Can Muscle Pain Travel?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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With time, pain can spread from one part of the body to another, shift, expand or radiate

, making treatment even harder. One common way that pain spreads to other parts of the body is by overcompensation, where we change our movement patterns in order to compensate the injured or hurt part of the body.

When should I be worried about muscle pain?


You have a serious loss of movement with the muscle ache

. You cannot put any weight on your joint. You think the injured area appears deformed. You are suffering from severe pain, and the area feels warm or swollen.

What causes muscle pain that moves around the body?

The most common causes of muscle pain are

tension, stress, overuse and minor injuries

. This type of pain is usually localized, affecting just a few muscles or a small part of your body.

What kind of muscle aches are associated with COVID-19?

As you’re recovering from COVID-19, you might have

joint or muscle pain

. Staying in bed for more than a couple of days ca​n lead to stiff joints and muscle weakness. They may ache, burn, or feel tired, stiff, or sore.

Does pain travel up or down?

The reason that radiating pain happens is due to the fact that all your nerves are connected. So, an injury or issue in one area can travel along connected nerve pathways and be felt in another area.

Pain can radiate from your back, down your arm or leg, or to your chest or back.

Can nerve pain travel around the body?

While a nerve may be pinched in a specific place and cause symptoms there, it also has the potential to send pain signals to other areas of the body. Pinched nerves can really happen anywhere, but they most commonly occur in the spine. And

the pain from pinched nerves in the spine can travel throughout the body

.

Can inflammation pain move around the body?



Inflammation can travel throughout the body

and cause problems all over. If you get arthritis or heart disease, odds are chronic inflammation is a contributor,” he says.

How long does muscle pain last?

Muscle aches may come on six to 12 hours after a workout and last

up to 48 hours

. You feel pain as the muscles heal and get stronger.

How long do COVID aches last?

When do muscle pains happen in COVID-19? Unusual muscle pains can be an early symptom of COVID-19, often appearing at the very start of the illness. Usually, it lasts for an average of

two to three days

but can take longer to go away the older you are.

How can you tell the difference between muscle pain and something serious?

Muscle soreness should not last longer than five days.

Seek medical attention if the pain doesn’t subside after a week, the injured area feels numb, or you are unable to walk or move your arms or legs

. These symptoms could indicate a bigger issue, such as damage to your joints or muscles.

How do you know if it’s muscle pain or something else?

With pain,

your joints or muscles may become very stiff if you rest or sit for a long time

. Injury pain may not go away on its own. Pain also can change how you move. If you limp because of pain or favor one shoulder over the other, it may be a sign of an injury.

What is muscle pain a symptom of?

Muscle pain is most often related to

tension, overuse, or muscle injury from exercise or hard physical work

. The pain tends to involve specific muscles and starts during or just after the activity. It is often obvious which activity is causing the pain.

Can COVID start with body aches?

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Fatigue.

Muscle or body aches

. Headache.

Does COVID-19 affect muscles?

COVID-19 is described as a multiorgan disease that affects not only the respiratory tract of infected individuals, but

it has considerable effects on the musculoskeletal system, causing excessive fatigue, myalgia, arthralgia, muscle weakness and skeletal muscle damage

.

Can you just have body aches with COVID?

This means symptoms like a runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing and sneezing, although

it can also include fever and body aches

. It also doesn’t rule out other COVID-19 symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) current list of identified symptoms includes: Fever or chills.

What defines a radiating pain?

If you have radiating pain that means that

your pain begins in one place and travels to another location along the path of a nerve

. Radiating pain (aka radicular pain) typically stems from back pain with nerve irritation that causes pain down the leg, or neck pain with nerve pain into the arms and hands.

How fast do pain signals travel?

In the human context, the signals carried by the large-diameter, myelinated neurons that link the spinal cord to the muscles can travel at speeds ranging from 70-120 meters per second (m/s) (156-270 miles per hour[mph]), while signals traveling along the same paths carried by the small-diameter, unmyelinated fibers of …

Which type of pain is temporary?


Acute pain

means the pain is short in duration (relatively speaking), lasting from minutes to about three months (sometimes up to six months). Acute pain also tends to be related to a soft-tissue injury or a temporary illness, so it typically subsides after the injury heals or the illness subsides.

Can a pinched nerve travel down your arm?

These nerves or their branches

can get pinched in several places as they travel down your arm

. Most often, this occurs near your elbow or your wrist, where bones and other structures form tunnels and small passageways your nerves must travel through.

What are signs of nerve damage?

  • Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet.
  • Feeling like you’re wearing a tight glove or sock.
  • Muscle weakness, especially in your arms or legs.
  • Regularly dropping objects that you’re holding.
  • Sharp pains in your hands, arms, legs, or feet.
  • A buzzing sensation that feels like a mild electrical shock.

Does pain from a pinched nerve come and go?

A sharp pain along the affected area is one of the most common signs.

The pain may come and go

, but if it continues for more than a few days, you should definitely see a doctor.

What does muscle inflammation feel like?

Inflammation damages the muscle fibers, which causes weakness, and may affect the arteries and blood vessels that pass through muscle. Other symptoms include

fatigue after walking or standing, frequent episodes of tripping or falling, and difficulty swallowing or breathing

.

Can arthritis pain move around?

Pain in a specific joint may lead you to suspect arthritis or another health condition.

When the pain stops and moves to a joint in another part of your body, you may be experiencing migratory arthritis

. Migratory arthritis can also cause: redness from visibly swollen joints.

Can pain move from joint to joint?

Simply put,

migratory arthritis describes the condition when arthritis symptoms (e.g., pain, swelling, warmth, redness, and stiffness in or around a joint) travel from one joint to another joint

.

What’s the best pain reliever for muscle pain?


Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and Naproxen (Aleve)

.

Its anti-inflammatory properties are better for muscle soreness and body aches that typically stem from inflammation.

Will muscle pain go away by itself?

Although

most muscle aches and pains go away on their own within a short time

, sometimes muscle pain can linger for months. Muscle pain can develop almost anywhere in your body, including your neck, back, legs and even your hands. The most common causes of muscle pain are tension, stress, overuse and minor injuries.

Why is my muscle pain not going away?

When to see a doctor


Make an appointment with your doctor if you experience muscle pain that doesn’t go away

. Nearly everyone experiences muscle pain from time to time. But if your muscle pain persists despite rest, massage and similar self-care measures, make an appointment with your doctor.

Emily Lee
Author
Emily Lee
Emily Lee is a freelance writer and artist based in New York City. She’s an accomplished writer with a deep passion for the arts, and brings a unique perspective to the world of entertainment. Emily has written about art, entertainment, and pop culture.