In medical practice, muscle pain is usually denoted by the term "myalgia." Such unpleasant sensations are familiar to many people. Muscles can hurt not only with tension, but also at rest.
It should be noted that in most cases, myalgia does not pose any danger to the patient’s life, however, it significantly complicates his life. According to statistics, approximately 2% of residents of economically developed countries regularly complain of muscle pain. We will discuss their causes and treatment methods below.
Causes
Why are all muscles constantly sore? Experts say that in most cases such unpleasant sensations are associated with the development of persistent muscle spasm. Moreover, the factors themselves that provoke their development may be different.
- Surge and injury. In trauma, the stress state of muscle tissue is a kind of response of the body.
- Prolonged non-physiological position of the human body (or improper posture) often leads to spasms and muscle fatigue. Such people very often complain that they have pain in all the muscles of the body. The reason for this condition can be prolonged sitting at an uncomfortable table or, for example, working in a certain position, carrying a heavy bag on one shoulder, etc. In such cases, the muscles of the body "get used" to a given position, which subsequently leads to metabolic disturbances in a certain part of the body.
- Stress or any other emotional stress also leads to musculoskeletal pain. Such sensations are noted not only in adult patients, but also in children.
Fibromyalgia pain
The origin of muscle pain can be different. For example, fibromyalgia. At home, it is better not to deal with the treatment of symptoms of this pathology. After all, it is a fairly common and serious form of myalgia, which is characterized by the occurrence of unpleasant sensations in the tendons, ligaments and fibrous muscles. Such a violation often causes insomnia in patients. In 2/3 of patients who come to see a neurologist, muscle pain is constantly combined with morning stiffness and asthenic syndrome.
Fibromyalgia is characterized by damage to the neck, neck, shoulders, muscles located near the knee joints and chest. Most of all, the fairer sex is predisposed to myalgia. Pain with such a pathology intensifies or provokes after emotional or physical overload, as well as with prolonged lack of sleep, hypothermia, the presence of chronic diseases.
Primary myalgia and myositis
Why do all the muscles of the body hurt? The cause of this condition may be primary myalgia. For this condition is characterized by a violation of the soft tissues. In this case, pain is felt on vast areas of the muscles, however, when pressed at specific points, it can concentrate.
Another common cause of muscle pain throughout the body is myositis or inflammation of muscle fibers. Such a pathology often develops as a complication after overvoltage, severe infections and injuries.
Myositis is characterized by dull muscle pain, which may become more intense during the patient’s work.
It cannot be said that unpleasant sensations in muscle tissues can be the first signs of such serious diseases as rheumatic polymyalgia or polymyositis.
Pain after training
Muscle pain after training can be of two types: bad and good. The latter develops when the muscles are under strain. They collect lactic acid, which after training affects the nerve endings and contributes to a burning sensation. Such a process is absolutely harmless to the human body, since the presence of the substance in the blood has a beneficial effect on it, accelerating all regeneration processes and binding free radicals.
Often the cause of muscle pain throughout the body becomes too large and uncharacteristic physical activity. In this case, the discomfort can be belated. Usually they appear in recently engaged people, as well as in those who have introduced new exercises into training, increased the length of classes, their multiplicity, etc. A similar pain occurs due to microscopic ruptures of muscle bundles. In fact, these are small wounds with hemorrhages.
Why does all the muscles of the body hurt after training? The reasons for this condition were described above. If, during sports, the pain was provoked by an injury, then it will be very different in its character. Such discomforts are acute and aching. In this case, the muscles can “shoot” during the work of the affected area. Also, a bruise or swelling may form at the site of the injury. In this case, stop the lesson. The same applies to situations where clicking or crackling is heard in a joint.
Another type of pain can occur with overtraining. A similar condition develops if hard training with microtrauma often and too much goes on. In this situation, the human body does not have time to repair all the damage, as a result of which they accumulate. At the same time, muscle tissue is depleted, immunity is reduced, hormone production is reduced.
Pain in the lower extremities
Muscle pain in the legs can occur in the following conditions:
- Flat feet. With this pathology, the arches of the feet become flat, and the process of walking becomes more complicated (the legs seem to “get heavier”). In this case, pain can cover almost the entire lower limb.
- Prolonged standing (or sitting) on legs. If for a long time a person is in a fixed position, then in the lower extremities blood circulation worsens. At the same time, the muscles lack oxygen, metabolic products accumulate in them, after which unpleasant sensations appear. Aching and dull pains can sometimes turn into cramps.
- Muscle pain in the legs very often occurs with vascular disease. Blood begins to leave poorly and enter the tissues, and nerve receptors become irritated, resulting in unpleasant sensations.
- Thrombophlebitis. The leg muscles with this disease hurt very much. Unpleasant sensations are jerky. Also along the affected vein there is a pronounced burning sensation. As a rule, the pain with thrombophlebitis is constant and most of all it is felt in the calf muscles.
- With atherosclerosis, the patient feels as if his legs are strongly squeezed by a vice.
- Neuralgia. In diseases of the nervous system (peripheral), attacks last for several seconds or minutes. At the same time in the intervals no unpleasant sensations arise.
- Obesity. Large body weight significantly increases the load on the lower limbs. This is what causes muscle pain. Those people who suffer from a lot of weight and a small foot size suffer the most.
