Never Ignore Chronic Body Aches & Fatigue
Chronic body aches and fatigue can affect anyone- no matter what your age- and can be a quite stressful experience.
Some of the most common body aches include neck/back pain, muscle pain, headaches, and joint pain. In addition, there is neuropathic pain, which is a condition that results in a malfunction of the nervous system.
Chronic body aches and fatigue can be a serious medical condition that needs medical attention and should never be ignored.
Following are some of the most common causes of body aches and fatigue that you should be aware of.
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Remedies For Joint Pain: Conclusion
Joint pain of unknown origin can cause a myriad of debilitating problems, including the additional stress of trying to find effective remedies for joint pain. It can be a scary and confusing time, especially when test results show no abnormalities and your doctor cant figure out whats wrong. Its important to find and address the cause of the inflammation. If you experience other concurring symptoms similar to those of Adrenal Fatigue, find a practitioner who can support your NEM stress response. Proper restorative strategies will help your body cope with both the stress and the pain.
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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Disease Activity And Fatigue
Fatigue and arthritis go hand in hand for many people with arthritis. The main culprits are the inflammatory disease process and the accompanying chronic pain.
- Inflammation. If you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system attacks your body and inflammation is the result. The body undergoes stress as it tries to cope with the release of inflammatory cytokines in the blood. That can cause fatigue, especially when disease activity is high or low-grade inflammation remains for a long time.
- Chronic Pain. The pain-fatigue connection can be a vicious circle. Dealing with arthritis pain for months at a time over many years can wear you down. It can affect your sleep habits, which adds to your exhaustion. Being fatigued, in turn, can worsen pain and make it more difficult to manage.
Polymyalgia Rheumatica And Giant Cell Arteritis
Some people with polymyalgia rheumatica experience giant cell arteritis . Giant cell arteritis involves painful inflammation of the blood vessels of the skull. Symptoms include:
- severe headache
- pain in the side of your jaw or face when chewing
- temples are tender to touch
- scalp tenderness.
Seek urgent medical attention if you experience any of these symptoms. If not treated promptly, giant cell arteritis can cause damage to the arteries of the eye, which can lead to blindness.
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Joint pain you expect. Stiffness and swelling, too. But with rheumatoid, psoriatic, and other kinds of inflammatory arthritis, theres another symptom thats just as common, but much less tangible: chronic fatigue.
Fatigue in inflammatory arthritis is different than just being tired or a little worn out. Fatigue is a more overwhelming feeling, a deeper sense of slowing down that can be tough to define.
Some patients describe it as not feeling like doing much, says Elena Schiopu, MD, a rheumatologist at the Michigan Medicine Rheumatology Clinic in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Others say its falling asleep all day long, at the drop of a hat.
Research shows as many as 80 percent of people with RA report chronic fatigue. Experts believe inflammatory arthritis activates inflammatory proteins in the body, which not only cause pain but also fatigue.
Much like influenza, when the body is fighting the viral burden with increased inflammation, deep muscle aches and fatigue are present, explains Dr. Schiopu, who also serves as associate professor of rheumatology and internal medicine at the University of Michigan.
Fatigue can come and go in bouts one day you feel fantastic and ready to do it all the next day you cant get yourself out of bed. That unpredictability can make arthritis fatigue a tough symptom to manage. And its not a symptom that others who havent experienced it can easily understand or empathize with.
Symptoms Of Fatigue In Inflammatory Arthritis
Just like there are many causes of fatigue, there are also many symptoms that may indicate what you have is inflammatory arthritis-related fatigue. Its very subjective and not quantifiable with a lab or measurable outcome, which is why fatigue can feel so frustrating and overwhelming, says Dr. Cohen. You cant quantify it, but you know its not normal.
Heres a look at some of the key symptoms to discuss with your health care team:
Extreme tiredness
Dr. Khattri says that while symptoms of fatigue and feeling tired do overlap, fatigue is often at the extreme end. You feel like you have no control.
With normal tired you know sleep can fix it, says CreakyJoints community member Lel. Fatigue decides when its over youre just a helpless bystander.
Change in energy levels
While some patients wake up feeling fatigue, others experience sudden, overwhelming changes in energy levels and simply hit a wall.
RA fatigue stops me in my tracks. I feel myself fading out suddenly, then I have to rest . It feels like sandbags dropped on me, says CreakyJoints community member Kristina H. It hits me around the same time every day, or sometimes I wake up knowing its going to be a low energy day.
