my fingertips repeatedly and, as others have noted, dropping things a lot. My sister also has Fibro and earned a degree in art so the hand coordination issue has been very challenging for her as well.

I’ve had Fibromyalgia and CFS/ME for over 30 years. I sometimes wonder if this disease is related to MS. There seem to be a lot of the same symptoms. My FM has been progressive, for sure.

Yes, my hands are affected (actually, my feet are clumsy, too). I can’t type as well as I used to, crochet, I spill and drop things, my handwriting and printing is shot, I tend to shake when trying to do detailed work . It’s so frustrating!! It’s just one more thing I have to ‘chill out’ about……..

Have trouble with hand-eye co-ordination, used to be able to write heaps but now can’t hold the pen that long. Often drop things – its like i think i have them but they just slide out of my hand – especially if they are think (like a piece of paper). Also seem to have trouble judging things (sight) so often walk into door frames (wobbly legs don’t help). I was worried a while ago and got the optomitist to have a good check of my eyes because i felt i was getting like a blind spot but it all come back ok.

I’m always bumping into things and clipping the walls. I have difficulties separating papers and as a teacher, this is frustrating.

I am constantly dropping things. I never know quite where things will land when I go to move them. I don’t have any fingernails due to the fact that I bash my fingers into everything and either tear them across or crach them down the middle. I never thought that it was the fibro that caused this problem due to the fact that I have always been somewhat clumsy.

WOW this is really an eye opener. When unable to use my fingers to hook jewlery, this before my diagnosis. I was had had Fibro since 2008 but symptons started much earlier. Looks like I have had this much earlier than 2008. I feel it started when I experienced sever migraine in 2005.

I was diagnosed 20 years ago but I know I had it much earlier. This was when they thought it was an autoimmune disease. Now, they know it is the way the brain processes pain. Unfortunately, they have not found the right type of medicine to help us. I was always a clumsy child and barely got through doorways without hitting myself. In the last few years, my balance has gotten so bad that I was sent to a neurologist who ran tests. I almost have no balance on my left side. This causes me to fall, stumble, and must make others think I am drunk when I take my little dog outside. My symptoms have gotten progressively worse over the last 10 years and now I have to be very careful. I sister has a two door car and I nearly hurt myself badly getting out from the backseat. My foot caught on the seat belt and down I went. I couldn’t balance enough to get it unhooked. I am somewhat relieved to hear that it is a symptoms of fibro. I hate what this disease does to us and wish more research were being done.

Reading the information supplied here really helps. I thought I had just got really clumsy. My partner calls me crash cameron as I am always knocking into things, dropping things and when I go to pick them up losing my balance but he helps me retain my sense of humour about it all. I am always covered in bruises, cuts and grazes.

I have lived with FM for 12 years and just wish there was more information and more research about the progressive nature of this disease.

I was diagnosed in 1988 when finding info and expectations were hard to find.
I have to second nearly every comment above. I cannot judge precisely what effects result from fibro. I was i diagnosedwith RA and also have post operative spinal stenosis, a spinal fusion, and lumbar osteoarthritis.
Idoknowthat fibro is behind my inability to fasten jewelry, watches and causes difficultydressing. I needto swim but changing clothesis a trial — fastening and unfastening bra hooks, buttons,and removinghorrible wet bathing suits.
My worst pro lem is dealing with constant pain, arms breasts ribs and torso, and feet. I would livewith everything else if I could reducepain.

Yes I have a terrible time some days. At work they call me klutz klutz. I bump into things all the time. Sum times it will take me two or three times to pick up something. They love me so much at work. I am entertainment for my co workers. But they all tease me in good taste. They make me laugh and keep me going. I look forward to work some days just for that reason.

I have had CFIDS since 1995; as far as I know I do not have FM. My CFIDS/FM friends all agree that hand coordination, judgment about spatial things, etc is a big problem. I routinely knock over glasses (why are they always full of iced tea?); bump into furniture and corners so that I always have bruises and scrapes; have cuts on my hands from cooking, opening mail, and who knows what; have fallen partway down an iron staircase twice, awful handwriting, etc. I try to cope with these things by using pretty plastic glasses; having lots of paper towels around the house; putting up those foam “bumper” things on my furniture; put non-skid strips on the full length of each stair; and typing my letters (endless corrections). My hands shake, probably from the meds, but I don’t know for sure; and, oh yes, putting on earrings means I will almost always drop one of the backs and have to go searching for it on the floor.

