C O L U M N S

Caring For Aching Muscles

Our muscles bend and straighten our joints thousands of times a day, so it’s important to keep them in good working order.

Muscles have an excellent blood supply, and usually work aerobically, fuelled by blood oxygen and glucose. But when they need to work hard, for example, during sport, they switch to anaerobic exercise. This provides a rapid supply of energy by burning glucose (glycogen) stored in the muscles themselves, but also creates lactic acid, which makes muscles ache afterwards.

Muscle Strains And Cramps
A “pulled” muscle is caused by using it wrongly or by overuse - excessive force can stretch or tear tiny muscle fibres, producing pain each time the muscle contracts. If there’s a lot of damage, the muscle may be weakened, contain a large bruise (haematoma) or tear completely and stop working altogether. Most muscle strains can be treated at home (see “Ways to protect your muscles,” above), but if you have severe pain or weakness, you may need physiotherapy or even surgery to repair the damage.
Muscle cramps aren’t generally serious, but poor circulation can give you calf pain when walking. Night-time cramps are occasionally due to diuretics (water pills), other medication or illness, so consult your GP.

Fibromyalgia
This rheumatic condition causes widespread muscle pain, stiffness and tender points, and may be due to neurological differences in the way we feel pain. It’s more common in women than men, and is often linked to poor sleep, daytime fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, and low mood. There’s no test, so it’s normally diagnosed from the symptoms, and treatment is aimed at relieving these. Despite the tiredness, exercise can help.

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)
Polymyalgia means pain in many muscles, and in this condition, inflamed muscles can be stiff for a couple of hours after waking. Your shoulder and hip muscles will feel weak, as well as stiff, making it difficult to brush hair or get out of a chair, for example. It usually starts suddenly but rarely affects people under 50; signs of inflammation will show in blood tests. It mostly lasts for atleast two years and is treated with steroid tablets to suppress the inflammation until it disappears.

Statins
Statin drugs, used to lower blood cholesterol levels, can sometimes cause muscle inflammation and pain; it’s usually mild, but can occasionally be severe.

6 Ways To Protect Your Muscles
1. Avoid action that can cause muscle strain, such as heavy lifting, or working at an awkward angle.
2. Gently stretch muscles during and especially after exercise to prevent strains and tears.
3. Drink plenty of water to reduce muscle cramps during the time that you’re exercising.
4. Treat muscle sprains by applying ice cubes or frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel for 20 minutes, every four hours.
5. Rest a strained muscle, but stretch it very gently several times a day to avoid it stiffening up.
6. If you suffer from muscle cramps at night, stretch calf muscles during the day and before you go to sleep. Your GP may prescribe medication if you get them regularly.