Constant Fatigue And Muscle Pain

When To Be Concerned

Of course, body aches and fatigue are very common, but the severe pain located in joints and muscles is a lot like what you have when you are dealing with the flu.

Some of the other symptoms that accompany chronic body aches and fatigue are:

• Tenderness when pain is most severe
• Lack of sleep
• Fever
• Inflammation

Due to the fact that there are some serious conditions that can manifest with chronic body aches and fatigue, it is critical that you make an appointment with your physician to get checked out.

Following are some of the common conditions that manifest with these symptoms:

Unexplained Pain: Could Those Aches And Fatigue Be An Autoimmune Disease

Are you exhausted and depressed? Do your joints ache? These are telltale symptoms of more than 80 of the autoimmune diseases that exist. Find out the 6 most common, what happens when your body turns against itself and how to diagnose and treat symptoms…

When our immune systems work right, our body is able to fend off attacks from invading bacteria and viruses. But with an autoimmune disease, it fights against us. Instead of protecting, it attacks, sending armies of your bodys disease-fighters to battle your own healthy tissue, cells and organs.

Up to 22 million Americans have autoimmune disorders, according to the National Institutes of Health . Nearly 80% of them are women many in their childbearing years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . And the numbers are growing. Autoimmune diseases are much more prevalent now than they were 20 years ago, says Virginia Ladd, president of the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association. Each disease is relatively rare, but looking at them collectively, thats another story.

• Pain in the wrists and fingers of both hands
• Tender, warm joints in both knees and elbows
• Morning discomfort
• Fatigue/loss of energy
• Fever

How to diagnose it:

• Fatigue
• Chronic vaginal yeast infections

How to treat it:

• Achy and swollen joints
• Shortness of breath or chest pain
• Skin sores from sun exposure

How to treat it:

• Dairy products

Multiple Sclerosis As A Cause Of Joint Pain And Fatigue

Multiple sclerosis affects the immune system by attacking the brain, optic nerves and spinal cord, say experts.

The disease also destroys myelin, the sheath that protects and covers the nerves. This hinders signals between the brain and the body. This can results in numbness, pain and tremors common symptoms of the disease.

In fact, MS can resemble lupus as well as Lyme disease. It can also cause fatigue and joint pain. One of the common symptoms include numbness and a tingling sensation.

Studies suggest that a majority of Americans have MS with the diseases affecting people between 20-40 years. Women are more likely to fall prey to MS as opposed to men.

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Clinical Burden Of Chronic Pain And Fatigue

Further understanding of pain and fatigue is clinically important as they are among the most frequent symptoms reported by patients. When these symptoms are persistent or unexplained they are associated with poorer quality of life and higher costs than other patient groups. They also pose a diagnostic conundrum and have a significant impact on healthcare utilisation costs and significant indirect costs.

Fibromyalgia is characterised by chronic pain, fatigue and what are described as functional symptoms. Myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome is a complex, chronic condition characterised by symptom clusters that include pathological fatigue and malaise that is worse after exertion, cognitive dysfunction, immune dysfunction, unrefreshing sleep, pain, autonomic dysfunction, neuroendocrine and immune symptoms.

Chronic pain affects between one-third and one-half of the population of the UK, whereby fibromyalgia has a reported prevalence of 5%. In a population-based sample of middle-aged individuals, fatigue was present in one out of five subjects.

Hypothyroidism Tends To Make People Feel Sluggish

Hypothyroidism tends to make people feel tired, sluggish, and depressed.

It is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone. Inflammation of the thyroid gland is the most common cause. Other symptoms may include hair loss, depression, heavier menstrual periods, weakness, unintentional weight gain and being more sensitive to cold.

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What Kind Of Treatment Could Help Against Fatigue

Sometimes is still a major problem despite adjusting your daily schedule, doing physical exercise and getting support from other people. Then professional help may be an option, for instance in the form of psychological treatment or occupational therapy. Some specialized programs have been developed specifically for people who have fatigue as a result of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Theyâre designed to do things like help you plan activities and make sure you donât use up all of your energy at once.

Cognitive behavioral therapy strategies can also be learned to help cope with . Some involve recognizing and then changing certain thoughts, beliefs and behaviors that make it more difficult to live with the disease.

Studies on non-drug treatments show that approaches used in occupational therapy and psychotherapy can relieve exhaustion.

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Heart Disease And Fatigue

Symptoms: Fatigue from an activity that should be easy

If youre exhausted after an activity that used to be easy — for example, walking up the steps — it may be time to talk to your doctor about the possibility of heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. If your fatigue is related to your heart, medication or treatments can usually help correct the problem, cut the fatigue, and restore your energy.

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I Have Muscle Weakness

If you have muscle weakness and visit your doctor, they will first need to know the following:

• How it began and how long you have had it for.
• Whether it is getting worse, getting better or staying the same.
• Whether you are otherwise well, are losing weight or have travelled abroad recently.
• What medicines or other drugs you have been taking and whether there are any muscle problems in your family.