Yes, it seems to be more prevalent than anyone would think. I drop things, can’t open plastic trash bags and have poor balance. My husband keeps showing me how to open a trash bag. I know how but my hands won’t do it. I drop anything small, earrings,bracelets, rings you name it. I usually have a black and blue somewhere on my body. I misjudge the door frame and walk into a wall. When trying to leave a stadium I can’t walk in front of someone seated. I have to sit near the aisle so I don’t have to walk in front of anyone. I can just envision falling down the whole set of bleechers. I remember having trouble threading needles as young as my teen years.

Ditto for the clumsiness and dropping items, closing zip lock bags is a big challenge, threading needles for sure is a time consuming event and after having been a hiker for 20 years I now trip on my own feet or nothing at all. I agree with the thought that fibromyalgia and MS are kissing cousins and for my assessment you can include Parkinsons. So we can all trip the light fantastic together I guess. Tina

Lynn – Your comments are ME. I bump into so many things. Over the past several years I just couldn’t figure out what was happening. I was bruised everywhere. I, too, am klutzy with small motor skills. I suppose that I just hadn’t looked deep enough into Fibromyalgia. I didn’t realize that was on our monster list…..grrrrrr!

ARE U Kidding me?? I have more burns & scars from slicing open my hands, I have on several occasions have has drinking glasses & thick ones explode in my hand as I was washing them because my hands are numb so I must squeeze too tightly..One cut thru my hand on the knuckle a deep into the bone..I can not even tweeze my eyebrows my hands cramp & hurt I drop everything!! I can not tell you All how many times a day I drop the remote control!! My poor cat used to lay on the floor under where I was sitting on the couch…not any more -LOL I dropped the remote on her too many times (poor baby) I am not going to bore you with all the examples but it is partly due to the carpel tunnel I have in both hands… My biggest complaint is what is going on with my brain – we all have memory trouble = I have trouble knowing the date – year and now enunciating words./// I say topaote in stead of potatoe and I can no longer spell ( I just had to type Spell 3 times – speal speall speel – As a writer this is frightening…as a person I sound like a moorn now when I speak messing up everything stammering… that isa scary to me

In the past year I have lost lot of the dexterity in both my hands. I have done bead work as a hobby for many years. Now I’m afraid to even try doing it. Just the thought of it makes me depressed, which most of the time causes flair ups. The beginnings of a viscous cycle.

Wow! I feel so much better knowing it isn’t just me having these issues. I’ve been clumsy my entire life…there were so many trips to the ER that the doctors started to think I was an abused child. (I wasn’t)

Over the last 3 years it has gotten much worse though. I too have numerous bruises & scars from walking into furniture, cutting myself while cooking or burning myself while adding wood to our stove. The tremors, stiffness & swelling get so bad that I can’t hold on to anything thin or small…especially my meds!

The doctors tried to tell me that these symptoms were side effects of the meds but, the symptoms existed before I started taking the meds. Even after they changed me to a different drug, the symptoms remain.

My boyfriend & son tease me from time to time about being so uncoordinated & even I admit that sometimes it is funny. Unfortunately, more often than not, it is more frightening & heartbreaking to feel myself losing abilities that I once took for granted. I’m not ready to give up yet though so, I just keep finding ways to adapt where possible & ask for help when I need it.

Good to know. I thought I was just being a “squirell”. Not being able to keep focus and on to another thought before completing one. I drop papers all the time.

I have had FM and CFS/ME for many years, though I have noticed that balance, fine motor control and eye/hand coordination have progressively worsened, especially in the last 3 years. Like many, I frequently bump into walls or door frames, knock over glasses and other items, and bump into things that I have not seen (like chairs, low tables, etc.). The worst part is falling, especially when I fall forward and hit my head and face–this has occurred at least 4 times within the last year. I fell 3 times within a matter of days–once on the kitchen tile, then on hardwood, and then on Italian tile (the hard stuff), so I had bruises on top of my already black eye. I teased that “aubergine” (dark purple) was the latest black! ^) One thing that I have noticed is that the condition worsens under extreme stress and lack of restful sleep due to severe pain. I have taken steps to reduce stress and to improve my ability to handle stress, and I avoid bending or reaching up as much as possible. Of course I say this as I sport a nasty bruise on my right shoulder and upper arm from hitting a door frame on the way to the toilet earlier this week!

