Introduction
Pain in the muscles is normal after strenuous or unaccustomed physical exertion. However, if they occur without physical exertion, in phases or suddenly, various, sometimes dangerous, diseases can be responsible. Particular attention should be paid to the quality of the pain (burning, stabbing, diffuse), whether there were certain triggers for the pain and where the pain occurs (whole body, leg, arm, back, joints). If the pain is unclear – especially without prior exercise – a doctor should be consulted to determine the cause of the pain.
Causes of muscle soreness – similar pain without effort
On the one hand, an unaccustomed overexertion of the muscles can be responsible for sore muscles. Muscle pain without previous effort or sport can have many different causes. On the one hand, fibromyalgia – a chronic pain syndrome of the musculature – can be a possible cause for pain in the musculature without physical exertion.
Inflammation of the muscles (myositis) can also lead to sore muscles. They are often triggered by bacteria or viruses that have entered the tissue in the event of injury. Polymyositis or dermatomyositis can cause muscle soreness as well as muscle weakness and usually occurs in young patients due to viral infections.
As a symptom of dermatomyositis, bluish-red skin appearing on the face and swollen lacrimal sacs can occur. Over- or underactive thyroid glands can also cause muscle pain. Muscle pain can also occur in the context of osteoporosis.
In rare cases, Parkinson’s disease can also be responsible for pain such as sore muscles. This usually causes severe pain in the shoulder and neck area, which is characteristically only felt on one side. In addition, rare muscle diseases such as dystrophies may be a possible cause.
These are hereditary diseases or genetic defects that lead to mutations in muscular proteins. This leads to a degradation of the musculature in the course of the disease. The diseases can be accompanied by muscle pain.
Some of the possible causes require medical clarification, as they can sometimes be accompanied by complications that can be life-threatening. The pain does not necessarily have to originate in the muscles, even if it feels like sore muscles. The cause can also be in the blood vessels, bones or joints.
The following causes, which may be responsible for the pain, are explained in more detail below:
- Thrombosis
- Slipped disc
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Fibromyalgia
- Polymyalgia rheumatica
- Lipedema
- Occurrence of sore muscles during pregnancy
A thrombosis is a vascular occlusion and usually occurs in the legs. It is also called deep vein thrombosis (DVT) when deep veins are affected by the vascular occlusion. A particular risk factor for the occurrence of thrombosis is the immobilization of the legs – i.e. not moving the legs.
Reasons for immobilizing the legs can be operations, injuries or long-haul flights. Depending on whether both legs or only one leg is affected, dull pain occurs in the legs on one or both sides, which can be misinterpreted as muscle ache. In addition to the pain, thrombosis can also cause swelling, overheating and bluish-livid discoloration of the affected leg.
A herniated disc usually causes stabbing, shooting pain, which can occur in different regions of the spine depending on the spinal area. If the prolapse is in the neck area, pain may radiate into the arms. In the area of the thoracic spine, the pain is felt in the upper back or in the area of the rear ribs.
Most often, however, a herniated disc occurs in the lumbar region, with the pain being felt here in the lower back. This then often radiates into the legs. The pain caused by a herniated disc is also, as with sore muscles, increased by movement, but in most cases it is much more intense.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammation of the central nervous system, although the cause of the disease is not yet clear.Multiple sclerosis can also cause pain in the muscles and bones. Muscle pain is a common symptom of advanced MS. Due to the inflammation in the brain and spinal cord, nerve regions are destroyed and thus lose their function. As a result, an increase in muscle tone (spasticity) can occur, which causes muscle soreness similar to pain.
As already mentioned, muscle pain tends to occur later in the course of this disease. Early symptoms of MS, on the other hand, are permanent exhaustion (fatigue), loss of sensation or vision. Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome that often occurs in women between the ages of 30 and 50.
The cause of this disease has not been clarified. A disturbed pain processing is suspected. It leads to painful pressure points (so-called tender points) at the muscle and tendon attachments in various parts of the body.
In addition, daytime tiredness, sleep disorders and depression can occur. Although this is not a malignant disease, affected persons suffer greatly from the symptoms. Polymyalgia rheumatica is an autoimmune disease, which means that the immune system is directed against the body’s own structures.
This immune reaction is presumably triggered by infections, for example with the parvovirus B19. Polymyalgia rheumatica triggers side-effect pain in the shoulders, neck and pelvis, which occurs particularly at night. In addition, a morning stiffness in the body regions mentioned is possible.
During the day, the pain can be felt in the affected musculature depending on movement. In addition, fatigue, fever, unintentional weight loss and night sweats can occur. Lipedema is an accumulation of fatty tissue, especially on the hips, thighs and upper arms.
The fatty tissue accumulates on the sides of the arms and legs. Typical here are pain and pressure sensitivity in the affected areas. In addition, bruises quickly occur.
Women are more frequently affected than men. Symptom relief of the lipedema consists on the one hand of regular lymph drainage. On the other hand, the pain can be improved by exercise.
Since this cannot prevent the proliferation of fat, liposuction is the only solution to remove the excess tissue. During pregnancy, pain such as sore muscles in the abdomen and also on the rest of the body can become noticeable. Since the uterus and also the pelvis change during pregnancy, for example, and weight gain is inevitable, sore muscles are not uncommon.
In order to accustom the body to the new stresses, gymnastic exercises can be helpful. However, other causes can also be behind it. For this reason, a gynaecologist should be consulted if unusual symptoms occur. For example, if there is a pulling in the abdomen in the later months of pregnancy, this could also be due to premature contractions. These should definitely be excluded as a cause.
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