Muscle aches
Muscle pain; Myalgia; Pain - musclesMuscle aches and pains are common and can involve more than one muscle. Muscle pain also can involve ligaments, tendons, and fascia. Fascias 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 hard physical 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.
The flu
The flu (influenza) is a viral respiratory illness that causes fever, chills, runny nose, body aches, and cough. It spreads easily from person to pe...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleLupus
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease. In this disease, the immune system of the body mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. It c...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleOne 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.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a condition in which a person has long-term pain that is spread throughout their body. The pain is most often accompanied by fatigue...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleCauses
The most common causes of muscle aches and pains are:
- Injury or trauma, including sprains and strains
Sprains
A sprain is an injury to the ligaments around a joint. Ligaments are strong, flexible fibers that hold bones together. When a ligament is stretched...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Overuse including 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
Dermatomyositis
Dermatomyositis is a disease that involves muscle inflammation and a skin rash. Polymyositis is a similar inflammatory condition that also involves ...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Electrolyte imbalance, such as too little potassium or calcium
Electrolyte
Electrolytes are minerals in your blood and other body fluids that carry an electric charge. Electrolytes affect how your body functions in many ways...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Fibromyalgia
- Infections, including the flu, Lyme disease, malaria, muscle abscess, polio, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and trichinosis
Lyme disease
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is spread through the bite of one of several types of ticks.
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleMalaria
Malaria is a parasitic disease that involves high fevers, shaking chills, flu-like symptoms, and anemia.
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleAbscess
An abscess is a collection of pus in any part of the body. In most cases, the area around an abscess is swollen and inflamed.
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticlePolio
Polio is a viral disease that can affect nerves and can lead to partial or full paralysis. The medical name for polio is poliomyelitis.
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleTrichinosis
Trichinosis is an infection with the roundworm Trichinella spiralis.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Lupus
- Polymyalgia rheumatica
Polymyalgia rheumatica
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory disorder. It involves pain and stiffness in the shoulders and often the hips.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Polymyositis
Polymyositis
Polymyositis and dermatomyositis are rare inflammatory diseases. (The condition is called dermatomyositis when it involves the skin. ) These disease...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis is the breakdown of muscle tissue that leads to the release of muscle fiber contents into the blood. These substances are harmful to ...
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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 or athletic trainer 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. You may need to be seen at a specialized pain clinic.
If your muscle aches are due to a specific disease, do the things your provider has told you to treat the underlying condition.
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
Contact your 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 or the local emergency number 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 some part of your body.
- You are vomiting, or have a very stiff neck or high fever.
What to Expect at Your Office Visit
Your 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?
Fever
Fever is the temporary increase in the body's temperature in response to a disease or illness. A child has a fever when the temperature is at or abov...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleMalaise
Malaise is a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or lack of well-being.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - 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)
Complete blood count
A complete blood count (CBC) test measures the following:The number of white blood cells (WBC count)The number of red blood cells (RBC count)The numb...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Other blood tests to look at muscle enzymes (creatine kinase) and possibly a test for Lyme disease or a connective tissue disorder
References
Best TM, Asplund CA. Exercise physiology. In: Miller MD, Thompson SR. eds. DeLee, Drez, and Miller's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 6.
Clauw DJ. Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and myofascial pain. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 258.
Long B, Koyfman A. Rhabdomyolysis. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 116.
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 - 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 - 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 - 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
Review Date: 4/27/2023
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.