Body aches can result from tiredness or exercise and commonly occur with infections such as the flu. But, they can also be a symptom of an underlying condition, such as fibromylagia, arthritis, or lupus.
If you have body aches but no fever, it's likely that muscle overuse is to blame. You can avoid muscle aches by gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts. Stretching before and after exercise and drinking plenty of water is also helpful. You may need to rest or have reduced activity for 1 to 2 days.
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.
Some people have pain all over their body, while in others the pain is limited to specific areas. In some cases, people at risk for muscle pain due to other conditions or medications may find they develop aches when they catch COVID-19.
COVID-19 aches can range from mild to moderate. Most people have reported that COVID-19 body aches feel like dull muscle pain that typically affects the shoulders, lower back, or legs and may limit or restrict their mobility.
The flu—and the aches it causes—usually goes away in a few days and rarely lasts more than two weeks. In the meantime, there are things you can do to feel better while your body heals.
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.
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.
This could be a viral syndrome, heatstroke or heat exhaustion, post-heavy exercise, or electrolyte abnormalities like low calcium or low potassium.
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.
Lack of sleep can also cause inflammation in the body, which will often result in muscle aches and pains and can exacerbate inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.
Many foods have been shown to reduce inflammation and can help ease pain, stiffness, and achiness. Top anti-inflammatory foods to add into your diet include high quality fish, eggs, leafy green vegetables, fruits, and nuts, seeds, and olive oil.
Common causes of pain at night include: Hormone levels – production of the anti-inflammatory hormone cortisol drops to its lowest point at around midnight, so this could see discomfort rise for certain ailments. Sleep position – staying in one position all night can cause your joints to get stiff.
Drinks with electrolytes are important for rehydration
Electrolytes like sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium are great for ensuring healthy muscles and physical performance after a workout. Many different drinks contain electrolytes: sports drinks, milk, and orange juice.
A vitamin D deficiency can affect both physical and mental health, but many people have low levels of vitamin D without realizing. The physical symptoms of a deficiency may include muscle pain in the joints, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pain, which often occurs in the knees, legs, and hips.
Myositis (my-o-SY-tis) is a rare type of autoimmune disease that inflames and weakens muscle fibers. Autoimmune diseases occur when the body's own immune system attacks itself. In the case of myositis, the immune system attacks healthy muscle tissue, which results in inflammation, swelling, pain, and eventual weakness.
Currently, there are no specific laboratory or imaging tests for fibromyalgia. The main symptoms—pain and fatigue—are shared with many other conditions, so doctors typically try to rule out other causes for your symptoms. Doctors may do the following to diagnose fibromyalgia: Take your medical history.
Symptoms of fibromyalgia
increased sensitivity to pain. muscle stiffness. difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep, which can make you feel very tired (fatigue) problems with mental processes (known as "fibro-fog"), such as difficulty concentrating or remembering things.
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.
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.
Morning body aches can be caused by a lack of good quality sleep, which deprives your body's tissues and cells of repair time. An effective way to improve sleep is with exercise, which tires the body and reduces stress, helping to improve both the quality of your sleep, and the amount of sleep that you get each night.
Get medical care right away or go to the emergency room if you have muscle pain with: Trouble breathing or dizziness. Extreme muscle weakness with problems doing routine daily activities. A high fever and stiff neck.