Muscle Pain - 9 Signs It’s Something More Serious
Muscle pain is an extremely common symptom
and in most cases, it’s not a cause of concern. After all, you may have
just overworked or pulled a muscle. But in some cases, muscle weakness
may be a sign of a more serious underlying condition, such as hormonal
issues, infections, or even Lyme disease. When should you start being
concerned about muscle pain, and what conditions could it be a symptom
of?
When to worry about muscle pain
Muscle pain can be our body’s natural response to higher than usual
physical activity. To be more specific, our muscles produce a chemical
called lactic acid when they get more exercise than they’re used to,
which is why your muscles may feel sore for a day or two after a hiking
trip or even a spring cleaning session.
Lactic acid dissipates from the muscles about an hour after it was
produced, but the muscle aches may continue for a few days. If the pain
worsens with time or persists for over two weeks, however, it’s a red
flag. In addition, you should be generally capable of pinpointing the
cause of the muscle pain, be it more exercise than usual, lifting heavy
objects, or just sleeping in an uncomfortable position.
You should be suspicious if the pain starts suddenly and for no apparent
cause. Lastly, try to define the quality of the pain. If the pain is
stabbing, sharp, or feels like electricity as opposed to an aching dull
pain, it’s most likely not a muscle spasm and should be examined by your
doctor.
Below we list 9 dangerous conditions that could be causing persistent
muscle pain:
1. Rhabdomyolysis
Are you someone who loves working out and
tend to overdo it a bit with the intensity? Well, it turns out that
intense workouts have a dark side, too - a condition called
rhabdomyolysis. When you overwork your muscles, the muscle tissues may
enter stress mode and start breaking down, releases a protein called
myoglobin (the oxygen-storing protein in the muscles) that gets absorbed
into the bloodstream and starts wreaking havoc throughout the body,
possibly even causing kidney damage.
People suffering from rhabdomyolysis experience strong frequent muscle
pain, especially in the back, thighs, shoulders, and calves. Additional
symptoms of the condition include muscle weakness and dark urine. Apart
from strenuous exercise, blood clots, heatstroke, substance abuse, and
electrolyte imbalances may also cause rhabdomyolysis. The condition is a
medical emergency and should be treated in a hospital.
2. Thyroid issues and other hormonal imbalances
Both an underactive and an overactive
thyroid may lead a person to develop muscle cramps, as does Addison's
disease, a condition where the adrenal gland cannot produce sufficient
quantities of its hormones. These conditions come with a variety of
symptoms ranging from behavioral changes and irritability to dry skin
and hair loss to sudden weight gain or weight loss.
3. Lyme disease
This tick-borne disease is often quite
difficult to pinpoint and diagnose, as the characteristic bulls-eye rash
in the place where one was bitten by a black-legged tick doesn’t always
appear. If you have been in nature, especially in forested areas, and
know that black-legged ticks are common in that area, a stiff neck and
muscle pains accompanied by fatigue and fever may point to Lyme disease.
4. Arthritis 
Most of us associate arthritis with painful and stiff joints, but it
turns out that rheumatoid arthritis can also cause muscle pain and
spasms. Since muscles and joints are interconnected, inflammation and
pain in the joints may affect the muscles, too.
As Dr. Kannankeril pointed out to Reader’s Digest, “When there’s pain in
an area, muscles will automatically contract as a protective measure.”
So, a painful knee may also get worse due to muscle spasms and the pain
that comes with it. Massaging and applying cold or warm compresses on
the area can help relieve the spasm and may bring some degree of relief
to the aching muscles.
5. Flu and other viruses
When our body detects a virus, be it the flu or any other respiratory
virus, it starts releasing compounds called cytokines to alert the
immune system of the intruders. These inflammatory proteins, though
beneficial, also have the side effect of breaking down muscle tissues,
which results in muscle aches, fatigue, chills, a fever, and sweating.
6. Infections
Apart from acute systemic bacterial or
viral infections like Lyme disease, the flu, and the like, parasitic
infections like roundworm (trichinosis) or toxoplasmosis can likewise
manifest themselves through muscle aches. There’s even a rare bacterial
infection called pyomyositis that leads to the formation of
pus-containing abscesses in the muscle itself.
It usually causes cramping muscle pain in only one area of the body like
your thigh or glute and makes the entire affected area tender and
swollen. All of these medical conditions require professional medical
attention or even pus drainage, like in the case of pyomyositis, so make
sure to never ignore persistent muscle pain that comes with other
symptoms of infection like fever, chills, redness, and swelling.
7. Medications
It should also be pointed out that certain
medications may also cause muscle pains as a side effect. The most
common drugs to do so are statins, which, as you may know, are used to
lower cholesterol levels. In most cases, this side effect doesn’t appear
during the first half a year after starting the medication.
Suddenly discontinuing the use of antidepressants may also lead to
muscle pains, but it usually resolves within a few weeks. Talk to your
doctor if you’re experiencing muscle pain when taking any medication,
they will suggest alternatives or adjust your dosage to minimize the
negative side effects.
8. Depression
You wouldn’t think that a mental health
issue like depression could manifest itself through physical signs like
muscle aches. In reality, though, muscle and joint pain are quite common
symptoms of depression, and sometimes, it’s the only reason why people
go to the doctor and how they end up being diagnosed with depression.
9. Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition the
causes of which are still unknown, but scientists today have begun to
understand that there is both a biological and psychological aspect to
it. The condition is more common in women than it is in men, and it can
manifest itself very differently.
Most patients suffering from fibromyalgia have specific tender points
around the different joints in the body that are painful to the touch.
The pain is very specific and can be described as sore, stiff, burning,
aching, or throbbing. Some patients also experience tingling and
numbness in different parts of the body.
Other biological and psychological symptoms of fibromyalgia include:
Headaches
Fatigue and trouble falling asleep
Depression and anxiety
Brain fog and difficulty concentrating.
As you can see, there is a great number of conditions that could
manifest themselves through muscle aches. If you’re experiencing
persistent muscle pain not related to physical activity or poor sleep
posture, and the symptoms don’t go away or get worse after a week or
more, we highly recommend you talk to a medical professional.