Musculoskeletal Pain: What You Need to Know

Musculoskeletal pain refers to pain in the muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, and nerves.

 

Causes of Musculoskeletal pain

The cause of musculoskeletal pain varies. Muscle tissues can be damaged by tears and wear from daily activities. Also, the trauma of an area can cause musculoskeletal pain or injury.

Other causes of pain include postural strain, repetitive movements, overuse, and prolonged immobilization. Changes in posture or poor body mechanics can result in spinal alignment problems and muscle shortening, causing other muscles to become overused and painful.

 

Common symptoms of musculoskeletal pain

Most people with musculoskeletal pain sometimes complain about the entire body aches. Muscles sometimes feel pulled or overworked, and sometimes the muscles twitch or burn.

Symptoms of musculoskeletal may vary from one person to another, but there are some common symptoms which are;

• Fatigue – a discomfort leading to a lack of restful sleep
• Inflammation- swelling, warmth, tenderness, and redness that often appear on the affected areas
• Noises from the affected joints- affected joints may make a popping or grinding sound
• Pain from the affected area- the pain may be acute or chronic, concentrated in one place, and can range from mild to debilitating
• Reduced range of motion- it becomes difficult to lift, rotate or move the body as usual, especially the lower back
• Weakness- muscles become weak and twitchy because they have been overworked

 

Process and diagnosis of musculoskeletal pain

Several various medical specialists can treat musculoskeletal pain. However, diagnosing musculoskeletal pain requires a physician to consider numerous things. First, your doctor must review your medical history, looking for the possible cause of your pain.

Your physician then conducts several examinations looking for the source of pain. Then there will be various diagnostic procedures that may include X-rays, blood tests, CT scans, and MRIs to determine the physical extent of that pain.

 

How musculoskeletal pain is treated

Various types of manual therapy or mobilization can treat people with spinal alignment problems. For acute musculoskeletal pain, techniques have been proven to speed up recovery.

Medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory can be used to treat inflammation or pain.

For patients with musculoskeletal disorders such as fibromyalgia- medication to increase the body's level of serotonin may be prescribed in low doses. Some medicines used to aid sleep are zolpidem, eszopiclone, and ramelteon.  

Other treatments for the musculoskeletal include;

• You get an Injection with anesthetic or anti-inflammatory medication in or around the painful areas.
• Practice exercises that include muscle strengthening and stretching.
• Physical and occupational therapy
• Therapeutic massage

 

Sources:

1. https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/musculoskeletal-pain

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3201649/

3. https://www.healthline.com/health/tgct/musculoskeletal-pain#diagnosis

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