Myalgia

Myalgia means "muscle pain" and is a symptom of many diseases and disorders. The most common causes are the overuse or over-stretching of a muscle or group of muscles. Myalgia without a traumatic history is often due to viral infections. Longer-term myalgias may be indicative of a metabolic myopathy, some nutritional deficiencies or chronic fatigue syndrome.

Causes

The most common causes of myalgia are overuse, injury or strain. However, myalgia can also be caused by diseases, disorders, medications, or as a response to a vaccination. It is also a sign of acute rejection after heart transplant surgery.

The most common causes are:

• Injury or trauma, including sprains, hematoma
• Overuse: using a muscle too much, too often, including protecting a separate injury
• Chronic tension

Muscle pain occurs with:

• Rhabdomyolysis, associated with:
  • Viral
  • Compression injury
  • Drug-related, esp fibrates and statins, occ ACE inhibitors, cocaine, some retro-viral drugs
  • Severe potassium deficiency
• Fibromyalgia
• Infections, including:
  • Influenza (the flu)
  • Lyme disease
  • Malaria
  • Dengue Fever
  • Hemorrhagic fever
  • Muscle abscess
  • Polio
  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever
  • Trichinosis (roundworm)
• Auto-immune disorders, including:
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Polymyalgia rheumatica
  • Polymyositis
  • Dermatomyositis
  • Multiple Sclerosis (this is neurologic pain localised to myotome)

Overuse

Overuse of a muscle is using it too much, too soon and/or too often.^[1] Examples are:

• Repetitive strain injury.

Injury

The most common causes of myalgia by injury are: sprains and strain (injury).^[1]

Autoimmune

Multiple sclerosis (neurologic pain interpreted as muscular), Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Myositis, Lupus erythematosus, Familial Mediterranean fever, Polyarteritis nodosa, Devic's disease, Morphea

Metabolic defect

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase II deficiency, Conn's syndrome, Adrenal insufficiency, Hyperthyroidism, Hypothyroidism

Other

Chronic fatigue syndrome aka Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Hypokalemia, Exercise intolerance, Mastocytosis, Peripheral neuropathy, Eosinophilia myalgia syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Barcoo Fever, Herpes, Delayed onset muscle soreness, AIDS, HIV, Tumor-induced osteomalacia, Post Orgasmic Illness Syndrome

Medications

Acrylamide, Aspirin, colesevelam, darbepoetin, darunavir, daptomycin, ezetimibe, ibandronate sodium, ibuprofen, imiquimod, interferons, isotretinoin, procainamide, quinupristin/dalfopristin, statins, sumatriptan, tasigna, tiotropium, vardenafil, zolmitriptan, zocor.

Withdrawal syndromes

Sudden cessation of high-dose corticosteroids, opioids, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, or alcohol can induce myalgia.

See also

• Delayed onset muscle soreness
• Myopathy
• Myelitis
• Muscle correction therapy

References

External links

• NEUROMUSCULAR DISEASE CENTER Washington University a more comprehensive list