Allodynia - Painful skin, general sensitivity

Am posting this because it is common among people with Fibromyalgia, ME, CFS and those who suffer from migraines but not everyone knows it is a diagnosable condition.

"
Allodynia is pain, generally on the skin, caused by something that wouldn't normally cause pain. This pain type is associated with fibromyalgia, and some people with chronic fatigue syndrome have it as well.

Other conditions associated with allodynia include neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia and migraines. Outside of these conditions, allodynia is a rare symptom.

Knowing this term may help you communicate better with your doctors and other health-care providers as well as with understanding research about your illness."

"
Types
Allodynia comes in three forms. You can have one, two or all three. They are:

1. Tactile allodynia, which is pain caused by touch. This can include clothing laying against the skin (especially the tighter parts of clothing, such as waistbands, bra straps or the elastic part of socks.)
2. Mechanical allodynia, which is caused by movement across the skin. This can be a towel as you dry yourself off, bed sheets brush against you, or even the air from a fan blowing moving over your skin.
3. Thermal (temperature-related) allodynia, which is caused by heat or cold that is not extreme enough to cause damage to your tissues. (If your hands and feet turn blue when they're cold, talk to your doctor. This may be a symptom of a different condition called Raynaud's Syndrome.)

It's often hard for other people, or even us, to understand how these harmless things can cause so much pain. However, it is a real pain and doesn't mean that you're crazy or making too big a deal out of "normal" aches and pains.


Allodynia is different from hyperalgesia, which is the mechanism that "turns up the volume" on pain in these conditions. Hyperalgesia takes normal pain and makes it worse, while allodynia is an actual type of pain."

https://www.verywell.com/allodynia-definition-and-types-fibromyalgia-715929

 

I suffer from allodynia from time to time, I suspect its related to either a (re)active infection or postherpetic neuralgia.

For me it often only effects 1 side of my body at a time. Sometimes the scalp, at other times I've had it on arm or thigh. I guess it would be classed as mechanical allodynia, I notice discomfort from the slightest touch (i.e. just lightly brushing hairs with my hand, or clothes resting against it). Its an unusual sensation but if I were forced to describe it I would say its very sensitive skin, something like you might have after getting burnt.