When unpleasant sensations appear in a certain area, it is certainly a source of problems for the patient, but pain throughout the body brings much more suffering. In that case, even everyday activities fall into the background, because they become difficult to perform.
Many are familiar with the feeling of weakness, fatigue and pain that interfere with active life. Similarly, common pain in muscles, bones or joints cannot be ignored. It must force the patient to make quick decisions in order to find out the reason and essence of further measures. But for this you need to see a doctor first.
Causes
If the muscles and joints of the whole body hurt, then first of all it is necessary to find out what it is connected with.
The extensive zone of such sensations must push the patient and the doctor to the idea of a systemic lesion. The reason should not be sought in individual tissues of the musculoskeletal system, but in the functioning of the whole organism and its systems. At the same time, it is quite difficult to understand what is actually hurting: muscles, bones or joints. Such sensations spread throughout the body and do not have a precise localization. But despite this, there are states for which a similar situation is quite typical. This includes the following:
- Physical stress.
- Infectious diseases.
- Connective tissue pathology.
- Blood diseases.
- Tumor processes.
- Neurological disorders.
As you can see, the pathology is quite diverse and serious. If you do not take into account the completely physiological reasons for muscle weakness and pain in them, then you must be very careful about the likelihood of these diseases. Consultations with a doctor are never superfluous.
The origin of pain in the joints and muscles of the whole body can be assumed after a clinical examination by a doctor.
Symptoms
Each pathology has characteristic features. All manifestations should be taken into account, even if they are insignificant. In order to identify a disease that affects the condition of muscles and joints, it is necessary to analyze the patient's complaints and objective symptoms.
Since pain is the most common symptom, its possible characteristics need to be considered:
- Pain, burning, cutting or stinging.
- It is localized in the area of muscles, bones or joints.
- It is felt on the same parts of the body or is changeable.
- Constantly or periodically.
- Moderate, strong or weak.
It may be accompanied by a feeling of weakness, fatigue or pain. If the cause of pain lies in general diseases of the body, then there will certainly be other symptoms that will indicate the source of the problem.
Physical stress
For starters, you should rule out a situation that almost everyone could face. Excessive physical activity can lead to muscle strain, which affects feelings in different parts of the body. Pain and weakness are associated with the accumulation of lactic acid in the tissues and microdamage to the fibers. As a result, sore throats develop, which go away over time. It should be borne in mind that only the muscles are involved in the process and that there should be no other symptoms.
If physical overload is ruled out, then you must look for more serious causes of pain.
Infectious diseases
Bone and muscle pain are known to everyone who has ever had a respiratory infection. Even a banal ARI is accompanied by such symptoms. What to say about more serious pathology, such as flu, meningitis, hemorrhagic fevers, leptospirosis, Lyme disease. Flying pain is characteristic of brucellosis and epidemic myalgia. In many cases, such feelings are the result of microbial poisoning. Infectious diseases are accompanied by other symptoms:
- Fever.
- Cough, sneeze.
- Rash.
- Nausea, diarrhea.
- Headache.
- General weakness.
Joint pain can bother even patients with liver damage - viral hepatitis. This case is characterized by heaviness in the right hypochondrium, yellowing of the skin and decreased appetite. we must not forget the possibility of parasitic invasions, for example, trichinosis, in which muscle pain is of great diagnostic value.
The spectrum of infectious pathology is very wide, so it is necessary to identify the cause of pain in the body in a timely manner.
Connective tissue pathology
If the muscles and joints hurt, then the patient must be examined in order to determine systemic diseases: lupus erythematosus, polymyositis, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis. They are autoimmune in nature and occur with damage to the connective tissue that is found in all systems of the body. In this case, attention should be paid to the following characteristics:
- Symmetrical damage to the wrists with characteristic deformities - in rheumatoid arthritis.
- Butterfly reddening of the skin - with lupus erythematosus.
- Weakness of the muscles of the limbs and neck - with polymyositis.
- Thickening of the skin on the fingers, face like a mask - with scleroderma.
Another disease with systemic manifestations should be mentioned - rheumatism. Although the microbial agent (streptococcus) becomes a trigger, an autoimmune process develops in the future. This disease will be characterized by flying pains in the joints.
Connective tissue diseases are accompanied by damage to internal organs: heart, lungs, kidneys, as well as blood vessels and the nervous system.
