Hey guys. I was wondering how you would describe your joint pain. Recently the phrase ‘ring of fire’ keeps playing through my head. I feel like every affected joint has a ring of fire around them. It’s so much more prominent in the larger joints, for example my fingers just really burn at the joints but my shoulders feel like there is that ring that goes around them that’s on fire.
Anyone else?
I can’t say that “ring of fire” describes my joint pain accurately, but I can see how it might. We all experience pain differently, and it is certainly often difficult, if not impossible to describe. My pain seems to differ based on different joints and often triggers. Often I feel like an elephant is sitting on my larger joints, with a general throbbing soreness. My small joints get swollen which changes the dynamics of the pain. I’ve often believed that how we experience pain is relative to our prior experiences with it. I do, sometimes. have a burning pain radiating from my low back down my sciatic nerve, but that’s the closest to burning that I have felt.
That makes sense. I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia many years ago, so for me the ‘elephant sitting’ on my whole body kind of pain is familiar. And when in a flare, it feels like that elephant is using my body as a trampoline! 
But that fiery burning feeling is what made me seek help again, so I think that’s what it feels like for me at this point.
My feet however, are a different story, they don’t burn, but it’s like walking on broken glass, especially when I get out of bed in the morning. I hobble around for the next 45 minutes or so, until I can start walking.
I find it very interesting, how we all experience the pain differently!
I totally get the “ring of fire”. My "campfire"site alternates between hip feet and hands depending what I do - whether it’s sitting too much, walking too much or just stressed!
For me, I get different types of pain, but to be honest, no one is too interested in them diagnostically so I hadn’t really thought much about how to describe it! Now that you mention it that ring of fire 
is familiar, and for me it signifies tendon or ligament pain - I get it mostly around my shoulders (I think that’s the rotator cuff), and my knees.
Ring of fire is a very good description for the current pain in my shoulder blades, spine and all the way down to my lumbar region.
It started Friday, has grown steadily worse and now includes that set of big muscles which run from back to front feeling very tight.
I do have a ring of fire with my inflammation. My joints feel as they have a burning sensation and feel as times as they want to explode. I get it mainly in my hands, fingers, toes, and shoulders. When I am not dealing with the inflammation in those areas than the pain including the areas of my hips, elbows, and right knee are a stabbing and throbbing pain. The stiffness lasts all the time no matter what I do. Actually I find using the joints more makes them worse.
I’m sorry to hear all you guys recognize the pain, it really stinks. But I suppose that’s what brought us all here! I find that ice packs help, granted I’ve been trying to get creative with them because of the places of pain (like duct taping 
), but it does help. Unfortunately, 15 minutes after I take it off it’s back , but for that period of time it really takes the edge off. I cannot tolerate heat, so most patches are out if at all they do work for some.
What are some of the things that work for you guys?
I get four very different types of pain:
- An achy, almost itchy, internal pain that is more annoying than painful
- The “ring of fire” that flares from nothing to intense and back again
- Sharp stabbing pains - like bolts of lighting
- A throbbing, pulsating pain
Can certainly relate to that one. Feels like I’m being knifed repeatedly or what I assume being knifed would feel like!