Body aches is a symptom characterized by moderate pain in the legs, arms, and the whole body, which bring severe discomfort and reduce performance. The manifestation is observed in the prodromal stage of infectious diseases, with injuries and degenerative lesions of the musculoskeletal system, oncological and autoimmune pathology. To determine the cause of aches, ultrasound and x-ray diagnostics, laboratory tests, and arthroscopy are prescribed. To stop the symptom, a complex of medical and physiotherapeutic methods is used.
general characteristics
By this term, doctors mean numerous non-specific uncomfortable sensations in the body that do not have a clear localization. Often, the appearance of body aches occurs without raising the temperature. Patients describe their condition in different ways: some say that they "twirl the joints", they are bothered by pulling or squeezing pains in the muscles, or it seems that the bones and joints are twisting, flattening and stretching at the same time. Body aches are accompanied by severe weakness, fatigue, loss of working capacity.
Unpleasant symptoms persist for several days, constant pain stimuli cause increased nervousness, apathy. If subfebrile fever is observed, body aches are usually combined with chills, muscle tremors. The manifestation rarely occurs in isolation: against the background of discomfort in the joints and bones, a headache develops, a runny nose or cough, and other symptoms that depend on the cause of the ailment. When body aches turn into severe diffuse pains without a clear localization or the accompanying symptoms worsen, you should consult a doctor.
Causes of body aches
Causes of aching muscles
There are various symptoms in nature: pulling, "twisting", squeezing pains, discomfort, tingling and burning in the muscles. Unpleasant sensations occur in all muscle groups, but are most pronounced in the legs. Sometimes the symptoms of body aches are so severe that they interfere with daily activities. Muscle aches are caused by reasons such as:
- Nonspecific myositis : after hypothermia, heavy physical exertion, with unsuccessful sudden movements of the limbs or trunk.
- Respiratory diseases : influenza, SARS, rhinovirus or adenovirus infections.
- Prodromal period of viral infections : hepatitis, hemorrhagic fevers, chicken pox.
- Inflammatory diseases of internal organs : acute and chronic tonsillitis, pyelonephritis, pneumonia.
- Helminthiases : ascariasis, teniarinhoz, echinococcosis and alveococcosis.
- Fibromyalgia, epidemic myalgia .
- Damage to the musculoskeletal system : falls from a small height, bruises, plexitis and tendinitis.
- Damage to the vessels of the lower extremities : varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, atherosclerosis.
- Psychoneurological problems : vegetative-vascular dystonia, prodromal period of migraine, hysterical reactions and neuroses.
- Immunodeficiency states : a period of convalescence after serious illness, chronic stress, HIV infection.
- Poisoning : drugs, food, industrial poisons and chemicals.
- Rare causes: myoglobinuria, hereditary hemolytic anemia, botulism.
Causes of joint pain
Painful sensations, stiffness of movements, a painful pulling feeling of aches in all joints of the body are observed both without signs of a cold, and with respiratory infections. In weather-dependent people, the joints “twist” with a sharp change in weather, but in most cases, the symptom indicates the development of the disease. Common causes of joint pain include:
- Physiological factors : degenerative tissue changes in the elderly and senile age, prolonged stay on the legs, the first trimester of pregnancy.
- Increased load on the joints : excess weight, curvature of the spine (scoliosis and kyphoscoliosis).
- Chronic diseases of the musculoskeletal system : osteochondrosis and osteoarthritis, Bechterew's disease (ankylosing spondylitis), gout.
- Collagenosis : rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, periarteritis nodosa.
- Infectious processes : respiratory system (tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia), gastrointestinal tract (typhoid fever, salmonellosis, food poisoning), genitourinary system (acute and chronic pyelonephritis, purulent cystitis, urethritis).
- Non-severe injuries : sprains and tears of the ligaments, bruises of the articular region, damage to the menisci.
- Oncological diseases : osteosarcoma, leukemia (lymphoblastic, myeloblastic), Hodgkin's lymphoma.
- Autoimmune processes : vasculitis, Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
- Endocrine pathology : hyper- and hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, Itsenko-Cushing's syndrome.
- Rare causes : fasciitis in the recovery stage, tunnel syndrome, hereditary anomalies in the structure of the skeletal system.
Diagnostics
The general practitioner is engaged in finding out the cause of the appearance of body aches, weakness with or without fever. The condition may be due to various etiological factors, so the initial examination involves an extensive range of laboratory and instrumental methods. First, the most common causes of the symptom are excluded, if necessary, an in-depth diagnosis is carried out. The most valuable and informative are:
- Ultrasound Scan . Complaints of body aches without an increase in temperature are characteristic of traumatic and degenerative processes, which ultrasound of the joints helps to eliminate. Arthrosonography is performed to assess the cartilage tissue, joint capsule and ligamentous apparatus. With heaviness in the legs, a duplex scan of the veins should be done to detect dilation and abnormalities in blood flow.
- X-ray examination . If aches and other symptoms are localized in one part of the body, an x-ray of the affected area is taken to evaluate bone structures, the presence of cavities or pathological formations. To exclude chronic diseases that provoke discomfort, x-rays of the lungs and abdominal organs are prescribed.
