Medical problem? Call 1800 022 222. If you need urgent medical help, call triple zero immediately
healthdirect Australia is a free service where you can talk to a nurse or doctor who can help you know what to do.
1-minute read
General muscular aches and pains are common and often caused by unaccustomed use or overuse of ligaments, tendons, and fascia (the soft tissues that connect muscles).
Last reviewed: February 2014
These trusted information partners have more on this topic.
Top results
One of the body’s reactions to fear and anxiety is muscle tension. This can result in feeling “tense”, or relaxation can lead to muscle aches and pains, as well as leaving some people feeling exhausted.
Read more on Centre for Clinical Interventions website
One of the more serious causes of leg pain is intermittent claudication. Find out more about this condition.
Read more on myDr website
Muscle crampsare painful, sometimes disabling, involuntary contractions of muscles under voluntary control (skeletal muscle) caused by abnormal functioning of the nerves which control the muscles. Cramps are exacerbated when the nervous system is stressed.
Read more on myVMC – Virtual Medical Centre website
Muscle cramps are painful, sometimes disabling, involuntary contractions of a muscle or a group of muscles, caused by ectopic discharges from nerves and nerve terminals.
Read more on myVMC – Virtual Medical Centre website
Children often complain of stomach ache (pain in the tummy). It can be a sign of illness, but often a child will have pain, but not be unwell.
Read more on Women's and Children's Health Network website
Knowing the symptoms of your neck pain and when to see a doctor can help in finding the cause and getting a diagnosis.
Read more on myDr website
In this episode, you will learn about the importance of physical activity and exercise in maintaining your health and ultimately reducing your pain. It is important to maintain strength and flexibility in your muscles and joints.There are strategies to get you started, exercise resources and links.Use the ideas and tools to help plan and pace your activities to control for flare ups.
Read more on ACI Pain Management Network website
When you have arthritis, joint pain and weakness can make normal activities around the home difficult
Read more on Arthritis Australia website
Back pain may be caused by muscle strain, spinal injury or herniated disc. It can be treated with painkillers or, rarely, surgery.
Read more on myVMC – Virtual Medical Centre website
Patellofemoral pain syndrome is one of the most common disorders of the knee. Find out about the symptoms, causes and treatment.
Read more on myDr website
Top results
Muscle relaxants are effective for short-term symptomatic relief in patients with acute and chronic low back pain. However, the incidence of drowsiness, dizziness and other side effects is high. Muscle relaxants must be used with caution and it must be left to the discretion of the physician to weigh the pros and cons and to determine whether or not a specific patient is a suitable candidate for a course of muscle relaxants. Large high quality trials are needed that directly compare muscle relaxants to analgesics or NSAIDs and future studies should focus on reducing the incidence and severity of side effects.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Electrical stimulation of muscles improves shoulder stiffness after a stroke but there is not enough evidence to prove whether it reduces shoulder pain. Patients who have a stroke (a sudden catastrophe in the brain either because an artery to the brain blocks, or because an artery in or on the brain ruptures and bleeds) often develop shoulder pain. This adds to the difficulties caused by the stroke. Pain in the shoulder can cause weakness, loss of muscle tone and loss of feeling. Electrical neuromuscular stimulation (ES) is done by applying an electrical current to the skin. This stimulates nerves and muscle fibres and may improve muscle tone, muscle strength, and reduce pain. The review found that shoulder stiffness improved after ES. No adverse effects were noted. The review also found there was not enough evidence to decide if ES can reduce shoulder pain or not. More research is needed.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
The common cold is the most common infection in humans. Considered trivial, it does not cause complications but leads to significant work absenteeism due to discomfort caused by the symptoms.The common cold is diagnosed according to the symptoms and treatments are mainly symptomatic. New information, especially regarding the effects of cytokines in human beings, now helps to explain some of the symptoms of colds and influenza, such as fever, loss of appetite, malaise, chilliness, headache, and muscle aches and pains. Many of these signs and symptoms are common and are attributed to congestion arising from swelling of the membranes and thickened mucus inside the nose.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
This summary of a Cochrane review presents what we know from research about the effect of muscle relaxants on pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Botulinum toxin injectable drug for myofascial pain syndrome (a painful condition that could affect any muscle in the body) in adults
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
This review investigated the 'muscle energy technique' (MET) as a treatment for non-specific low-back pain (low-back pain that cannot be linked to a specific cause).
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Intermittent claudication (IC) is a symptom of lower limb ischaemia that results from peripheral arterial disease (PAD). It is evident as muscle pain (ache, cramp, numbness or sense of fatigue) in the leg muscles that occurs during exercise and is relieved by a short period of rest. Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) and prostacyclin (PGI2), also known as prostanoids, are vasoactive drugs used in PAD to reduce arterial insufficiency. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effects of prostanoids in patients with IC. We identified 18 randomised studies with a total of 2773 participants, of which four studies compared the effects of PGE1 versus placebo. Overall, there was insufficient high quality evidence to suggest that PGE1 improves walking distances in people with IC. There was also a lack of evidence to determine if PGE1 was more effective than laevadosin, naftidrofuryl or L-arginine. Evidence on the efficacy of prostacyclin was inconclusive. Results suggest that, compared with PGE1, prostacyclin may be associated with an increased occurrence of side effects including headache, diarrhoea and facial flushing.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Parecoxib delivered intramuscularly or intravenously (injected in to the muscle or the vein) for acute postoperative pain in adults
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are disorders that affect the joint between the temporal bone on the side of the head and the mandibular (jaw) bone of the face, and the associated muscles. Pain is the defining feature of TMD and the primary reason for seeking care. TMD may also involve joint noises or restricted jaw function or both. Different medicines are used to treat pain due to temporomandibular disorders (TMD).These include simple painkillers (analgesics) and medicines which reduce inflammation and treat pain (for example, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids).Medicines (called benzodiazepines) are sometimes used to reduce tension and spasm in the muscles affected by TMD.In addition, some antidepressant medicines (called tricyclic antidepressants) are used in low doses to help patients with TMD and are thought to be effective because they reduce muscle tension in patients who grind their teeth. This review found that there was not enough evidence to decide which medicines are effective in reducing pain due to chronic TMD.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
24 hour health advice and information you can count on
We are a government-funded service, providing quality, approved health information
