Myalgia is the medical time period for muscle ache. It is a frequent grievance in folks of all ages. Each day life stress or pressure to extra debilitating well being situations can all trigger muscle ache and have an effect on your high quality of life. Myalgia is commonly as a consequence of muscle damage, overuse, or pressure. The ache is usually short-term, however situations like lupus or fibromyalgia might trigger continual (long-term) muscle ache that wants ongoing remedy.
There are two principal types of myalgia, together with:
Localized myalgia: Ache that happens in particular muscular tissues or muscle teams. This sort typically happens as a consequence of muscle overuse, damage, pressure, or an infection. Because the muscle(s) heals, the ache usually goes away.
Diffuse myalgia: Ache that happens and spreads all through the physique. Systemic (body-wide) infections just like the flu or COVID-19 could cause short-term diffuse muscle ache. Power situations like lupus, thyroid illness, or liver illness could cause continual ache.
Ache in a number of muscular tissues is the first symptom of myalgia. Relying on the reason for your ache and what a part of your physique is affected, the ache can develop all of a sudden or step by step. How lengthy your ache lasts (short-term or continual) may also be decided by the underlying reason behind your signs. Alongside ache, the most typical signs of myalgia embrace:
Stiffness
Tenderness
Muscle weak spot
Cramping
Redness or swelling across the muscle
Aching, burning, and throbbing sensations
Myalgia has many potential causes, and it will possibly have an effect on extra than simply the muscular tissues. Myalgia might have an effect on ligaments, tendons, and fascia (connective tissue) as properly. The commonest causes of myalgia embrace:
Muscle damage, pressure, or overuse
Emotional stress and pressure that manifests bodily
Viral or bacterial infections just like the flu or Lyme illness
Sure medicines like statins (to decrease ldl cholesterol) or ACE inhibitors (to decrease blood stress)
Fibromyalgia (a continual situation that causes musculoskeletal ache, fatigue, and sleep issues)
Rheumatic situations that have an effect on the muscular tissues, joints, and bones reminiscent of osteoarthritis (OA) or inflammatory myopathy (continual muscle irritation)
Liver illnesses like hepatitis (irritation) and cirrhosis (scarring)
Endocrine situations reminiscent of thyroid illness or adrenal insufficiency
Power fatigue syndrome
Autoimmune problems like lupus or a number of sclerosis
Threat Elements
Anybody can develop myalgia, as the sort of ache is sort of frequent. Nevertheless, sure teams could also be at greater threat for creating myalgia. You might be at an elevated threat of creating muscle ache when you:
Usually carry out repetitive motions or taxing bodily exercise
Dwell with an inflammatory situation reminiscent of inflammatory myopathy, polymyositis (a situation that causes infected muscular tissues), or dermatomyositis (a situation that causes muscle weak spot and pores and skin rashes)
Expertise signs of melancholy
Are assigned feminine at start or are middle-aged
Have a household historical past of fibromyalgia
In case you’re experiencing muscle ache that comes on quickly or does not go away, seeing your healthcare supplier might help you perceive the reason for your signs.
Throughout your appointment, your healthcare supplier will ask you about your medical historical past, life-style habits, and present medicines you are taking. They’re going to additionally ask about whenever you first began experiencing signs, the place they started, how painful they’re, and what triggers them.
Your healthcare supplier might then carry out a sequence of exams to attempt to discover the reason for your muscle ache. These checks might embrace:
Bodily examination to judge your vary of movement and assess signs like weak spot or tenderness
Blood checks to verify general well being standing
Urinalysis (urine check) to evaluate kidney and liver perform
Imaging scans to verify for indicators of damage or irritation
Electromyogram (EMG) with nerve conduction research to detect abnormalities together with your muscular tissues
Remedy for myalgia relies upon vastly on the suspected reason behind your signs. Nevertheless, the objective of remedy—whatever the underlying trigger is to scale back muscle ache. Therapies for frequent reason behind myalgia might embrace: