What are the causes of unexplained Muscle or Body Aches?
By Medicover Hospitals / 13 May 2022
The pain and aches in the muscles can range from mild to severe. Muscle pain can have causes that are not due to an underlying disease. Examples include exercise, prolonged sitting or lying down, new physical activity for the first time, sprains, or strains.
Muscle or Body aches are frequent. Body pain can result from fatigue or exercise, but they can also be a symptom of an underlying condition. Although body or muscular aches are usually harmless, it helps to understand what causes them and when to see a doctor. Aches can vary in intensity and frequency. A person can describe them as sharp, intermittent pain or as a dull but persistent pain. People can often identify and treat muscle soreness without seeing a doctor. Sometimes, however, they may need medical help.
Causes
If the body aches are due to a medical condition, a person may experience other signs as well. Recognizing other signs can help a person identify the cause and decide whether to see a doctor.
Some common signs that occur alongside muscle soreness are:
- Body Pain within a specific part of the body
- Weakness
- Tired
- Chills or changes in body temperature
- Cold and flu symptoms
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of muscle pain begins with a detailed history and physical examination.
Medical background:
During your appointment with your doctor, your doctor will ask you several questions to try to pinpoint your diagnosis.
Questions may include:
- Did your muscle aches come on gradually or did it start suddenly?
- Have you recently undergone a strenuous activity?
- What medications do you take?
- Do you have any associated symptoms, such as fever, headache, weight gain or loss, or fatigue?
- Do you also have muscle weakness?
- Is the affected muscle tender to touch?
- Do you experience redness, swelling, or heat around the muscle?
Physical examination:
- During your physical exam, your doctor may press various muscles to assess sensitivity, as well as inspect the skin and surrounding tissue for any swelling, warmth, redness, or skin changes.
- Specifically, if your doctor suspects myofascial pain syndrome, they will check for potential trigger points. Likewise, if fibromyalgia is suspected, your doctor will examine various tender points.
Blood tests
- Blood tests can be very helpful in diagnosing certain causes of muscle pain.
- For example, an elevated inflammatory marker, such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), will be present in polymyalgia rheumatica.
- With rhabdomyolysis and statin-induced myalgia, your levels of creatine kinase (a muscle enzyme) will be high.
- Other relevant laboratory tests may include the following:
- Rapid influenza test
- Thyroid function tests for thyroid disease
- Anti-citrullinated protein antibody for rheumatoid arthritis
- Levels of Vitamin D, Calcium, and Phosphate for Osteomalacia
Imaging
During the diagnostic process, your physician may order one or more imaging tests.
Examples of such tests include:
Other tests
- Depending on the condition your doctor suspects, she may need to do other tests to confirm a diagnosis. For example, to diagnose compartment syndrome, your doctor will insert a thin needle or tube into the affected muscle to access its pressure, taking what is called a compartment pressure measurement.
- To diagnose inflammatory myopathy, a muscle biopsy may be done. Finally, urinary myoglobin will be prescribed if rhabdomyolysis is suspected.
Treatment
A physician will guide treatment for any underlying condition that causes muscle soreness, body pains, but a person may also try the following cures to help ease the discomfort:
Rest
This gives the body time to repair and recover.
Drink plenty of fluids
Staying hydrated can help relieve muscle aches caused by dehydration.
Taking over-the-counter (OTC) medications
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which can reduce pain and inflammation.
Take a hot bath
The heat can help relax muscles and relieve tension in the body.
Temperature regulation
This can include reducing fever, staying warm, or staying cool to ease chills and prevent muscles from seizing up.
Home Remedies
Unless there is an underlying medical condition, bodily pain can be treated at home with simple home remedies.
Do cold therapy
When you apply ice to the affected part of the body, it slows down the nerve impulse to that area, thus relieving pain. Cold compression is effective in reducing inflammation and pain in the joints, even in patients with arthritis.
Soak in Hot Salt Solution
We have all soaked our feet in hot salt water after a vigorous workout or a long hike at some point in our lives. It turns out that there is solid science behind it: soaking the feet in saltwater reduces osmosis edema and the heat of the water loosens the knots of tired muscles against sore muscles.
Mustard Oil Massage
Massaging your body with hot mustard oil can help relieve pain. Studies have shown that the allyl isothiocyanate compound present in mustard oil helps in reducing inflammation in the body.
Drinking ginger tea
Scientists have compared the action of ginger to ibuprofen. Ginger helps reduce pain and inflammation in the body.
Drink turmeric and honey milk
The curcumin found in turmeric has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and wound-healing properties that help relieve pain in the body.
Drinking cherry juice
People with peripheral neuropathy often experience pain in their hands and feet. Studies have shown that cherry juice contains anthocyanin pigments, which help treat pain in the hands and feet.
When to see a Doctor?
A person should see a physician if they experience:
- persistent pain or body pain which does not improve with home remedies
- severe pain, especially if there is no visible cause
- a person has body pain or pain that occurs with a rash
- aches and pains after a tick bite
- Swelling of face
- muscle aches or pains accompanied by severe redness or swelling
- body aches caused by a particular medication
- persistent fever
Other signs that may accompany muscle aches may require emergency medical attention. These include:
- severe water retention
- difficulty swallowing, eating or drinking
- shortness of breath
- vomiting, especially with a high temperature or fever
- a stiff neck
- vision changes
- extreme exhaustion that does not go away
- light sensitivity
- weak muscles or inability to move part of the body
- fainting or loss of consciousness
- a seizure
The doctor can help diagnose the cause of the muscle aches and determine if treatment is needed.
If a person experiences body aches for over 2 weeks and does not know what is causing it, they should see a doctor whether other signs appear or not.
