Muscle and Joint Pain: Causes and treatment
Acute muscle and joint pain are common conditions that can affect different parts of the body, including the muscles of the chest, abdominal, back, and extremities. Shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingers, knees, and ankles are most often the affected joints. It is sometimes referred to as body aches.
Muscle and joint pain can be caused by injury, intense work or sport, poor posture, and medical conditions (such as infections, myositis, and arthritis).
The main symptoms are pain, stiffness, and a limited range of motion of the affected body parts.
Causes of acute muscle and joint pain
Acute muscle and joint pain are very common conditions that the majority of people will experience at some point in their lives.
The most common causes of acute muscle and joint pain are:
- Poor posture
- Muscle strains
- Intensive sports
- Injuries to muscle, tendon, cartilage, bone, etc
- Dislocation of joints
- Fractures
- Other medical conditions (influenza, gout, other infection/inflammation, etc).
Symptoms of muscle and joint pain
Symptoms are mainly pain and discomfort in the affected locations, that may cause some inconvenience while doing daily activities. The pain can range from sharp stabbing pain that comes and goes to pain that only comes when the joint is used. The most common symptoms of this condition are:
- Pain
- Stiffness
- Reduced mobility
- Muscle twitch
- Fatigue
- Sleep disturbance
Treatment of muscle and joint pain
Most common cases of acute muscle and joint pain, including lower back, upper back, wrist, elbow, ankle, knee and finger, heal within days after resting the affected part. However, here are some suggestions to help you with the symptoms:
- Cool and warm packing.
- Over-the-counter pain relievers.
- Physiotherapy, like strengthening and stretching exercises.
- Stress reduction techniques.
- Acupuncture
- Treatment for specific causes, like antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, surgery, etc.
Consult with a chiropractor today to diagnose the root cause of the joint and muscle pain and get the right treatments to end the suffering.
References:
Cdc.gov. (2021). Joint pain and arthritis. Accessed 17 February 2022.
nhs.uk (2019). Joint pain. Accessed 17 February 2022.
Bmj.com (2022). Overview of musculoskeletal pain. Accessed 17 February 2022.
Warburton DL (2020). Top tips: joint pain. Guidelines in Practice. Accessed 17 February 2022.