Pain in the upper limbs
Pain in the muscles of the hands can be pathogenetic (with swelling of the tissues and changes in the permeability of the membranes of the cells that make up the muscle fibers) and inflammatory (with inflammation in the muscles). In addition, such unpleasant feelings can develop in healthy people after heavy sports training or uncharacteristic physical activity. Also, the causes of pain in the hands often become:
- polymyositis;
- various infections (flu, brucellosis, parasite toxin damage to the muscles);
- alcoholic and other types of intoxications;
- metabolic disorders in diabetes mellitus, glycogenosis or primary amyloidosis;
- injuries
- diffuse myalgia (with influenza or infection with the Coxsackie virus);
- violation of the production of certain enzymes;
- muscle rheumatism (in people after 50 years);
- peripheral NS disease;
- muscle fiber inflammation;
- fibromyalgia;
- osteomyelitis.
Back pain
Why do all the muscles of the body hurt? The reason for this condition often becomes a prolonged stay of a person in a non-physiological pose. This very often causes muscle tension and, consequently, muscle pain in the back. They also suffer from people who are actively involved in sports or perform heavy physical work.
Pain in the muscles, including in the back, develops due to poor blood circulation and lack of oxygen. The reason for this may be:
- osteochondrosis;
- disc hernias;
- scoliosis;
- short leg syndrome;
- decrease in the volume of half the pelvis;
- elongated 2 metatarsal bone;
- short shoulders;
- kyphosis;
- joint blockage;
- long-term muscle clamping;
- gynecological diseases;
- digestive diseases.
Hypodynamia
Hypodynamia is a pathological condition that occurs due to a significant limitation of physical activity. Such a disease is characterized by a violation of the musculoskeletal system, gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, etc.
What happens with physical inactivity? Symptoms of this condition do not appear immediately, but gradually. At first, the patient feels increasing fatigue, fatigue, sleep disturbance, decreased performance, increased causeless nervousness, weight gain, regular headaches, shortness of breath even with little physical exertion. Also, physical inactivity is accompanied by a decrease in strength indicators, a decrease in muscle volume and mass, a violation of neuro-reflex connections and back pain.
With a prolonged course of such a pathological process, the patient's bone mass decreases, after which the work of the joints and spine is disrupted. In connection with the weakening of the ligamentous apparatus, intervertebral hernias are formed.
Why all the muscles of the body hurt for no reason? Despite the fact that physical inactivity is not a very common occurrence, it is this condition that can contribute to the development of discomfort in the upper / lower limbs and back.
Which doctor should I go to?
Now you know the main and most common causes of muscle pain. Only specialists should deal with the treatment of diseases that cause such conditions. However, not all patients know who exactly should be taken.
Due to the fact that myalgia can be triggered by multiple causes, you need to contact doctors of various specialties to eliminate it.
It is necessary to make an appointment with an orthopedic traumatologist if a person is suspected of such muscle inflammation as myositis. This disease is characterized by aching and dull pain, which intensifies with hypothermia, movement, change of weather, as well as palpation of the affected muscle.
It is better to contact the same specialist if the patient has inflammation in the tendons (for example, with myoenthesis, tendonitis or paratenonitis).
It is necessary to go to a traumatologist if a person suffers from kyphosis, flat feet, scoliosis, short leg syndrome, asymmetric pelvis, too long arch of the foot or short shoulders.
In the event that the pain in the muscles is deeply localized, is boring, bursting and tearing, and also intensifies with movements, combined with swelling, tension, redness, temperature, headache and weakness, you should immediately contact a traumatologist or to the surgeon, since all of the listed symptoms indicate osteomyelitis.
Consult a traumatologist if the patient has signs of an intervertebral hernia.
If discomfort occurs only in the muscles near the spine or in any joints, then it is likely that a person develops osteoarthritis or osteoporosis. In this case, you need to contact an orthopedic traumatologist.
A neurologist should be consulted for suspected fibromyalgia, which is manifested by persistent pain or burning in the muscles throughout the body. Also, this specialist must be visited if a person develops osteochondrosis with severe pain in the muscles of the neck, back or lower back. In addition, a neurologist treats such diseases that cause not only unpleasant sensations, but also muscle cramps.
You should make an appointment with a specialist like a rheumatologist if a person develops rheumatic polymyalgia, gout, or polymyositis.
It is necessary to consult a therapist if muscle pain occurs against the background of symptoms of acute respiratory infections, since in this case the discomfort is secondary and is a kind of manifestation of intoxication of the body.
If the patient suffers from metabolic diseases, against the background of which muscle pain develops, then you should contact either an endocrinologist or a rheumatologist.
Treatment
What to take from muscle pain? Experts say that the most effective drugs in these conditions are NSAIDs. Such drugs can not only dull the pain, but also relieve the existing inflammation. However, it should be remembered that with the help of NSAIDs you can only temporarily alleviate your condition. The use of such medicines is too often prohibited, since they have a lot of side effects.
Most often for the treatment of diseases that cause muscle pain, apply:
- Cold and warm. For injuries and pain that cause damaged tissue, ice is very good. It should be applied to the affected area, previously placed on a terry towel.
Warm compresses in case of injury can be done only 72 hours after receiving it. As them can serve as a bath, heating pad or rubbing with a warming ointment.
- Massage (used if muscle pain is idiopathic).
- Tight bandage (used for pain in the arms or legs).
- Physiotherapy.
- Local medicines (for example, Finalgon, Ketonal, Fastum, Voltaren, etc.).