What causes muscle pain?

The causes of muscle pain are numerous but can be broadly classified as:

Traumatic / Acute muscle pain often results from a single traumatic event that has injured the muscle. There is usually a clear link between the cause and symptoms. Acute muscle pain is most commonly presented as a result of accidents and contact sports such as rugby, soccer and basketball because of their dynamic and high collision nature.

Overuse / Chronic muscle pain is usually subtler and often occurs over a longer period. It results from repetitive micro-trauma to the muscle, causing the muscle to fatigue and become sore. Repetitive activities such shovelling gravel, overtraining at the gym, or typing on a keyboard for long periods everyday can often lead to chronic muscle pain.

Underuse syndrome is often overlooked as a cause of muscle pain. It refers to muscle pain and injuries caused by physical inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle, which in turn can lead to muscle stiffness, weakness, and loss of tone. When followed by movement of the body in an unfamiliar manner, such as lifting a box or playing a solitary game of tennis, this can result in muscle pain.

Systemic muscle pain is characterised by pain throughout your whole body, as opposed to being localised pain in a few specific areas of the body. It is more often the result of an infection, illness or side effect of a medication which may be accompanied by other symptoms. Medical care should be sought if muscle pain is experienced with symptoms such as trouble breathing, dizziness, and/or high fever.

We will be referring to the first three causes of muscle pain in this piece.