Understanding Muscle Pain: Causes and Treatments

Myalgia, or pain in the muscles, can be caused by a variety of causes, such as injury, infection, or illness. The duration of muscle pain can range from temporary to chronic. In the aftermath of a workout, you might feel DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness. It is possible to alleviate and even avoid muscular soreness and its underlying causes.

Overview

What is muscle pain?

When you feel pain in your muscles, it could be an indication of an injury, infection, illness, or some other bodily issue. Either a dull, constant discomfort or sudden, severe pains could strike. The soreness in muscles might be localized or widespread; some people experience it more severely. Illness in the muscles can manifest in many ways for different people.

Methods for Relieving Pain
Massage, ice treatment, heat therapy, and over-the-counter pain relievers are some of the pain management tactics that can alleviate acute episodes of low back pain. Additional choices for sustained recovery and enhanced mobility encompass physical therapy and chiropractic adjustments.

Aspadol 200 Tablet is a medication that humans use to alleviate acute pain that is moderate to severe. In addition to colds, headaches, fever, period discomfort, and toothaches, it is also used to treat toothaches and other oral health issues. When all other pain remedies have failed, it efficiently reduces discomfort.

Who might get muscle pain?

Muscle pain can affect people of any age or gender. Dominant onset muscular soreness (DOMS) is a common side effect of trying out new physical activities or changing up your workout regimen. One or two hours following a workout, you might feel soreness in your muscles that won’t go away for at least another day. Muscles are achy while they grow stronger and recover..

What other symptoms may occur with muscle pain?

In addition to muscle pain, you may also have:

• Joint pain.
• Muscle cramps.
• Muscle spasms.

Possible Causes

What causes muscle pain?

Many things can cause muscle pain, including:

• Autoimmune diseases.
• Infections.
• Injuries.
• Medications.
• Neuromuscular disorders.

What autoimmune diseases cause muscle pain?

Autoimmune diseases occur when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. A healthy immune system fights off germs and infections. BitcoinBetsSort.com

Autoimmune diseases that cause muscle pain include:

• Inflammatory myopathies, such as inclusion body myositis and polymyositis.
• Lupus.
• Multiple sclerosis (MS).

What types of infections cause muscle pain?

Bacterial and viral infections can make you feel achy all over. Depending on the cause, you may also have swollen lymph nodes, fever and nausea.

Types of infections that cause muscle aches include:

• Colds and flu.
• Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever (infections spread through tick bites).
• Malaria.
• Trichinosis (a foodborne illness).

What types of injuries cause muscle pain?

When you repeatedly use the same muscles at work or during exercise, you may develop sore muscles from overuse.

Other types of injuries that cause sore muscles include:

• Abdominal strains.
• Back strains and sprains.
• Broken bones and traumatic injuries.
• Myofascial pain syndrome from repetitive movements (overuse).
• Tendinitis.
• Tendinosis.

What medications cause muscle pain?

Certain medications and therapies can cause temporary or chronic pain. Some medicines cause inflammation around muscle cells (myositis) or activate muscle pain receptors. These treatments include:

• Cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
• High blood pressure medications, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.
• Statins to lower cholesterol levels.

What neuromuscular disorders cause muscle pain?

Neuromuscular disorders affect muscles and the nerves that control them. They can cause muscle weakness and pain. These conditions include:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease).
• Muscular dystrophy.
• Myasthenia gravis.
• Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

What other conditions cause muscle pain?

Other conditions that also cause muscle pain include:

• Cancers, such as sarcomas (soft tissue cancers) and leukemia (blood cancer).
• Chronic fatigue syndrome.
• Compartment syndrome (a buildup of pressure in muscles).
• Fibromyalgia.
• Imbalance of electrolytes (minerals in your blood, such as calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium).
• Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).
• Peripheral artery disease (PAD).
• Stress and tension.

Care and Treatment

How do healthcare providers diagnose muscle pain’s cause?

If you don’t know what’s causing muscle pain, or the pain is severe or chronic, your healthcare provider may order tests, such as:

• Blood tests to check enzyme, hormone and electrolyte levels and test for infections.
• MRI or CT scan to look for muscle injury or damage.
• Electromyography to measure electrical activity in nerves and muscles.
• Muscle biopsy to look for muscle tissue changes that may indicate neuromuscular diseases.

How is muscle pain managed or treated?

Depending on the cause, these steps may help you feel better:

• Rest and elevate the painful area.
• Alternate between ice packs to reduce inflammation and heat to improve blood flow.
• Soak in a warm bath with Epsom salts or take a warm shower.
• Take over-the-counter pain relievers (aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen).
• Try complementary therapies, such as massage, meditation or acupuncture.

When To Call the Doctor

When should I call the doctor?

You should call your healthcare provider if you experience:

• Chest pain.
• Fever.
• Loss of bladder control.
• Muscle weakness.
• New or worsening pain.
• Numbness or tingling in limbs.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Almost everyone has muscle aches and pains now and then. For temporary muscle pain, rest, stretching and pain medicines can help. Chronic or severe muscle pain makes it difficult to do the things you love. If you have a condition that causes chronic muscle pain, talk to your healthcare provider about therapies that can help.

Medically Reviewed

Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 02/11/2021.

Learn more about our editorial process.

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