Muscle aches and pains are common symptoms of multiple health conditions. Aches may also be caused by several regular activities, such as walking, standing, and exercising excessively or for long durations. Most individuals suffer from muscle aches and pains at some point in their lives, so it is important to know why they happen. In this article, we explore five health conditions that may cause muscle pain and weakness in the body.

Five health conditions that lead to muscle pain

Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune condition. It is a disease of the nervous system that causes nerve damage. Multiple sclerosis leads to muscle weakness and numbness, tremors, painful electric shock-like sensations in the muscles, and fatigue. This health condition may affect someone’s speech and vision particularly. Other symptoms may include weakness, exhaustion, blurry vision, lack of balance, trouble with walking, memory problems, and permanent or temporary blindness, typically in one eye. Though there is not much evidence, including and avoiding certain foods and meals may help treat and manage MS.

Anxiety and stress
The immune system cannot control the response to inflammation during stress. Therefore, the body cannot fight illnesses or infections as usual. This may lead to increased muscle and body ache. The other symptoms of anxiety and stress can be enhanced blood pressure, abnormally high heart rate, cold sweats, hot flashes, hyperventilation, shakes, headaches and migraine. Stress and anxiety can be controlled to some extent by making certain lifestyle modifications such as going for regular walks, meditating, exercising, and sharing one’s stressful conditions with their loved ones and communicating the feelings to them. A specific pain relief patch is also available to deal with muscle aches and pains.

Fibromyalgia
It is a condition where the whole body, including muscles and bones, may feel achy, exhausted and sensitive. Though the cause of this condition is unknown and uncertain, various stressful events like trauma, infections, and surgery may lead to it. It is also found that this condition prevails in women more than men. Some other symptoms of fibromyalgia are trouble with sleeping, sensitivity to light and sound, trouble thinking or remembering, stiffness; particularly in the morning, and tingling sensations in the feet and hands. People with fibromyalgia may also suffer from anxiety, headaches, depression, and TMJ disorders. Though there is no cure for this health condition, exercise, stress reduction measures, and relaxation may help.

Muscle cramps
This health condition leads to the contraction of muscles, it may affect muscles in a singular area or all over the body. Muscle cramps mostly occur due to prolonged exercise. Most muscle cramps develop in the lower part of the legs, particularly in the calf and the back and front of an individual’s thighs. The cramps may also be experienced in the arms, hands, feet and abdominal wall. Some self-care measures and pain relief patches can help treat and manage muscle cramps effectively. In the case of back muscle cramps, one can opt for special XL patches for the area.

Lyme disease
Lyme disease is usually caused by four main types of bacteria. It spreads to one’s body by an infected tick bite. If this disease remains untreated, it may lead to joint and neuromuscular conditions such as facial paralysis and arthritis. The other symptoms that may be noticed are headaches, exhaustion, chills, body aches, neck stiffness, fever, cold sweats and hot flashes. Lyme disease symptoms may vary, and they generally appear in stages that may overlap.

Conclusion

Stress and anxiety are the most common causes of muscle pain. However, systemic muscle pain, which refers to the pain that occurs throughout the body, may result from illnesses or infections or the side effects of specific treatments. Therefore, it is essential to check the symptoms and discuss them with a healthcare provider to find the proper treatment and cure.