I agree lack of dopamine could play a part but I think there are other contributing factors. Such as muscle strength, fatigue and proprioception particularly in the neck region. We had a great talk by a physio on this recently in our support group. That tight muscles in our neck can affect our balance. 7 years ago I was severely disabled and bumping into everything, unable to chop vegetables and spilling drinks. I now realise it wasn’t just the FM but the fact my muscles had weakened so much. Though I know the fatigue caused the lack of ability to exercise. I’m now much better thanks to pacing and the Alpha-Stim. The Alpha-Stim has improved my concentration and energy levels. So now I’m able to walk and swim further and therefore my muscles are stronger. The Alpha-Stim is also known to help those with ADHD (were concentration is also a problem), so there could be an element of increase in dopamine levels?

At a minimum- 80% of everyday, I have extreme pain in my hands and fingers (feet also, just not as often). They ache/throb like a headache- involuntarily. Also, if I put on hand lotion and press too hard while applying, I have sharp pain. I’m even afraid to shake hands because it hurts. At times, the ache moves into my lower arms and is even more miserable when both hands and arms hurt. I was diagnosed with fibro more than 10 years ago. Just recently I completed a 10 week Fibro program through a pain clinic. I don’t see a lot of fibro patients complain of this type of pain/aches in the HANDS. Is this common, uncommon or possibly not related to fibro???

My doctor told me early on to get a small rubber ball and squeeze it many times a day , while watching tv or sitting at a desk. I do this every day and it has helped some.

Wow funny you mentioned coordination and motor skills. I’ve always been on the clumsy side since childhood, but I still played hard in sports and other activities. Now that I’m much older I’ve noticed that my coordination is really off. I run into walls, stagger for no reason, fallen a few times, and bump into things all the time. I have so many bruises. My sons look at me as if I’m old and feeble…:) I remind them that there is a cast iron skillet in the kitchen cabinet (joking).
I have a lot of ringing in my ears and I thought maybe there were some inner ear problems. I know it’s common for us to have this problem.
I started drinking distilled water, not tap, filtered, purified, spring..DISTILLED WATER. My sister met someone in Italy who was told by her doctor to drink distilled water because of the metals and other unhealthy additives or sediments in tap water. The ringing in my ears have improved, but I still run into things. My pain level has decreased enough that most days I’m able to get out of bed. On a scale of 1-10 I hover around 4-6. To some that may be good or bad, but for me I can at least function with simple task for short periods of time. I’m not suggesting the water did the trick, but there’s so much about this condition that isn’t understood. Therefore if we can do simple things that may help….then why not?
I truly appreciate this website. Thank you so so so much!

Pat

ALL of the above… & add that I dropped MYSELF 3 years ago resulting in 2 fractures of my lower right leg. I guess you could say I’ve been “lucky”-??
as I’ve had some pretty nasty falls & near falls in the past 20 odd years since I was diagnosed with Fibro. & cfs. but that was my first,&,hopefully last break!

UGH! (((hugs))) from eaglehaslanded

Do those of you who experience impaired coordination have the problem constantly? I occasionally drop things and fumble, but not all the time and not always with the same tasks. Does this problem come and go, as so many FMS symptoms do? A while ago I was so concerned about this occasional problem that my MD ordered a brain MRI which was normal for my age–almost 69.

Nancy

Oh wow! I do so have problems in this area. It’s not unusual for me to fall easier, burn myself when cooking, clanking dishes, etc. I even have vertigo. I think this can at times be a separate issue but it adds to the mix. I’ve broken sets of dishes and casserole dishes and it’s been not only painful but expensive.

Replying to Nancy: For some things they are constantly there but not near as noticeable unless I’m doing the same task for a while or repeatedly throughout the day. …when I”m tired they are there to an extreme and I have to really focus my brain on what I am doing. I have to watch when bathing and use a stool and avoid doing certain tasks etc. I get use to reading my body and knowing when I should and shouldn’t do things. I hope this helps.

