Muscle pain (myalgia) is a condition that does not give rest to many and varied people. Why does it appear and how do you get rid of it in conventional ways and with the help of complementary therapies and remedy?

• Muscle pain is common in people who have started exercising, exercising regularly, or those whose inactivity or age has led to a kind of “degeneration” of the body and now suffers from burnout.
• Common muscle aches include back pain, leg pain, groin pain and shoulder pain.
• The treatment of muscle pain consists of physiotherapy treatment, proper rest, ointments, dietary supplements, and customized medication.

Does it hurt you? Whether it is leg pain, back pain, knee pain, shoulder pain and more, muscle aches are a common problem that afflicts almost every one of us at some point in our lives. Children experience “growth pain,” soldiers experience “stress fractures,” athletes experience various muscle aches of all kinds, and adults may experience muscle pain (mostly in the back, but not only) because of the changes that age brings with it.

What are muscle aches?

Muscle pain is called in the language of medicine “myalgia“. (Fibromyalgia patients suffer from chronic muscle pain). Myalgia is a pain in one muscle or in a specific muscle group. Muscle pain can appear after running or other strenuous exercise, or as a result of muscle trauma (falling, hitting, etc.). In many other cases, the pain is a symptom of an existing disease (flu for example), inflammation, autoimmune disease or a viral disease.

Among the muscle aches can be found:

Lower back pain
Upper back and neck pain
Shoulder pain
Sore feet
Shoulder pain

Who suffers from muscle aches?

In one word – everyone. And we will explain in detail that there is hardly a person who can avoid muscle pain, there is no immunity from the phenomenon, but there are population groups that have to deal with muscle pain more than the rest. These “risk groups” are:

Pain in pregnant women

Women’s body structure changes during pregnancy, the center of gravity changes and moves away a little and makes it difficult to posture, sleep is impaired and all this is joined by a decent dose of stress and pressure, so pregnant women may suffer from muscle pain mainly in the back, shoulders and legs.

In addition to this there are pregnant women who are at risk for various nutritional deficiencies including magnesium deficiency or insufficient calcium intake, these two minerals play an important role in the proper functioning of the muscles, and deficiency in them can cause sudden and very painful muscle cramps. It is therefore very important to maintain a balanced diet and supplement these deficiencies, if any, with the help of supplements.

Pain due to anemia

A condition of anemia can also cause muscle cramps and pain, when not enough blood reaches the muscles they are weak and may ache or get caught. Anemia can be a manifestation of iron deficiency, folic acid or vitamin B12, or a combination of them.

Athletes or trainees

Perhaps the group of people most identified with muscle aches, and this is certainly understandable. Exercise challenges the muscles of the body, and may suffer from muscle pain following some injury, fall or trauma during training, or as a result of training or movement that does not match their ability, which will lead to muscle pain.

The overload that trainees or athletes exert (usually unconsciously) on the muscle eventually overwhelms it and then a small, sometimes microscopic tear is created that the body tries to repair. Trainees and athletes should plan their training times that will also include proper rest that will allow the muscles to recover and rebuild and thus avoid physical damage. These tears are characterized in the area of ​​the various joints in the body that are connected by tendons, such as the knees, shoulders, tendons in the hands and Achilles tendon. Of course back and neck pain are also very common in athletes.

Pain in Elderly

The human body can in many cases cover up incorrect posture, the defects and bruises we suffer, but over the years this protection wears away, and people in old age are much more exposed to muscle aches than young people.

Another cause of muscle pain in adults is a disruption in the blood supply to the muscles that weakens them and causes pain. There are many adults (women and men) whose pain is defined as “chronic pain”, usually pain that lasts for more than six weeks. The more typical pains for the elderly are back pain, with an emphasis on the lower back, but not only.

What are the most common muscle aches?

Back Pain – Anyone who has dealt with back pain in the past understands how crucial and important back muscles is. Back muscle pain most often occurs as a result of incorrect movement or posture, or due to a lack of blood supply to the muscles. The result in any case – painful to almost paralyzing.

Leg pain – The muscle pain in the legs can also be caused by incorrect posture or “incorrect” movement, or alternatively by anemia, calcium deficiency, and magnesium in the leg muscles. Another common pain in the legs are “stress fractures” that occur due to overload activity on the leg bones over time. Although the source of the pain is bone, people who experience stress fractures feel pain in the area of ​​the crack or fracture – mainly during exercise, but sometimes even at rest.

Knee pain – These are pains that result not only from muscle damage, but in many cases due to the erosion of the cartilage that coats the bones of the knee joint. People who carry heavy loads routinely (e.g. construction workers or porters) and athletes are at the top of the list of sufferers of these knee pains along with older people who face years of erosion. Even those who exercise only occasionally in an uncontrolled manner or overweight people can suffer from knee pain.

Groin pain – These central muscles connect the upper body to the lower and are often exposed to loads and injuries. Many times these are incorrect movements that can lead to a stretch or tear in the groin.

Shoulder pain – Our shoulders are able to produce a wide and varied range of motion, but injury to the muscles that surround the shoulder due to the heavy load placed on this joint daily or some trauma can lead not only to pain, but severe limitation of hand and arm movements.

Ways to treat muscle pain

Almost all those in pain will be able to find ways to treat their pain. If the pain is due to a lack of vitamins or minerals, it is possible to build a supportive nutrition plan together with the dietitian, along with the use of ointments or supplements. For other pains, you can seek medical or complementary treatment, alternative medicine like acupuncture with the help of physiotherapy and painkillers.

There is great importance in diagnosing the source of the pain – if it is diagnosed as a pain due to overexertion, the nature of the treatment will be mainly rest and stretching to release the muscle, and if it is pain as a result of muscle injury concentrate on heating or cooling the muscle. If the pain is due to an illness of course the illness should be treated alongside the treatment of the pain itself.

Natural treatment for muscle aches

Many people with pain try to find information about using “grandma’s remedies” for muscle pain, referring to various herbs, essential oils for massaging and applying to the sore muscle, hot tubs or ice baths and consuming various foods like potassium-rich banana and magnesium, drinking coffee, Or superfoods like turmeric, ginger and more.

Nutritional adjustments

It is a major part of treating muscle aches, especially those resulting from anemia, or a lack of minerals and vitamins. A proper and balanced diet can support exercise and build muscle after training, and can also help with routine and prevent deficiencies that will lead to future damage.

To help our muscles it is recommended to consume a diet rich in omega 3 and vitamin B12. It is also advisable to adhere to the principles of the Mediterranean diet – prefer fresh foods, without the addition of sugar, salt or sauces and use cooking methods, which preserve the natural nutrients found in foods.

According to nutritionists and dietitians, it is worth including in the menu:

whole grains
Legumes
Vegetable fat with preference for monounsaturated fat (such as olive oil)
3-2 Dairy products
And at least 5 different types of vegetables and fruits a day,
3-2 servings of oily sea fish per week
Nuts and almonds, garlic, cinnamon and foods rich in lycopene, calcium, vitamin D and magnesium can be added as part of a balanced daily diet. Along with all of these it is important to minimize the consumption of high-fat meats as much as possible, including processed meats that are also high in sodium, foods that contain trans fat, salt or sugar.