Increase in flares
Poor sleep
Research shows that poor sleep can make the symptoms of fatigue worse, increasing sensitivity to pain, irritability, and making it that much harder to concentrate, says Dr. Cohen.
Brain fog
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Be Aware Of Medication Side Effects
While it is necessary for most arthritis patients to take medications to treat pain and other symptoms, drowsiness is a common side effect of many of these drugs. Pain medications, some NSAIDs, DMARDs, and tricyclic antidepressants are among the medications that list drowsiness as a known side effect. If the medications are part of a daily regimen, drowsiness may add to already-present fatigue.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Living And Dealing With Fatigue
People with rheumatoid arthritis typically have several permanently inflamed joints. The inflammation inside the body can lead to general physical weakness, drowsiness and exhaustion. This feeling of extreme tiredness is also called “.” Some people find this to be the worst symptom of the disease.
Other typical symptoms are joint pain and swelling, and also joint stiffness and physical weakness later on. Non-specific symptoms like exhaustion often start earlier on in the disease. But the symptoms and course of rheumatoid arthritis can vary greatly. People also deal with the disease in different ways. Although people experience their symptoms differently and cope with the disease in different ways, there are some things that many people with rheumatoid arthritis have in common.
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Other Autoimmune Arthritic Conditions
There are several other pain-causing autoimmune conditions associated with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, which include scleroderma, migratory arthritis, reactive arthritis, dermatomyositis, and ankylosing spondylitis among others.
For example, in this study, researchers found 83% of patients with celiac disease had symptoms associated with scleroderma. Symptoms were also statistically more severe in those with gluten sensitivity. Plus, patients reported an improvement in muscle pain soon after a gluten-free diet was implemented.
Joint Pain And Fatigue What Could Be The Possibilities
Fatigue is usually characterized by extreme tiredness that even rest and relaxation cannot cure. A number of factors are responsible for fatigue, including conditions that cause joint pain.
It is important to note that different people have different pain thresholds. However, constant pain brought on by sore or damaged joints cause fatigue in most people. The diseases responsible for fatigue as a result of joint pain include fibromyalgia, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Joints can swell or become inflamed while performing certain activities. It can also lead to a chronic condition. The physical and emotional energy required to relieve the joint pain and continue with everyday activities tends to contribute to the fatigue. Painful joints will also prevent a patient from getting a good nights rest. Without good sleep, fatigue will be a natural consequence.
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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.
Coping With Chronic Fatigue In Rheumatoid Arthritis
For some people with rheumatoid arthritis , chronic fatigue can be as debilitating as joint pain. A person might sleep for 8 hours and wake up feeling like he or she never slept. This exhaustion can affect mental concentration and lead a person to feel frustrated and helpless.
Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for eliminating chronic fatigue. Managing fatigue often requires a multi-pronged approach that incorporates both medical treatment and lifestyle changes.
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Skip Caffeine After 2 Pm
Thats because it can take up to eight hours for half of the caffeine you consume to be metabolized by your body. Drink coffee too close to bedtime and it can mess with how well you rest. Poor sleep quality has been linked to more fatigue, as well as higher levels of depression in people with RA.
Taking your last coffee break by 2 PM can help ensure youre able to fall asleep by 10 PM or so, say experts. Other healthy habits to help you rest better: Avoid heavy meals and alcohol before bed wind down with a warm bath or soothing music and keep your bedroom quiet, dark, and comfortable. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day can also help.
Why People May Experience Body Pains During Covid
Body pains in the course of any viral disease be it Covid-19, dengue or chikangunya are quite common. But in case of Covid, body pain can occur with or without other symptoms. Roughly, 20-25% patients, particularly in their old age, may experience muscle or joint pain along with the other symptoms while in around 5%, it may be the only symptom.
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How Does Fatigue Change Your Life
Fatigue is different than normal feelings of tiredness. People describe it as being overwhelming and uncontrollable. They feel worn out and drained of energy, and sometimes even lose all interest in anything.
It can increase the need for sleep and make it hard to concentrate or do anything. Constantly feeling exhausted and not being able to maintain an active lifestyle can affect your mood too: Many people who have rheumatoid arthritis also feel depressed, irritable or anxious. These feelings can be hard for others to fully understand.
The severity of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms may vary a lot over time. This can make it difficult to plan ahead. You don’t know how you will feel the next day or whether the symptoms will get better or worse. This means that people with rheumatoid arthritis feel like they have lost control of their lives. If they are too exhausted, they may not have enough energy even for simple everyday activities or for playing with their children or grandchildren. Appointments may need to be rescheduled, and some people give up their favorite activities if they prove to be too demanding.