I am a musician. I’ve had fibro for years. About 7 years ago I went into a major flare. I have come “back” some but not a lot. One of the areas impacted for me is rhythm and the beat. I can’t play like I used to. The ability to play has slowly gotten better but no where near the level I used to play at.

I also play everything slower than I used to. This has been very impacting to my soul as I love to make music.. So now, I just play it however it comes out. Off beat be dammed!

I’ve noticed, especially when overly tired and stressed, that my braun and body just dont seem to be in sync. I can have a time when my brain knows I am going to falk, but it is like i can’t think through what I need to do to move my legs. I looked up Ataxia and Cerebral Ataxia. These seem to describe it well. Does this sound familiar?

yes that fits me too! I can hardly write now. I’ve been trying to keep a pain journal to help me with my SSDI case but am having trouble w/ writing. I have to use tons of white out because my writing is so bad. I have to take breaks too because my hands cramp up and my fingers start to feel weird. I can’t type much either because the tips of my fingers start to feel strange.

i have had problems with this my hands seem to have a ming off their own sometimes , my hands shake all the time when i am having a bad day it increases i cant even hold a cup with out spilling it, writing is hard my hand does sporadic movements , on days were the shaking is very bad i wont go out people notice it and i hate having to try and explain it , the drs cant even tell me why it happens this had been this way for me for more than 20 years has gotten worse as i have3 gotten older.

I notice that I’ll drop my keys if I don’t concentrate on holding them. I have Fibro with CFS.

Also, I’m not able to push a button with the force it requires to turn the button on, the elevator, the TV, etc. There is a lot of disconnect.

Glad you mentioned this — I thought my shaky hands and lack of coordination were due to changes in medications. More likely it is all part of the bigger fibro picture. Also seems to be getting worse as I age.

Coordination became an obvious problem for me as my fibro. Progressed. I seem to have both large and fine muscle involvement. I too drop things and sometimes buttons are a hassle . Large motor involvement is evidenced by no longer being able to ride a mountain bike and then my road bike. Now walks of any distance seem too hard.
Georgia

WOW! There are so many of us Fibromites with this same issue. There must be something to it. I thought I was just getting klutzy in my old age but now I realize it is yet another symptom that stems from FM.

What about shakiness? My hands and fingers do cramp, but I also find that my hands are very shakey. Its embarrassing, I feel like my nerves are shot!

Since my diagnosis in 1999, I have been losing control over my hand function. I drop things often. My fingers always feel slightly swollen and I cannot bend my knuckles that well, which makes it hard to do the sewing and embroidery I used to do. It is hard to pick up coins. I always are afraid people do not believe me!

I can’t use my hands to talk anymore because I end up ticking my finger on anything on a counter or table and it flies off the counter or table and breaks. I also don’t seem to be able to walk past a chair without kicking it with one of my feet. I have nerve damage in my left foot because I have hit it so many times. It gets old..believe me!

I had a total hysterectomy at 38. My pain and other symptoms came on gradually. I am not the same person I was before Fibromyalgia. I believe that menopause does have something to do with Fibro.

I can certainly relate to many of the comments here! In the past I was assessed by an computerized machine with regard to balance (ie to find the cause) — they never did find the cause, but I believe that it was because my thyroid levels were much too low for me.
My body cannot make adequate TSH to stimulate my thyroid to make optimal levels of thyroid hormone so I am on replacement. WHEN I keep my Free T4 & T3 levels close to the top, my balance problems are negligible. My muscles also have MORE strength.
I have large hands and fingers and have found for a long time that I am clumsy with fine motor skills and my typing can be “dyslexic” when my thyroid levels slump. Luckily that doesn’t affect my knitting and and crocheting ability, since I like to do those crafts. I am also lucky not to have too much pain — having high optimal levels of Vitamin D and thyroid hormone helps in that area. I am also taking a tryptophan prescription to keep my serotonin up and I believe that helps with the pain as well.

As I like to say, it’s not a day until I drop something. I usually drop something in the morning while getting ready for work. I also get hand cramps while writing in my journal. Each entry looks nice to start, then it gets all wild as I start rushing to finish writing the entry. Plus, I get shaky hands after using them for a few minutes. I noticed it after carrying something for a few minutes, or driving. The tremor is visibly severe right after and it makes it hard to eat with utensils our drink from a glass.