Your doctor will need to examine you to see which muscles are affected and whether you have true or perceived muscle weakness. They will check to see whether your muscles are tender to touch or unusually ‘fatigable’. They may want to watch you walk.

They will then need to test your nerves to see whether the muscles are getting the right signals to act. Your doctor may need to test your central nervous system, including your balance and co-ordination. They may need to perform blood tests to look for abnormalities of hormones, salts and blood cells.

Depending on the results of these tests your doctor may also order the following:

• Nerve studies to make sure the nerves are conducting properly.
• A muscle biopsy to see whether the muscles themselves show signs of inflammation or damage. A biopsy is a procedure where a small sample is taken to look at under the microscope.
• Body scans such as CT or MRI to look for conditions elsewhere in the body which may affect muscle power and function.

How Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Diagnosed

CFS is difficult to diagnose. Some people have a hard time accepting CFS as a disease. Its important to remember that your fatigue is real and that you can work with your doctor to improve your symptoms.

The first step is to see if there is any other explainable cause for your fatigue. Your doctor will probably want to review your symptoms and medical history and give you a physical exam. Your doctor may also want to do some blood tests, but lab testing is not often helpful in the diagnosis of CFS.

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Womens Health Problems Doctors Still Miss

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Women may feel like their symptoms and health problems are not taken seriously
• Some live with symptoms for 10-plus years before finally getting the right diagnosis
• Hard-to-diagnose women who cant get the help may have autoimmune disorder
• Learn names, risk factors, symptoms, and treatments for misdiagnosed illnesses

RELATED TOPICS

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Ashley Price felt terrible. She was tired, dizzy spells came and went, dark splotches popped up on her chest for no reason, and shed gained 50 pounds in two years. Some days she was starving other days she could barely eat. Her doc suggested that her problems would go away if Price just ate less and exercised more, even though she was dieting and working out regularly. Price demanded thyroid tests, only to have them come back normal.

Her doctor told her: I have no idea what it is. Wait for it to go away. It didnt go away. I could no longer think straight, no matter how hard I tried or what I did, Price says. Worse, she suffered three straight miscarriages.

Finally, four years after this nightmare began after the third miscarriage an ultrasound revealed that her ovaries were riddled with cysts. She had polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormonal disorder symptoms include irregular periods, infertility, brain fog, and obesity.

1. Polycystic ovary syndrome

What is it, and who gets it?

How does it feel?

What is it, and who gets it?

4. Lupus

Things That Cause Muscle Fatigue And Soreness

Therere few things as painful as muscle fatigue and soreness. Have you ever spent the day working out at the gym and feeling great, only to feel intense pain the next day from working your muscles too hard? Your musculoskeletal system controls things like your movements, posture, and balance, so its no wonder when you stretch or move them beyond their limits that they would be sore.

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Exercise Can Help Counter The Effects Of Fatigue

Exercise can often help relieve the effects of fatigue, especially more short-lived, acute forms of fatigue. Remaining physically active is important for patients with CFS, however, the approach to exercise must be individualized since exercise can cause the symptoms to become worse for some people. Other things that may help: better hydration, better diet, relaxation, and, of course, more rest and better sleep.

Caffeine and other stimulants may help fight fatigue in the short term, but longer-term, they may actually contribute to the problem.

Protect Your Joints And Muscles

When you have muscle or joint pain, it can be hard to be active. But when youre less active, your muscles get weaker and that can make your joint pain worse.

Work with your rheumatologist to make a physical activity plan thats right for you. If you have muscle weakness, physical therapy can help strengthen your muscles. Your rheumatologist can refer you to a physical therapist.

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Symptoms Of Chronic Fatigue

According to the Institute of Medicine of National Academies in the US, ME/CFS affects 836,000 to 2.5 million Americans since 2015. For this reason, early prevention and treatment for chronic fatigue can avoid this disease. If youre experiencing some of these chronic fatigue symptoms, it may be best to visit your local hospital right away.

• Unending body, joint, and muscle pain for more than six months
• Extreme exhaustion even after short periods of exercise
• Restless leg syndrome

Viral Or Bacterial Infection And Fatigue

Symptoms: Fatigue, fever, head or body aches.

Fatigue can be a symptom of infections ranging from the flu to HIV. If you have an infection, you’ll probably have other symptoms like fever, head or body aches, shortness of breath, or appetite loss.

Infections that may cause fatigue include:

• Flu

Symptoms: Chronic fatigue, deep muscle pain, painful tender points, sleep problems, anxiety, depression

Fibromyalgia is one of the more common causes of chronic fatigue and musculoskeletal pain, especially in women. Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are considered separate but related disorders. They share a common symptom: severe fatigue that greatly interferes with people’s lives.

