How to relieve muscle pain?
Many French people suffer from pain, yet 46% admit to “suffering in silence”, that is to say living with pain without adequate care. 42% of them admit to being affected by acute pain and 58% by chronic pain(1). Among the most recurrent ailments, we will mention myalgia. But what exactly is meant by muscle pain, how to differentiate it from joint pain and above all, what to do?
What is muscle pain?
Myalgia, or muscle pain, is pain that affects theskeletal striated muscles. These are the muscles controlled by the central nervous system, whose movement is voluntary. The human body has 570 (from the neck to the lower limbs), or about 40% of the total bodyweight. Unlike other muscles (smooth or visceral, cardiac) are not contracted voluntarily. Muscle tissue consists of blood vessels, nerves, elastic fibers, connective tissue, and muscle cells.
Properties and functions of skeletal striated muscles
Muscles have 5 unique properties:
- Excitability: the muscle reacts to stimulation.
- Contractility: muscle tissue can contract in the presence of appropriate stimulation and thus mobilizes the elements attached to it, such as bones and fibers.
- Elasticity: the muscle can return to its original shape once the contraction is complete.
- Tone: the muscle can be in a permanent state of tension (this is called muscle tone).
- Plasticity: the muscle is not “fixed”, it can indeed modify its structure depending on whether it performs work and effort.
These 5 properties are essential for the muscle to perform its functions:
- The mobilization of the body in its environment.
- Maintaining the overall posture.
- Joint stability.
- Heat production.
Manifestations of muscle pain
Myalgia can manifest itself in many ways. Thus the symptomatology is not fixed: the pain can be very localized or on the contrary diffuse, of brutal appearance or conversely progressive. The diffuse nature of myalgia also complicates the diagnosis, because the causes can be varied. In addition, muscle pain can result in all kinds of sensations: numbness, paresthesia, burning, cramps, spasms, aches … Its sensations can be acute or on the contrary throbbing. They affect the intrinsic properties of the muscle(s) concerned and thus hinder all or part of the muscle functions mentioned above.
Etiology of muscle pain
Muscle pain can have different causes:
Typically, myalgia is the result of heavy or even overuse of the muscular systemtag. The risk of pain is increased if the muscular effort is exceptional (lack of training) or withoutprior warm-up orstretching.Among these pains, one will quote the aches, the muscular tear, the elongation, the contusion, the contracture.
- Certain Diseases , whether they directly affect muscle health or not, can also cause muscle pain – viruses, such as the flu or poliomyelitis, infectious diseases, such as malaria or dengue fever, or autoimmune pathologies, such as lupus or fibromyalgia.
- In rarer cases, myalgia can be the symptom of a very serious condition , such as tetanus, hepatitisor even peritonitis. It will then be accompanied by other signs, such as the onset of fever.
- Certain Medicationspromote the onset of muscle pain. Examples include diuretics or cholesterol-lowering drugs(they cause dehydration favorable to myalgia), but also corticosteroids, lithium, certain integrase inhibitors (HIV)…
- Some deficienciescan also lead to muscle pain. One thinks particularly of the deficiency of amino acids (Protein ), of vitamin D or of calcium and phosphorus (osteomalacia).
What is the difference between muscle pain and joint pain?
Unlike myalgia, which directly affects the muscle, arthralgia affects the Jointstag. But the radiating nature of certain pains often leads to confusion between the two. In addition, some conditions can generate both arthralgia and myalgia symptoms, such as fibromyalgia or inflammatory lesions (carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow).
In any case, joint pain is often accompanied by tenderness, swelling, stiffness and sometimes warmth in the affected joint. It can be caused by an inflammatory disease such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or even bursitis. These conditions involve degeneration and/or inflammation of joint structures, whether discs, synovial membranes or fibrous tissues.
Finally, it should be noted that joint pain can be the consequence of diseases (borreliosis, sarcoidosis), lesions (ligament tear or rupture, sprain), dislocation, neighboring fracture.
What solutions to relieve muscle pain?
Everything will depend on the origin of the myalgia.
If it is muscle pain resulting from physical exertion or trauma:
- Resting the muscle or muscle group concerned is essential.
- If the pain is cramp-like, gentle stretching movements can provide relief. The application of cold and light massage may also be beneficial.
- In case of acute pain and inflammation, applications of cold (10 min, several times a day) can soothe.
- In case of muscle spasms, it is more advisable to apply heat, which allows the muscle tissue to relax.
- You can also consider taking medication, such as analgesics, anti-inflammatory and / or muscle relaxants (on the advice of the doctor and / or pharmacist).
- The use of natural solutions can also be a solution. We are of course thinking of massages using oily macerate of arnica, which remains one of the best natural painkillers. Certainessential oils, to be mixed in a natural vegetable oil, can constitute a good auxiliary treatment: lavender, lemon eucalyptus, wintergreen, pink peppercorns, rosemary with camphor…
Finally, if muscle pain is part of another pathology, whether it is a viral disease or an autoimmune disease, it will be necessary to treat the disease causing the headache, the latter being only a symptom.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.