Muscle pain

Muscle pain, as strange as it may sound, is a completely normal phenomenon for most people. By the end of the working day, whether associated with heavy physical exertion or sitting in the office, muscles, to varying degrees, begin to ache even in a completely healthy person. Another matter is when there are various kinds of diseases in which muscle pain is present constantly and has an exhausting effect on the body.

It is often difficult to understand why a certain muscle group has become ill, given the general well-being. However, in some cases, a person is able to name the exact cause that was the predecessor of muscle pain, for example, with a sharp lifting of weights, pain in the lower back, occurring either immediately or after some time, is easily explained. Without any worries, pain in the whole body is perceived after a long workout, but begins to cause concern if it does not go away or only intensifies over the course of several days after.

It is important to remember that any pain syndrome is based on complex processes of interaction between entire groups of internal systems. In order to understand all the subtleties of your own well-being, you need to have at least an approximate idea of the reasons that cause muscle pain.

So, muscle pain appears as a result of:

• overwork;
• postural disorders;
• intense training;
• bruises, sprains and other injuries;
• damage to internal organs;
• general colds of the body, flu, acute respiratory viral infections;
• pinched nerve branches (neuralgia);
• severe emotional disorders (psychogenic pain).

Now answer, how accurately can you determine the severity of muscle pain through self-diagnosis? The answer is obvious, you can only judge superficially and approximately. Even simple overwork can lead to the development of complex diseases. Therefore, after the main causes of muscle pain have been named, it is also good to know where to go with this problem and how to deal with it.

[ 1 ], [ 2 ], [ 3 ], [ 4 ], [ 5 ]

Muscle pain and its diagnosis

If the pain appeared unexpectedly, and was not preceded by any training, bruises or fractures, then you should visit a therapist who, after a detailed examination of the situation and a detailed conversation with you, will give all the necessary recommendations and referrals to the necessary specialists who can understand the situation more deeply. Probably, in addition to everything else, you will have to visit:

• neurologist;
• orthopedist;
• traumatologist;
• infectious disease specialist.

Of all possible methods of instrumental diagnostics, magnetic resonance imaging and computer tomography are the most suitable. In cases of trauma, an X-ray is considered the most informative. Sometimes it is taken in several projections to determine the extent of damage or to examine the entire area of fragments and bone displacement, for example, in fractures.

More detailed and in-depth diagnostics, with a thorough examination of all internal organs, is carried out in case of muscle pain of unclear genesis. In such cases, they resort to the services of psychologists and psychotherapists, because there is a possibility that the cause of muscle spasms is nervous exhaustion or the development of some mental illness.

In any diagnosis, the most important thing is for the patient to see a doctor; without this step, it is impossible to guarantee quick relief from pain, without the development of protracted pathological processes, and, consequently, the onset of complete recovery.

How to treat muscle pain?

In cases where muscle pain is caused by a sprain or bruise, to reduce pain and swelling, apply cold to the affected area in the form of an ice pack or a simple damp towel. The cold should be applied for no more than 10-15 minutes, otherwise the injured muscle can become chilled and the painful process can be aggravated.

If it is known for sure that the muscle hurts due to the effects of colds, for example, myositis has flared up, then it is necessary to apply not cold, but on the contrary - heat. Warming compresses, ointments that have a local warming effect in this case will be very useful.

Please note again. In both cases of using both heat and cold, it is indicated that the cause of muscle pain is already known. The use of cold, in any situation, will not cause harm. Which cannot be said about heat exposure. In certain lesions, the use of warming procedures is contraindicated, be it closed fractures or infectious foci, sprains or bruises.

Heat causes all, even the smallest vessels, to open, blood circulation in the affected area increases, which leads to increased swelling or bleeding. In addition, under the influence of high temperatures, inflammatory processes occur more rapidly, and the reproduction and spread of infection is aggressive. Therefore, any treatment methods should first of all be agreed upon with a doctor, even by phone and with an emergency service employee.

Before the ambulance team arrives or before you go to the doctor yourself, you can take a pill of any painkiller, after which the muscle pain may not go away completely, but will be significantly reduced.