Muscle Pain and Trigger Points

Keeping a muscle in constant tension can also lead to muscle pain. There is a syndrome associated with such type of pain, affecting the ligaments and tendons surrounding those muscles. In certain situations, muscle pain can be part of a group of symptoms suggestive of a systemic disease.

Patients who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia suffer from constant muscle pain. Also known as myofascial pain syndrome, this disease can cause different muscles in the body to become sore, affecting in the end the connecting tissue. Muscle pain can also be caused by repetitive strains, overuse and even certain types of medication, such as lipid-lowering drugs or antihypertensive drugs.

The inflammation of the muscular tissue can also lead to muscle pain, just like different types of infections. Flu is well too known for causing muscle pain to appear but one should be aware that both Lyme disease and spotted fever are likely to cause similar symptoms. As for systemic disease, lupus and polymyositis associate weakness in the muscle but also present varying degrees of muscle pain.

Fortunately, in many situations muscle pain can be resolved with rest and pain-reliving medication. Ice can be applied to the painful area, being helpful to reduce both the pain and associated swelling. It is important to understand that ice only works in acute muscle pain; after the acute period is over, heat works best for the suffering tissues.

Massage therapy is a solution often recommended when it comes to muscle pain. Patients are instructed to follow an exercise program afterwards, focusing mainly on stretching exercises. During the acute period, when muscle pain is accompanied by very intense swelling, the patient is recommended to lay still and not do any exercises. Only after the swelling has subsided and the pain is bearable, one will start exercising in order to maintain a healthy tone in the muscles.

Chronic muscle pain can be suggestive of different medical conditions, including metabolic disorders and chronic fatigue syndrome. Protein deficiency has also been linked with chronic pain in different muscle groups. Patients have complained of muscle pain after receiving varied medications, inoculations or hear transplants. There are so many causes leading to muscle pain that differential diagnosis is a very important matter in the medical world. Infectious diseases, autoimmune medical conditions and metabolic deficiencies are held responsible for severe cases of myalgia.

Muscle pain is commonly diagnosed by identifying trigger points, upon applying pressure to the skin. Trigger points can be active, with the patient experiencing intense pain around the area or latent, presenting only the possibility to become tender. There are also secondary trigger points that become activated afterwards. All these points are very well known by physical therapists, being used in different exercise programs. Doctors use trigger points for the treatment of muscle pain, injecting pain-relieving drugs in those areas.

The treatment of muscle pain is often based on keeping that muscle or groups of muscles supple. In order to achieve that objective, the patient has to perform a series of stretching exercises on a regular basis and also some for muscle strengthening. Spinal manipulation offers good results when it comes to relieving the discomfort associated with muscle pain. Acupuncture is recommended as well for myalgia, with different needling techniques being used on trigger points. Electro-acupuncture is one of the most interesting and effective ways to resolve muscle pain. As for trigger point injections, the substances used to calm muscle pain include lidocaine, steroids and even Botox. The efficiency of such injections depends on the original cause of the muscular pain but also on the patient.