Muscle Aches
|
Medical Encyclopedia
|
Other encyclopedia topics:
|
|
Muscle aches
Illustrations
Muscle pain; Myalgia; Pain - muscles
Muscle aches and pains are common and can
involve more than one muscle. Muscle pain also can involve ligaments, tendons,
and fascia, the soft tissues that connect muscles, bones, and organs together.
Muscle pain is most frequently related to
tension, overuse, or muscle injury from exercise or physically-demanding work.
In these situations, the pain tends to involve specific muscles and starts
during or just after the activity. It is usually obvious which activity is
causing the pain.
Muscle pain also can be a sign of conditions
affecting your whole body, like some infections (including the
flu) and disorders that affect connective tissues throughout the body (such
as lupus).
One common cause of muscle aches and pain is fibromyalgia,
a condition that includes tenderness in your muscles and surrounding soft
tissue, sleep difficulties, fatigue, and headaches.
The most common causes are:
 |
Tension or stress
|
Overuse: using a muscle too much, too soon, too often
|
Injury or trauma including sprains
and strains
|
| |
Muscle pain may also be due to:
|
|
|
Lupus
|
Fibromyalgia
|
|
Infections, including:
 |
An abscess
in the muscle
|
|
Influenza (the flu)
|
|
|
|
|
Many others
|
| | | | | | |
|
Electrolyte
imbalances like too little potassium or calcium
|
|
Drugs, including:
|
Cocaine
|
Statins for lowering cholesterol (such as atorvastatin, simvastatin,
and lovastatin)
|
ACE inhibitors for lowering blood pressure (such as enalapril and
captopril)
|
Many others
|
| | |
|
| | | | | | | |
For muscle pain from overuse or injury, rest
that body part and take acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Apply ice for the first 24 -
72 hours of an 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
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, call your
doctor, who will consider prescription medication, physical therapy referral, or
referral to a specialized pain clinic.
If your muscle aches are due to a specific
disease, follow the instructions of your doctor to treat the primary illness.
Call your health care provider if
Return to top
Call your doctor if:
|
Your muscle pain persists beyond 3 days
|
You have severe, unexplained pain
|
You have any sign of infection, like 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 has been associated with starting or changing doses of
a medicine, such as a statin (atorvastatin, simvastatin, or lovastatin)
|
| | | | |
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 inability to move any part of your body
|
You have vomiting, a very stiff neck, or high fever
|
| | |
What to expect at your health care provider's
office Return
to top
Your doctor will perform a physical
examination and ask questions about your muscle pain, such as:
|
When did it start? How long did 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,
or difficulty using the affected muscle?
|
Is there a pattern to the occurrences?
|
Have you taken any new medications lately?
|
| | | | | |
Diagnostic tests that may be performed
include:
|
Blood tests to look at CBC,
muscle enzymes (creatine kinase), and possibly a test for Lyme disease or a
connective tissue disorder
|
Physical therapy may be helpful.
|
Warm up before exercising and cool down afterward.
|
Stretch before and after exercising.
|
Drink lots of fluids before, during, and after exercise.
|
If you work in the same position most of the day (like sitting at a
computer), stretch at least every hour.
|
| | |
Update Date: 6/3/2005
Updated by: Thomas A. Owens, M.D., Departments of
Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.
Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
|
A.D.A.M., Inc. is
accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare
Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation
program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53
standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit.
A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for
online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial
process. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com)
and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).
|
The information provided should not be used during any
medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A
licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and
all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Adam makes no
representation or warranty regarding the accuracy, reliability, completeness,
currentness, or timeliness of the content, text or graphics. Links to other
sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements
of those other sites. Copyright 2005, A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or
distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
Follow links in this link rack to read about aspects of your health which
might be an issue for you. Use your back button to return to this page as
needed. This same link rack is reproduced at the bottom of each page in this
section.
|