With fibromyalgia, you may feel that no matter how long you sleep, it’s never restful. And you may feel as if you are always fatigued during daytime hours. Your sleep may be interrupted by frequent waking. Yet, you may not remember any sleep disruptions the next day. Some people with fibromyalgia live in a constant fibro fog — a hazy feeling that makes it hard to concentrate.

Constant daytime fatigue with fibromyalgia often results in people not getting enough exercise. That causes a decline in physical fitness. It can also lead to mood-related problems. The best way to offset these effects is to try to exercise more. Exercise has tremendous benefits for sleep, mood, and fatigue.

Continued

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See Rashes On Eyelids

If your musculoskeletal pain comes bundled with eyelid rashes, you could be in the grips of dermatomyositis. This is an autoimmune disease that causes general aching because it inflames the blood vessels beneath your skin. It can make it hard to swallow, and to stand up from a seated position. Common symptoms include fatigue and rashes. These can be red or purple, and they tend to itch. And they don’t just appear on eyelids dermatomyositis rashes may appear on cheeks, elbows, knees, knuckles, the back, or the upper chest.

Your doctor might prescribe medications like corticosteroids to control the symptoms. There are exercises that can be learned to keep your strength and flexibility up as well, and therapies to control the swallowing problems that can result from this disease. Purified blood products can be offered as injections, and these can stop the damage to your muscles and skin for a time. But they need to be administered regularly and they are expensive.

The Underlying Cause Of Chronic Muscle Soreness

Now, back to answering our original question of what causes chronic muscle soreness. In normal movement, muscles contract and release, contract and release, over and over again. When muscles release and get a chance to rest, metabolic wastes are flushed out of our muscles, making the soreness go away and restoring full function. When we hold our muscles in a constant state of contraction, however, this recycling process never gets to happen.

Muscles that are constantly contracted, or being held in a state of tonic contraction, are working very hard even when were standing still. So as you can imagine, they require a great deal of energy in the form of ATP. But unfortunately, contracted muscles squeeze the blood vessels in the area, restricting blood flow and reducing the amount of oxygen and glucose that can be carried to the working muscle. This compression of the blood vessels is not problem during a phasic contraction, in which muscles regularly contract and release. But during a tonic contraction, constant compression of the blood vessels leads to ischemia, a condition in which lack of oxygen and nutrients can lead to pain, loss of function, cell damage and even cell death.

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How Do People Cope With Exhaustion

Many people gradually come to learn how to regulate their energy better and to accept the changes associated with the condition. They pay more attention to their bodys signals and then adjust what kinds of activities they do based on their symptoms.

As well as the phases where the arthritis gets much worse, there are also periods where its possible to live a quite normal life. It often helps to start seeing the condition as a part of your life and to set new goals that you can still achieve anyway. Some people say that the disease has helped them to live their lives more consciously.

Many mention in interviews that theyve discovered practical ways of dealing with :

• Learn to say no sometimes
• Dont plan to do too much at once
• Reconsider and adapt your goals
• Plan activities carefully, take your time, spread out demanding tasks across the week.
• Take breaks before you become too exhausted
• Get to bed early, take naps and learn relaxation techniques
• Avoid going out at busy times of the day, for instance when you go shopping or on a trip
• Talk with others about your disease so that they can better understand how it affects you
• Talk to others who have rheumatoid arthritis so that you can learn from their experiences

Fatigue Cause No : Food Allergies

Some doctors believe hidden food allergies can make you sleepy. If your fatigue intensifies after meals, you could have a mild intolerance to something youâre eating â not enough to cause itching or hives, just enough to make you tired.

Fix: Try eliminating foods one at a time to see if your fatigue improves. You can also ask your doctor about a food allergy test.

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The Cure For Chronic Muscle Soreness

So the cure for chronic muscle soreness sounds easy enough: just release your chronically contracted muscles. But as you probably know from experience, its not that easy. Stretching, massage, and even rest often wont do the trick. Why dont these approaches work? Because they dont address the messages that your brain is sending to your muscles to stay tight.

Over the course of our lives, as we repeat certain postures and movements over and over, our nervous system learns to make these postures and movements automatic. For most of us, this learning process often results in keeping certain muscles contracted all the time. The more deeply learned this muscular contraction becomes, the harder it is to release the contraction voluntarily. You can read more about this learning process here.

The most effective and efficient cure for most chronic muscle soreness is a movement technique called pandiculation. Pandiculation contracts and releases muscles in such a way that accurate biofeedback is sent to the brain, naturally resetting the gamma feedback loop, which controls the level of contraction in muscles.

Pandiculation is one of the techniques used in Clinical Somatic Education, a method of neuromuscular education developed by Thomas Hanna. Pandiculation is very slow, gentle and therapeutic. It can be done hands-on with a certified educator, or on your own at home in the form of self-care exercises. To begin learning Clinical Somatics exercises at home,.