And at work it may be difficult to accept that you can’t do as much as you used to. You might need more breaks, or certain tasks might need to be reassigned.
Muscle And Joint Pain With Fatigue
Muscle pain is the most common indications of body aches. This symptom can happen for various reasons, such as long periods of exercise, walk, or stand. You can also have this condition due to the present health problems.
When muscle and joint pain with fatigue happens, you may need to rest, and some treatment to ease the pain. However, this condition, particularly ones that keep going quite a while, may imply that you have a hidden health condition such as chronic fatigue syndrome. In these instances, you should visit your doctor for a diagnosis. They can develop a long-term treatment plan to can ease your aches and other related indications.
Here are the following conditions that may be causing your symptoms.
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What Causes Extreme Muscle And Joint Pain
Tension, chronic stress, and minor injuries can result in extreme muscle and joint pain. This type of pain is usually localized and can affect a few parts of the body at the same time.
Conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, bursitis, strains, and gout can also lead to painful joints.
According to the latest research, joint pain is pretty common in adults. Every fourth person reports having it. If you are one of them, here is what you need to know about muscle pain and its treatment:
When There Is Damage To Bones And Joints
Some recent studies have been able to establish that there may be degeneration of joints in post Covid patients who already suffered from such issues or even those who did not.
Covid can trigger auto-immune response and it has been found that there has been deterioration in the conditions of patients who suffered from arthritis or other such conditions.
Even in patients who never had any joint related problem are also coming up with issues related to joints.
Covid may not only lead to muscle pain post the disease, but also has the potential to aggravate previously existing joint conditions and also onset of autoimmune diseases in some.
However, this condition is not likely to be corrected and steps can only be taken to slow down the degeneration. “In general once any joint is affected as a process of autoimmune reaction of a virus like the degenerative joint disease, the degeneration is likely to progress,” says the doctor.
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How Your Family Can Help
Always remember that youre not alone. Support from your family can make your condition easier to bear by spending time with you on good days as well as the bad days.
I try to make family members a partner in treatment, he says. When you just want to spend the day in bed watching TV because of fatigue or pain, a family member can encourage simple, fun activities to help get you moving.
Whether your diagnosis is chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia, a doctors role in treating the disease small. A doctor is there as the coach and can help you with the first 10% to 15% of improvement, while you have to help yourself manage the remaining 85% to 90%.
If youre suffering with chronic pain and/or fatigue, talk to your doctor. A diagnosis can put you in a better position to manage your symptoms even if there are still some mysteries surrounding your disease.
What Causes Your Fatigue
Many physical and mental illnesses, as well as lifestyle factors, can cause your fatigue, and that can make it hard to diagnose. In some cases, it might be something simple and easy to fix, like having caffeine at bedtime. But other causes, like heart disease or COPD, are serious, and you may need to start long-term treatment right away.
Your doctor can help you sift through your health issues, as well as diet, exercise, and other lifestyle habits, in order to zero in on the cause and help you on the road to recovery.
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The Most Common Causes Of Muscle Pain
Not all aches are related to stress or physical activity. As stated above, some medical conditions can cause muscle pain. For example:
Fibromyalgia
In case you have pain on both sides of your body that lasts longer than three months, it might be a sign of fibromyalgia. It is a long-term condition that can cause pain in muscles, general fatigue, sleep and cognitive disturbances. Other symptoms of this condition include headaches, dry eyes, anxiety, pain in the lower belly, and bladder problems.
Keep in mind that only professional healthcare providers can make a diagnosis. If you notice the symptoms of fibromyalgia, make an appointment with a doctor as soon as possible and get the right treatment on time.
Arthritis As A Cause Of Joint Pain And Fatigue
The breakdown of fluids between the joints is responsible for rheumatoid arthritis . In the initial stages, the condition tends to be more severe during the morning hours. However, the pain gradually worsens and makes the patient feel uncomfortable for the most part of the day. This is also accompanied by exacerbating fatigue. Rheumatoid arthritis will affect the joints in the wrists, hands and elbows as well as the neck and shoulders. It should also be noted that in the lower extremities, the condition tends to affect the hips, ankles and knees in addition to the joints in the toes. The irritation that tends to affect the joints is responsible for the release of cytokines into the system. This is one of the common causes of fatigue which a person undergoes. This apart, a poor appetite which is common among those suffering with arthritis pain adds to the level of fatigue. Due to a massive loss of stamina, a lot of people tend to feel more fatigued. This is one of the reasons why they restrict the amount of activities they engage in.
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