Muscle pain…what causes it? The cause of muscle pain can be varied. Muscle tissue can be damaged with the wear and tear of daily activities; strain to an area from jerking movements, falls, sprains, dislocations, auto accidents, in addition to direct blows to the muscle.
Muscle aches and pains can also be caused by cramping due to excessive or abnormal nerve impulses that make the muscles contract inappropriately. Muscle pain is most frequently related to tension, overuse, or muscle injury from exercise or physically-demanding work.
In these situations, this type of pain is usually localized, affecting just one or more muscles or parts of your body and starts during or just after the activity. It is usually obvious which activity is causing the pain.
Muscle pain can also involve the ligaments, tendons and fascia, which are the soft tissues that connect the muscles, bones and organs. A torn tendon can also lead to muscle pain. Muscles and tendons are capable of repairing themselves when they are injured. However, in some cases, the muscle or tendon tear can be so severe that surgery is needed to repair the injury.
Other causes of pain include postural strain, repetitive movements, overuse, and prolonged immobilization. Changes in posture or poor body mechanics may bring about spinal alignment problems and muscle shortening, therefore causing other muscles to be misused and become painful.
Starting and sustaining a regular exercise will facilitate in restoring proper muscle tone. Start with low impact aerobic exercises when you first start an exercise program. Yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates, walking, cycling, and swimming are good low impact aerobic activities to try.
A physical therapist can teach you stretching, toning, and aerobic exercises to feel better and stay pain-free. Begin slowly and increase workouts gradually.
When starting any new activity, initially you will have muscle soreness, this is normal and expected. As you become more tone, muscle aches and joint pain will subside.
Muscles contract when stimulated, and relax after a contraction. Muscles can become painful due to various diseases, disorders and conditions, including infection, trauma, autoimmune diseases such as arthritis; nervous system, genetic and muscular disorders, for example multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Becker muscular dystrophy. Cancer and some medications, such as ACE inhibitors and cholesterol lowering agents such as statins can cause muscle pain.
For muscle pain from overuse or injury, rest that body part and apply cold therapy such as Arctic Ease Cryotherapy Wraps® for the first 24 – 72 hours of an injury to reduce pain and inflammation. Arctic Ease Cryotherapy Wraps® are a two in one solution giving you both cold therapy and compression without limiting your mobility.
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 your stress level. Gentle stretching exercises after a long rest period can also helpful.
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS):
Exercise physiologists refer to the gradually increasing discomfort that occurs between 24 and 48 hours after activity as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and it is perfectly normal, especially for those who are not use to exercise or increased activity. When we exercise small microscopic tears can occur in the muscle which in turn creates microscopic damage to the muscle fibers. Scientists believe this damage, coupled with the inflammation that accompanies these tears, causes the pain. That is why it’s important to use Arctic Ease Cryotherapy Wraps® on muscle and joint pain injuries as soon as possible.
Call your health care provider if:
- Your muscle pain persists beyond 3 days
- You have severe, unexplained pain
- You experience a change in mental status such as confusion
- You have chest pain radiating to the arm, shoulder, neck or jaw
- You experience any difficulty breathing, wheezing, or shortness of breath
- You have an inability to move any part of your body or have a loss of vision
- You experience a progressive weakness and numbness or a seizure
- You have a stiff neck with a high fever
- You have any sign of infection, like 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 has been associated with starting or changing doses of a medicine, such as a statin or ACE inhibitor
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