Myalgia is med speak for muscle ache and pain, and it’s distinguishable from myositis and myopathy.
Myalgia’s pain in your muscle is often caused by muscle tension, stress, overuse or sprain and strain injuries. If this is your case, then your muscle soreness should only involve specific muscles.
Overall chronic muscle pain is a symptom of conditions or disorders striking your entire body. Examples of these causes include:
- TMJ
- PMS
- lupus
- rickets
- vasculitis
- pneumonia
- sarcoidosis
- toxic shock
- malnutrition
- fibromyalgia
- endocarditis
- scleroderma
- polymyositis
- Still’s disease
- cerebral palsy
- jellyfish stings
- lactic acidosis
- hypothyroidism
- rhabdomyolysis
- Paget’s disease
- dermatomyositis
- cryoglobulinemia
- arterial embolism
- diabetes insipidus
- aseptic meningitis
- pulmonary fibrosis
- Addison’s disease
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- hypoparathyroidism
- hyperparathyroidism
- Parkinson’s disease
- diabetic ketoacidosis
- binge eating disorder
- electrolyte imbalance
- renal tubular acidosis
- polymyalgia rheumatica
- multiple system atrophy
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- chronic fatigue syndrome
- glycogen storage disease
- myofascial pain syndrome
- peripheral vascular disease
- myotonic muscular dystrophy
Some autoimmune diseases, motor neuron diseases, neurological disorders, neuromuscular conditions, metabolic diseases of the muscle and metabolic myopathies are hefty instigators for painful muscles.
Bacterial, viral, parasitic and fungal infections are notorious culprits for causing acute myalgia. Here’s a sampling of some infectious diseases that may create aches and pains in your muscles:
- polio
- rabies
- listeria
- typhus
- Q fever
- malaria
- mumps
- measles
- influenza
- hantavirus
- trichinosis
- brucellosis
- hepatitis A
- valley fever
- yellow fever
- strep throat
- legionellosis
- leptospirosis
- Dengue fever
- anaplasmosis
- Lyme disease
- rickettsial pox
- blastomycosis
- relapsing fever
- toxoplasmosis
- West Nile virus
- histoplasmosis
- bubonic plague
- Katayama fever
- muscle abscess
- coxsackie viruse
- viral gastroenteritis
- infectious endocarditis
- salmonella enterocolitis
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- southern tick-associated rash illness
Certain drugs and treatments can be a dispensing cause to painful muscles, including:
- coumadin
- metformin
- chemotherapy
- succinylcholine
- immunotherapy
- vaccine side effects
- NDRIs ~ antidepressants
- isotretinoin ~ treats acne
- multiple vitamin overdose
- statins ~ lowers cholesterol
- infliximab ~ treats rheumatoid arthritis
- ACE inhibitors ~ lowers blood pressure
- bisphosphonates ~ treats osteoporosis
For myalgia in a muscle caused by overuse or injury:
- ice it
- rest it
- heat it
- stretch it
- massage it
In that order. Nonprescription naproxen, ibuprofen and acetaminophen can also be used to relieve mild muscle pain.
Aching, painful muscles rarely stand alone, as they are often accompanied by other health related symptoms. And inexplicable chronic muscle aches and pains will likely require a visit to your health care professional to get to the meat of your myalgia.