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Some muscle pain is 100% expected — but some really isn’t. Learn what could be making you feel sore and how you can get relief.
It’s probably no big surprise when your muscles feel stiff or sore the day after you deep-clean your house or give your treadmill a run for its money. Those are the kinds of aches we all might feel after we’ve moved our bodies a lot.
But other muscle pain is more mysterious. You might wonder why your muscles ache after a simple stroll around the block or why you still feel pain after a few days.
When your muscle pain doesn’t go away or you’re not sure of the cause, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor. “Everyone who has muscle pain deserves a full medical workup,” says Nilanjana Bose, MD. She’s a rheumatologist at the Rheumatology Center of Houston in Texas.
Here’s a look at why muscle pain can happen — and what to do about it.
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It’s your body signaling to you that there’s a problem. Depending on what’s behind it, your muscles can feel sore, achy or crampy. Or the pain could be sudden or sharp. Some people feel muscle pain only in specific areas of their body, while others feel it all over.
The origin can vary, too. Muscle pain can come from within the muscle itself or from what surrounds it. That includes ligaments, tendons, bones and the soft tissue that connects the muscles, says Alka Gupta, MD. She’s a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and chief medical officer of Bluerock Care in Washington, D.C.
Muscle pain, also known as myalgia, can have many causes. Some are related to activity or tension. Others can result from illness, injury, infection or even the side effect of a medication.
The simpler and less serious causes of muscle pain usually clear up within a few days or weeks. And the pain is typically contained to a specific set of muscles.
Those causes can include:
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When muscle pain stems from something more serious, other symptoms often come with it, says Dr. Gupta.
Other causes of muscle pain can include:
To figure out what’s behind your muscle pain, your doctor will usually start with bloodwork, Dr. Bose says. They will also likely ask you questions, give you a physical exam and order labs and imaging tests, she adds.
Be aware that it can take time to find the source of your muscle pain, but it’s important to stay on top of it.
“It’s not always obvious what the cause is at the beginning,” Dr. Gupta says. “So be patient with your doctor and follow up with him or her frequently to discuss your pain if it’s persistent or gets worse.”
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Additional sources
An overview of muscle cramp symptoms and causes: Mayo Clinic
Facts about magnesium: National Institutes of Health
Facts about vitamin D: National Institutes of Health
Treatments for fibromyalgia: Cleveland Clinic