Muscle pain or myalgia can have many causes. After all, people have about 650 different muscles in their bodies that serve very different functions. Any of these muscles can become acutely or chronically tight, permanently stiff, or painful for other reasons. Harmless reasons for myalgias can include sports-related overuse, acute or chronic mineral deficiency, or stress-related tension. However, muscle pain or myalgias can also result from severe nerve and muscle disorders.
What is muscle pain?
In most cases, muscle pain has arisen as a consequence of athletic overload, as a deficiency of minerals or due to other diseases as a secondary symptom. Under the term myalgias we understand all muscle pains, as they are called by the medical profession. In most cases, myalgias arise as a consequence of sport overload, as a deficiency of minerals or due to other diseases as a secondary symptom. Sometimes, however, they are also a typical leading symptom of a disease. Therefore, myalgias are difficult to distinguish in their causes. They require intensive diagnostics and anamnesis. Myalgias can also be the result of joint diseases or bone fractures.
Causes
A variety of factors can be named as the cause of acute myalgias or chronicized muscle pain. Fibromyalgia is one of the myalgias that affect the whole body. These muscle pains in the whole body can nowadays be diagnosed via certain trigger points or typical tender points. It is not yet known how such pronounced myalgias occur. Possibly the psyche is involved. Myofascial pain syndrome is the term used to describe muscle pain that is concentrated in specific muscle areas or trigger points. This form of myalgia is noticeable through pressure pain and muscle twitching. Such myalgias are considered overuse syndromes. Myalgic encephalopathies are muscle pain seen in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Whether they are caused by viruses, pesticides, or something else must be clarified in each case. However, one can also get varying degrees of muscle pain from too much nicotine, alcohol or poison intake. Myalgias and muscle spasms are also known among drug addicts. Environmentally ill people often suffer from chronic myalgias due to massive magnesium depletion, magnesium utilization disorders or vital substance deficiencies. Tetanus toxin, poisons such as strychnine, flu vaccinations, penicillin or certain drugs can also trigger muscle pain. Last, but not least, so-called statins against high blood fat levels can lead to myalgias as a side effect.
Diseases with this symptom
- Mineral deficiency
- Tetanus
- Leprosy
- Polio
- Multiple sclerosis
- Flu
- Magnesium deficiency
- Syphilis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Herniated disc
- Fibromyalgia
- Muscle fiber tear
- Polymyositis
- Hypothyroidism
- Lumbago
Course
The course of muscle pain can vary greatly depending on the cause. Some muscle pain develops insidiously over years. Other myalgias may occur suddenly. Overuse-related myalgias are called muscle soreness, and whole-body ones may be called fibromyalgia. If the myalgias are the result of medication or chronic poisoning, they are treated differently than if the muscle pain is caused by a disease. Myalgias caused by infections disappear, for example, through therapy of the underlying disease. Limb and muscle pain can occur as a concomitant of the real flu. Diseases caused by tick bites can also sometimes be diagnosed on the basis of existing myalgias. Leptospirosis pathogens, trichinae in meat or malaria attacks can trigger myalgias. Rheumatic diseases can also be accompanied by muscle pain. This results in a completely different therapy for the muscle pain in each case.
Complications
Muscle pain often leads to complications and disruptions within the overall daily routine. Range of motion is restricted and contributes to impairment of everyday activities, such as managing household chores. A sparing behavior occurs that can lead to interpersonal problems.Everyday tasks are no longer performed or are distributed to other people. Leisure activities decrease and many people become withdrawn. A permanent experience of pain leads to mental strain. Changes in behavior, fluctuations in mood or emotional lows can occur. The complaints often spread and thus visibly worsen the general state of health. In many patients, the muscle pain leads to poor posture or one-sided strain on the body. This can trigger further complaints. Bone problems, stress on the joints or pain in the nerves are further complications. Treatment with medication is associated with side effects. Pain medications can cause addiction and often affect the mucous membranes. Muscle pain can make other conditions difficult to diagnose. Depression, existing trauma, or circulatory disorders are often detected very late. Depression, in particular, can take years to detect and treat. Frequent muscle pain can indicate a magnesium deficiency. This leads to dysfunction of other organs, such as the brain or the heart.