- Modern imaging techniques . Computed tomography is more informative for studying the bone elements of the joint, their relative position and the area of attachment of the ligamentous apparatus. The method allows you to detect osteophytes, salt deposits that cause body aches. MRI is performed for a detailed study of the state of hyaline cartilage and muscle tissue.
- invasive procedures . If it is difficult to verify the diagnosis of body aches without fever, diagnostic arthroscopy is used to examine the articular cavity and identify changes in the early stages, when they are not visible on the radiograph. If a tumor of the blood system is suspected, the results of a puncture biopsy of the bone marrow and cytomorphological analysis of biopsy specimens are indicative.
- Blood tests . General and biochemical blood tests are designed to detect markers of an inflammatory or infectious process. If body aches occur without temperature, indicators of cartilage tissue degradation (glycosaminoglycans, chondroitin sulfate), the amount of calcium and phosphorus are determined. The level of creatinine is judged on the state of muscle tissue.
- Specific laboratory methods . To confirm the infectious cause of fatigue and aches felt in the body, a bacteriological examination of sputum, a throat swab, feces, or other biological materials is indicated. In the blood, the levels of antibodies to the most common pathogens are studied by ELISA. To search for the genetic material of microorganisms, PCR is effective.
In patients with an ache that is felt in the body, accompanied by weakness and occurs without a rise in temperature, endocrine diseases should be excluded, so the blood is examined for the levels of thyroxine, corticosteroids, ACTH. To diagnose lesions of the peripheral nervous system, electroneurography and electromyography are performed, and a complete neurological examination is indicated. An extended immunogram allows you to exclude severe violations of the body's resistance.
When body aches, bed rest is recommended.
Treatment
Help before diagnosis
When articular and muscle aches appear, it is advisable to observe bed rest or limit physical activity as much as possible. If the symptoms are combined with chills, the person needs to be warmed, regularly give him a warm drink. With excruciating pain, you can take an NSAID tablet. Many patients begin to drink antiviral or strong analgesics, which cannot be done with body aches, since self-administration of such drugs lubricates the clinical picture and makes it difficult to diagnose the cause of the disorder.
Conservative therapy
Medical tactics depend on the etiological factor. Predominantly, drugs are prescribed that affect the primary disease that caused body aches, after which the painful sensations disappear. In severe illnesses or contagious infections, the patient is hospitalized in a hospital, in other cases, outpatient treatment is indicated. Most often for drug therapy are used:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs . Drugs from the NSAID group effectively relieve signs of inflammation in myositis and arthritis of various etiologies. They are taken in case of respiratory infections that occur with fever, since the drugs have a strong antipyretic effect.
- Antiviral drugs . Influenza shows the use of specific drugs that affect the formation and assembly of viruses in the body. These funds accelerate the recovery period and prevent the development of serious complications from the central nervous system. For bacterial infections, antibiotics are used.
- Chondroprotectors . In chronic osteoarthritis with body aches, but without fever and hyperemia of the skin over the affected joint, glucosamine and hyaluronic acid are recommended. These drugs help restore the structure of cartilage and slow down degenerative processes.
- Glucocorticoids . Hormones are used in severe stages of joint damage and all rheumatic diseases to relieve inflammation and eliminate stiffness of movements. Sometimes, to increase the effectiveness of medicines, they are injected directly into the joint cavity.
- Detoxifying compounds . To reduce body aches without the temperature provoked by poisoning, a massive parenteral infusion of saline solutions is shown to accelerate the elimination of toxic substances. If a poisonous compound is identified, a specific antidote is administered.
Physiotherapy
To reduce pain, electrophoresis with anti-inflammatory drugs on the area of the affected muscle or joint is effective. Electromagnetic therapy, balneotherapy, hydrotherapy helps to reduce the manifestations of synovitis. To eliminate pain after traumatic injuries, bruises, compresses with dimexide, glucocorticoids are prescribed. With aches all over the body, accompanied by a runny nose and other signs of acute respiratory viral infections, washing of the nasal passages with sea salt solutions, gargling with antiseptic solutions is indicated.
Surgery
Common causes of aches that occur in the body and joints without temperature are degenerative changes in cartilage and bone tissue that require surgical intervention. The modern method is therapeutic arthroscopy, during which osteophytes and pathologically altered areas of the synovial membrane are removed, and abrasive chondroplasty is performed. Osteo-cartilaginous autoplasty, aimed at restoring the anatomical structure of the joint, helps to reliably eliminate the pain syndrome. In advanced situations, corrective osteotomies and arthrodesis are necessary.
With plexitis and neuritis caused by compression of the nerve structures, decompression surgical interventions are indicated. In severe varicose veins, staged sclerosis of the damaged vessel or phlebectomy is performed. Treatment of body aches caused by rheumatoid arthritis includes total synovectomy, and in the case of irreversible changes in bone tissue, arthroplasty becomes the operation of choice. In case of refractory endocrine diseases, removal of the affected organ is recommended (thyroidectomy, subtotal resection of the thyroid gland, adrenalectomy).