Myalgia or muscle pain is a painful sensation evolving from muscle tissue. It is a symptom of many diseases. The most common cause of acute myalgia is the overuse of a muscle or group of muscles; another likely cause is viral infection, especially when there has been no injury. Long-lasting myalgia can be caused by metabolic myopathy, some nutritional deficiencies, ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome.
Causes The most common causes of myalgia are overuse, injury, and strain. Myalgia might also be caused by allergies, diseases, medications, or as a response to a vaccination. Dehydration at times results in muscle pain as well, especially for people involved in extensive physical activities. Muscle pain is also a common symptom in a variety of diseases, including infectious diseases, such as influenza, muscle abscesses, Lyme disease, malaria, trichinosis or poliomyelitis; autoimmune diseases, such as celiac disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren's syndrome or polymyositis; and gastrointestinal diseases, such as non-celiac gluten sensitivity (which can also occur without digestive symptoms) and inflammatory bowel disease (including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis). The most common causes are:
Overuse Overuse of a muscle is using it too much, too soon or too often. One example is repetitive strain injury.
Injury The most common causes of myalgia by injury are sprains and strains.
Autoimmune Multiple sclerosis (neurologic pain interpreted as muscular) Myositis Mixed connective tissue disease Lupus erythematosus Fibromyalgia syndrome Familial Mediterranean fever Polyarteritis nodosa Devic's disease Morphea Sarcoidosis
Metabolic defect Carnitine palmitoyltransferase II deficiency Conn's syndrome Adrenal insufficiency Hyperthyroidism Hypothyroidism Diabetes Hypogonadism Postorgasmic illness syndrome
Other Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) Channelopathy Ehlers–Danlos syndrome Stickler syndrome Hypokalemia Hypotonia Exercise intolerance Mastocytosis Peripheral neuropathy Eosinophilia myalgia syndrome Barcoo fever Herpes Hemochromatosis Delayed onset muscle soreness HIV/AIDS Generalized anxiety disorder Tumor-induced osteomalacia Hypovitaminosis D Infarction
Withdrawal syndrome from certain drugs Sudden cessation of high-dose corticosteroids, opioids, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, caffeine, or alcohol can induce myalgia.
Treatment When the cause of myalgia is unknown, it should be treated symptomatically. Common treatments include heat, rest, paracetamol, NSAIDs, massage, cryotherapy and muscle relaxants.
See also Arthralgia Myopathy Myositis
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