When should you see a doctor?
Muscle pain does not need to be treated immediately by a doctor, because in many cases the affected person can take their own measures to improve. The most common cause of pain in individual muscles is overuse. If unaccustomed movements are often repeated, then affected muscles may still hurt after two or three days. We are talking about harmless muscle soreness. In some cases, however, a sore muscle does not disappear on its own, but the pain persists for several days. In such a case, a visit to the doctor is highly advisable, as this is the only way to find out the exact cause. If you continue to use the muscles in question despite the pain, you run a very high risk. Under certain circumstances, serious injuries may occur, which in some cases may even require surgery. A torn muscle, for example, is an injury that can only be completely healed by appropriate treatment or surgery. For this reason, the following applies: Anyone suffering from pain in certain muscle regions should consult a doctor at an early stage. Only through an examination can any injuries be detected and properly treated.
Treatment and therapy
As already explained, after the diagnostic cause research, a specifically adjusted therapy of the muscle pain must take place. Often the underlying disease is treated and the myalgias disappear afterwards. They are not treated themselves. Other myalgias, however, require their own treatment or can be reduced preventively. Here, for example, are the myalgias as a result of overexertion, incorrect strain, states of tension or vital substance deficiencies. In the case of the first-mentioned myalgias, massages, stretching exercises, heat applications and the like can provide relief. Muscle pain due to vital substance deficiencies may be relieved by the administration of magnesium or alpha lipoic acid. Myalgias due to abnormal strain can probably be alleviated by orthotics, back training, or gymnastic exercises.
Outlook and prognosis
Muscle pain can occur in people for many different reasons, which is why there is no universal prediction on how the condition will progress. In most cases, muscle pain occurs due to an athletic overload of the body and therefore disappears even after several days. The muscle pain then reflects the muscle soreness. However, they can also occur in the form of a concomitant of flu, colds and other infections in the body, corresponding to the pain in the limbs. If the muscle pain lasts longer and does not disappear on its own, a doctor must be consulted. Treatment with painkillers is only recommended to a limited extent, as the painkillers damage the stomach. In the case of muscle pain, inflammation or a tear in the muscle can also be the reason for the pain. In any case, the affected muscles should not be strained anymore in case of muscle pain and must be rested. As a rule, the muscle pain should then disappear after a few days.If the pain occurs after an accident or after a blow to the affected region, a doctor must be consulted immediately. This can prevent secondary diseases and further symptoms. Pain in the muscles can also be alleviated by ointments and creams. Likewise, cooling the affected regions helps.
Prevention
It is difficult to take preventive action against myalgia or muscle pain in view of the large number of possible causes. It makes sense to stretch and warm up the muscles before athletic exertion. A healthy diet rich in vital substances is important to prevent myalgia from developing in the first place. Psychological causes or chronic lack of sleep must also be observed, because they promote myalgias. Every muscle pain is a message that something is wrong in the muscular system. However, whether myalgias always require treatment varies.
Here’s what you can do yourself
In most cases, muscle pain occurs due to overexertion or too much strain on the muscles. In this case, the usual muscle soreness occurs. This is not a particular complication and usually disappears after a few days. In this case, the patient should not exert the muscles or put unnecessary strain on them, so that they can recover. Ointments that cool and relax the muscle in the painful area often help. Heat also usually helps against the muscle pain. The patient can apply heat patches to the affected area or visit a sauna, the latter having a positive effect on the entire body. If muscles are tense, massages and physiotherapy can help. In addition to warm treatments, cold treatments also help. These include cool baths in the swimming pool or ice baths, while the affected area can also be treated with a cooling pad. The affected person can perform certain stretching and relaxation exercises at home to relieve the muscle pain. Cooling can also be used on the go with the help of gels and creams if the muscle pain also occurs during the day when the patient is away from home. If the pain persists, a visit to the doctor is inevitable.
