Muscle pain is felt differently from one person to another, aching, burning, stabbing, or pulsating, depending on what is causing it. After all, diagnosing the cause of your muscle pain often requires a thorough medical history, regular checkups, and in some cases, imaging and blood tests. Muscle pain is usually temporary due to injury, infection, or strenuous exercise, but it can be severe if the pain persists after treatment has taken place. The intensity of pain experienced can range from mild to excruciating. Some people even experience pain that seems to penetrate their bones. It is vital to get a proper diagnosis done for appropriate treatment.
There are many different causes of muscle pain. These can include myofascial pain syndrome, tendonitis, bursitis, tendon rupture, muscle sprain, joint inflammation, stress fractures, overuse injuries, and more. Muscle strain is typically a result of an injury, but myofascial pain syndrome is more likely to result from a pulled muscle or bursitis. Other causes include autoimmune diseases, thyroid disease, vitamin or mineral deficiency, food allergies, and more.
Acute compartment syndrome is one of the most common forms of muscle pain. An acute compartment syndrome is an injury to the muscle or tightness around the muscle. As such, there is a sudden and sharp pain that responds well to massage. The muscles become tender and swollen, then begin to ache. The general belief is that this ache results from the area becoming inflamed, although this is not necessarily true.
Many people believe that they have a bacterial infection when, in fact, the symptoms are coming from inflammatory myopathies. Inflammatory myopathies cause muscle cramps, fatigue, and other mistaken symptoms as a heart attack or migraine. If you’ve had an inflammatory myopathy, you might be undergoing symptoms like these regularly, without knowing it: if you’re encountering any of the resulting signs for more than three or four weeks, it’s a good bet that you are: chronic fatigue, persistent leg pain (especially when lying down), numbness, and tingling sensations, joint stiffness, pain with movement, difficulty swallowing, and nausea or vomiting. If you’ve had an inflammatory myopathy, you should see your doctor right away for a complete workup. It’s never too late to catch it before it’s too late.
The prevention of muscle aches and pains starts with proper exercises and over-the-counter products such as Voltaren gel extra strength. One way to do that is to strengthen the muscles that are affected. It may sound simple enough–but what does it entail? Stretching helps immensely, but so does strengthening. When your body is under strain, it has to disburse energy to keep moving. That’s why it’s so important to avoid overexertion of any sort. If you have some pain or over-stretched muscles, try using Voltaren extra strength twice daily.
Of the most common causes of muscle pain, there are two major categories: overuse and injury. Overuse happens when you use a specific part of your body beyond its limits. For example, if you overdo it during strenuous activity, your muscles can’t cope; they’ll have to adapt by lengthening to make the same move again. Overuse causes injuries, ranging from sprains, tears, and muscle bruises to infections and other problems. Injuries, while generally not life-threatening, are often painful and challenging to treat.
Another common cause of muscle pain is acute compartment syndrome (ACS). Acute compartment syndrome sometimes referred to as pyomyositis, is caused by trauma to the lower part of your body’s muscles. Common causes are falls and car accidents. The syndrome itself is not an injury but the symptoms that come with it. Some of the symptoms include pain, swelling, and tenderness. Although there is no clear evidence of whether or not the symptoms result from the injury or your muscles overreacting to the injury, it’s important to note that these symptoms tend to worsen with activity and that they don’t usually improve until the day after the accident.
Myalgia is characterized by widespread redness, tenderness, and joint or muscle pain. Myalgia can range from mild to severe and can be either intermittent or constant. Either exercise trauma or infection triggers most cases of myalgia. It commonly appears after exposure to hot or cold temperatures or extreme emotional stress. While not precisely a “bling,” tick bite dermatitis or lymphedema can also result in severe muscle pain.