Without movement or exercise, the muscles are weakened and deprived of a steady supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients. This, in turn, can lead to muscle pain.
The most common causes of muscle pain are tension, stress, overuse and minor injuries. This type of pain is usually limited to just a few muscles or a small part of your body. Muscle pain that is felt throughout your whole body is most often caused by an infection, such as the flu.
If you feel like all of the muscles in your body hurt, that's a sign of infection or illness. Health conditions that cause whole body aches include flu, COVID-19, fibromyalgia, and autoimmune disorders.
Muscle pain that affects a small part of your body is usually caused by overuse -- sore arms from lifting boxes all day, for example. Or it could be a minor injury, like a bruised shoulder after a fall. But when you ache all over your body, it's more likely caused by an infection, illness, or medicine you've taken.
Muscle Cramps and Aches
Our muscles require plenty of water and electrolytes to do what we ask of them. Without enough fluid, our muscles can become extremely sensitive and spasm or contract involuntarily.
If you don't have a fever or other symptoms, and you experience body aches often or for prolonged periods of time, make an appointment with your PCP. It could be a sign of a drug reaction or a more severe and chronic underlying medical condition, such as an autoimmune disease.
Aches and pains after a night's rest can be due to a variety of reasons, including an old mattress, a heavy workout the previous day, or even a recent injury. If that's the case, there may not be much you can do to change the morning aches. However, there could be other underlying health reasons you're unaware of, too!
Polymyalgia rheumatica is a common condition that causes pain and stiffness in older adults. Symptoms include severe muscle aches and stiffness, unexplained weight loss and fatigue. Some people with polymyalgia rheumatica develop giant cell arteritis (inflammation of the arteries).
Polymyositis is a disease that causes muscles to become irritated and inflamed. The muscles eventually start to break down and become weak. The condition can affect muscles all over the body. This can make even simple movements difficult.
Stress can cause your muscles to tense up — and over time, that can lead to pain and soreness in virtually any part of the body. The most common stress-related aches and pains are in the neck, back, and shoulders.
But what about when your muscles are sore, but you haven't been working out? What could it be? Although less common than muscle pain from exercise or exertion, your muscles can be sore for a number of other reasons. Muscle pain is called myalgia, and it can be a symptom of a serious infection or a chronic condition.
When you aren't working out regularly, your body composition starts to change. With little physical activity, muscle cells will shrink. With less calorie burn, fat cells will start to expand, making the body look softer.
Muscle aches and joint pain can be caused by tension, as well as general poor health. Anxiety causes the muscles to tense up, which can lead to pain and stiffness in almost any area of the body.
Aches and pains in our bones, joints, and muscles may be caused by everyday wear and tear, overuse, or aging. This pain can also be the result of injury or illness. No matter the cause, the pain medicine experts at Weill Cornell Medicine can help alleviate pain and improve quality of life.
Body aches can be a cause of both short-term ailments and long-term conditions. Healthy people may experience body aches after standing, walking, or exercising for a prolonged period of time. In others, body aches are a sign of an underlying medical condition or infection.
Fatigue and arthritis
Fatigue can be linked to many types of arthritis and related conditions. It's commonly a symptom of autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, reactive arthritis and lupus. In autoimmune conditions the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own healthy tissues.
Chronic pain is a very common condition, and one of the most common reasons why someone seeks medical care. Approximately 25% of adults in the United States experience chronic pain.
The average age range at which fibromyalgia is diagnosed is 35 to 45 years old, but most people have had symptoms, including chronic pain, that started much earlier in life. Fibromyalgia is more common in women than in men.
Fibromyalgia is often triggered by an event that causes physical stress or emotional (psychological) stress. Possible triggers include: a serious injury, such as after a car accident. an infection, such as Epstein-Barr virus or Lyme disease.