Blood diseases
Diseases of the hematopoietic system are a common cause of bone pain. Unfortunately, most of them are malignant, so it is useful for everyone to know the characteristic signs of such pathology. In addition to pain in the body, leukemia also develops the following symptoms:
- Temperature increase.
- Swollen lymph nodes.
- Bleeding of different localization.
- Pale skin.
- Enlargement of the spleen and liver.
- Susceptibility to infections.
In addition, they can be disturbed by shortness of breath, general weakness, loss of appetite, nodules on the skin. The acute form of leukemia occurs with pronounced manifestations and represents a serious danger to life in the absence of adequate treatment.
Tumor processes
Pain in the area of bones, joints or muscles of the whole body can occur in the structure of paraneoplastic syndrome, which is characteristic of various malignant tumors. It develops due to metabolic, immune and other disorders associated with the primary process. Arthro- or osteopathies, similar to various rheumatic diseases, are often observed. Similar signs appear long before the tumor process is detected.
In addition, bone pain may be the result of "cancer poisoning" observed in patients with advanced tumors and metastases. In addition to the indicated symptom, the clinical picture of the disease will be dominated by general disorders:
- Great weakness.
- Weight loss, to exhaustion (cachexia).
- Lack of appetite, nausea.
- Pale skin with a grayish, icteric or bluish tinge.
- Fever.
- Depression, irritability.
Such signs significantly worsen the patient's condition and negatively affect the prognosis of the disease.
It is necessary to pay increased attention to the detection of tumors in the early stages, which is possible only with regular preventive examinations.
Neurological disorders
If the patient feels pain in muscles, joints or bones, then the problem can be even in the nervous system. Very often similar symptoms are observed in polyneuropathy. The disease may have different localization, but its lower extremities are the most susceptible. In such cases, the following symptoms are observed:
- Numbness, tingling, tingling, crawling "goose on the skin".
- Reduced sensitivity.
- Reflex weight change.
- Muscle weakness, hypotrophy.
- Skin condition, hair loss, dryness.
Polyneuropathy can cause severe pain that has a significant impact on patients ’quality of life.
Diagnosis
After the clinical examination, it is necessary to use additional methods that will help in making the correct diagnosis. Given the wide range of possible pathologies, the physician will need a range of laboratory and instrumental tools. This includes the following:
- General analysis of blood and urine.
- Biochemical blood test (infectious antigens, rheumatic tests, tumor markers, acute phase indicators, liver function tests, etc. ).
- Bacteriological analysis of blood and body secretions.
- Bone marrow puncture.
- Computer and magnetic resonance imaging.
- Neuromyography.
It is necessary to consult a rheumatologist, infectologist, oncologist, hematologist and neuropathologist.
A final conclusion about the origin of bone or muscle pain can be made based on the results of a comprehensive examination.
Treatment
After the diagnosis is made, further measures are determined by the doctor. Therapeutic tactics will depend on the type of disease, its prevalence and the condition of the patient's body. It is difficult to formulate a general therapeutic program for all diseases that may be accompanied by aches or pains in the joints, muscles, and bones. It all depends on the specific situation, which determines the use of conservative or operative techniques.
Drug therapy
The basis of treatment of most diseases is the use of drugs. It is difficult to imagine modern medicine without them. A wide range of drugs allows you to influence almost every mechanism of pathology development and its cause. With the advent of certain drugs, it has become much easier to treat serious illnesses.
Depending on the established diagnosis and clinical situation, the following medications can be used for pain throughout the body:
- Antibiotics and antiparasites.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Hormones (glucocorticoids).
- Cytostatics and immunosuppressants.
- Detoxification.
Many of the drugs have serious contraindications for neoplastic diseases. This applies to vitamins and metabolic agents. Their use can improve the progression of the pathological process. Of course, the treatment complex may include additional medications that will affect the individual symptoms of the disease.
Medications must comply with generally accepted standards of therapy and must be prescribed only by a physician.
Surgical treatment
Surgery may be indicated for tumors or blood disorders. In the first case, the pathological focus is removed together with the regional lymph nodes. Due to the nature of the disease, it is possible to appoint radiation therapy later. In the case of progressive leukemia on the background of conservative treatment, bone marrow transplantation is recommended.
Pain in the musculoskeletal and joint system, which covers almost the entire body, can be a serious cause for concern. Early diagnosis and proactive treatment will help prevent complications and improve the prognosis of any disease.