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Muscle aches

Muscle pain; Myalgia; Pain - muscles

 

Muscle aches and pains are common and can involve more than 1 muscle. Muscle pain also can involve ligaments, tendons, and fascia. Fascia are the soft tissues that connect muscles, bones, and organs.

Considerations

 

Muscle pain is most often related to tension, overuse, or muscle injury from exercise or physically demanding work. The pain tends to involve specific muscles and starts during or just after the activity. It is often obvious which activity is causing the pain.

Muscle pain also can be a sign of conditions affecting your whole body. For example, some infections (including the flu ) and disorders that affect connective tissues throughout the body (such as lupus ) can cause muscle pain.

One common cause of muscle aches and pain is fibromyalgia , a condition that causes tenderness in your muscles and surrounding soft tissue, sleep difficulties, fatigue, and headaches.

 

Causes

 

The most common causes of muscle aches and pains are:

  • Injury or trauma, including sprains and strains
  • Overuse: using a muscle too much, too soon before warming up, or too often
  • Tension or stress

Muscle pain may also be due to:

  • Certain drugs, including ACE inhibitors for lowering blood pressure, cocaine, and statins for lowering cholesterol
  • Dermatomyositis
  • Electrolyte imbalance, such as too little potassium or calcium
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Infections, including the flu, Lyme disease , malaria , muscle abscess , polio , Rocky Mountain spotted fever, trichinosis (roundworm)
  • Lupus
  • Polymyalgia rheumatica
  • Polymyositis
  • Rhabdomyolysis

 

Home Care

 

For muscle pain from overuse or injury, rest the affected body part and take acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Apply ice for the first 24 to 72 hours after injury to reduce pain and inflammation. After that, heat often feels more soothing.

Muscle aches from overuse and fibromyalgia often respond well to massage. Gentle stretching exercises after a long rest period are also helpful.

Regular exercise can help restore proper muscle tone. Walking, cycling, and swimming are good aerobic activities to try. A physical therapist can teach you stretching, toning, and aerobic exercises to help you feel better and stay pain-free. Begin slowly and increase workouts gradually. Avoid high-impact aerobic activities and weight lifting when injured or while in pain.

Be sure to get plenty of sleep and try to reduce stress. Yoga and meditation are excellent ways to help you sleep and relax.

If home measures aren't working, your health care provider may prescribe medicine or physical therapy, or refer you to a specialized pain clinic.

If your muscle aches are due to a specific disease, follow the instructions of your provider to treat the primary illness.

These steps may help lower the risk for getting muscle aches:

  • Stretch before and after exercising.
  • Warm up before exercising and cool down afterward.
  • Drink lots of fluids before, during, and after exercise.
  • If you work in the same position most of the day (such as sitting at a computer), stretch at least every hour.

 

When to Contact a Medical Professional

 

Call your health care provider if:

  • Your muscle pain lasts more than 3 days.
  • You have severe, unexplained pain.
  • You have any sign of infection, such as swelling or redness around the tender muscle.
  • You have poor circulation in the area where you have muscles aches (for example, in your legs).
  • You have a tick bite or a rash.
  • Your muscle pain is linked with starting or changing doses of a medicine, such as a statin.

Call 911 if:

  • You have sudden weight gain, water retention, or you are urinating less than usual.
  • You are short of breath or have difficulty swallowing.
  • You have muscle weakness or cannot move any part of your body.
  • You are vomiting, or have a very stiff neck or high fever.

 

What to Expect at Your Office Visit

 

Your health care provider will perform a physical examination and ask questions about your muscle pain, such as:

  • When did it start? How long does it last?
  • Where is it exactly? Is it all over or only in a specific area?
  • Is it always in the same location?
  • What makes it better or worse?
  • Do other symptoms occur at the same time, like joint pain, fever , vomiting, weakness , malaise (a general feeling of discomfort or weakness), or difficulty using the affected muscle?
  • Is there a pattern to the muscle aches?
  • Have you taken any new medicines lately?

Tests that may be done include:

  • Complete blood count (CBC)
  • Other blood tests to look at muscle enzymes (creatine kinase) and possibly a test for Lyme disease or a connective tissue disorder

Physical therapy may be helpful.

 

 

Open References

References

Asplund CA, Best TM. Exercise physiology. In: Miller MD, Thompson SR. DeLee & Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine . 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders;2015:chap 7.

Bennett RM. Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and myofascial pain. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman's Cecil Medicine . 25th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2015:chap 274.

 
  • Muscle pain

    Muscle pain - illustration

    Muscle pain is most frequently related to tension, overuse, or muscle injury from exercise or physically demanding work. Muscle aches and pains are common and can involve more than one muscle at the same time. Muscle pain can also involve the soft tissues that surround muscles. These structures, which are often referred to as connective tissues, include ligaments, tendons, and fascia (thick bands of tendons).

    Muscle pain

    illustration

  • Muscular atrophy

    Muscular atrophy - illustration

    Muscular atrophy is the decrease in size and wasting of muscle tissue. Muscles that lose their nerve supply can atrophy and simply waste away.

    Muscular atrophy

    illustration

    • Muscle pain

      Muscle pain - illustration

      Muscle pain is most frequently related to tension, overuse, or muscle injury from exercise or physically demanding work. Muscle aches and pains are common and can involve more than one muscle at the same time. Muscle pain can also involve the soft tissues that surround muscles. These structures, which are often referred to as connective tissues, include ligaments, tendons, and fascia (thick bands of tendons).

      Muscle pain

      illustration

    • Muscular atrophy

      Muscular atrophy - illustration

      Muscular atrophy is the decrease in size and wasting of muscle tissue. Muscles that lose their nerve supply can atrophy and simply waste away.

      Muscular atrophy

      illustration

    A Closer Look

     

      Talking to your MD

       

        Self Care

         

          Tests for Muscle aches

           
             

            Review Date: 4/11/2015

            Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director and Director of Didactic Curriculum, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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