Muscle Aches & Pain
Chartered Physiotherapy in Blackpool, St. Annes, Lytham, Poulton, Cleveleys and FleetwoodMuscular aches and pains are incredibly common. Everyone has experienced the dull pain after a particularly strenuous workout, or the burn of a pulled muscle the day after lifting something heavy. Involving just a small area or your whole body, the level of pain can also vary from mild to excruciating. Usually resolving themselves quite quickly, occasionally muscle pain can linger for months, and can affect anywhere in the body, including your neck, legs, back and even your hands.
What causes muscle pain?
Usually caused by any muscle strain, injury or tear through tension, stress and overuse, muscle pain is usually localised to just a few muscles or a specific area of the body. Some of the most common we see are around the high speed and load muscles (your hamstrings, thighs, calves, back and biceps).
Systemic muscular pain (pain across the body) is more likely to be the result of an infection, illness or a side effect from medication. Some conditions known to cause muscle aches and pains include:
- Chronic fatigue syndrome / ME
- Fibromyalgia
- Claudication
- Dermatomyositis
- Hypothyroidism
- Lupus
- Influenza (the flu)
- Myofascial pain
- Lyme disease
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Repetitive strain injuries.
How do you treat muscle pain?
Your physiotherapist will thoroughly assess the area of pain or talk to you about any systemic pain problems. For conditions like myofascial pain, a type of chronic localised pain, a variety of physiotherapy techniques may be used, including trigger point therapy, spray and stretch, stretching exercises, trigger point injections, acupuncture, dry needling, exercise, manipulation, biofeedback and ways to reduce personal stress.
Massage can sometimes be useful, but is sometimes not well tolerated, depending on the type of muscular pain. Your therapist can also help with poor posture or movements that may have caused the pain to develop.