Why do I have muscle pain

Emotional Stress is part of life; sometimes it gives the motivation needed for hitting best performance or deadlines.

"Stress affects the body in a variety of ways, from mood swings and headaches to weight fluctuations. However, an often-overlooked side effect of stress is soft tissue pain. Over time, repetitive bouts of stress can cause musculoskeletal issues in the Scalp, Neck, Shoulders, Upper Torso, Middle Torso, Lower Torso, Abdomen, Buttocks Thighs and Halves regions of the body. Unmanaged or prolonged stress can wreak havoc on the body, resulting in unexpected aches, pains and other symptoms.

The “fight or flight” phenomenon causes the muscles to tense and go into spasm in case we need to flee the source of the stress. Elevated Cortisol, the stress hormone, can lead to muscle mass loss and accumulation of fat.

When the body is stressed, muscles tense up. Stress can cause a reflex reaction - muscle tension — the mechanism to guard the body against injury and pain.

Muscle tension is a common side effect of stress because muscles contract when the body’s fight or flight system is triggered. Over time, this can cause pain, discomfort, muscle tension which causes trouble with mobility if not relieved appropriately. Stress can do some strange things to your body, affecting it in various places Stress can cause pain, tightness or soreness in the muscles, as well as spasms of pain. It can lead to flare-ups of symptoms of arthritis, fibromyalgia and other conditions. That is because stress lowers your threshold for pain.

Pain is simultaneously a sensation and an emotion, and is by far the leading reason people seek health care. While most acute pain can be resolved successfully over a short time, treatment of chronic pain is more complicated, causing a substantial compromise in quality of life. Millions of individuals suffer from chronic painful musculoskeletal conditions.

Chronic stress, or experiencing constant stress over a prolonged period of time, can contribute to long-term circulation problems. Consistant elevation in levels of stress hormones, blood pressure and heart rate, can take a toll on the body.

Repeated acute stress and persistent chronic stress may contribute to inflammation. It also appears that how a person responds to stress can affect cholesterol levels. Stress can affect the brain-gut communication; trigger pain, bloating and other gut discomfort.

Intense tension can send muscles into spasm, leading to a lack of circulation, an increase in lactic acid and subsequently an increase in pain. Lactic acid is the chemical telling the brain that you are under stress, this sounds the alarm which further increase overall muscular tension.


 
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Chronic muscle tension - spasm can also be caused by trauma, emotional holding, poor posture and chronic stress. Once in place it sets up a cycle of pain and the muscular contractions take up tremendous energy, this reduces blood flow, increasing inflammation and reduced nutrient uptake by the muscles.

Sensitive areas of muscle fibres can form in your muscles after tension or stress. These sensitive areas are called trigger points. A trigger point in a muscle can cause strain and pain throughout the muscle. When this pain persists and worsens, it is called myofascial pain syndrome.

Myofascial pain syndrome is caused by a stimulus, such as muscle tightness, that sets off trigger points in the muscles. Factors that may increase your risk of muscle trigger points include: Muscle injury. An acute muscle injury or continual muscle stress may lead to the development of trigger points

People who frequently experience stress and anxiety may develop trigger points in their muscles. One theory is that these people are likely to clench their muscles, a form of repeated strain that leaves muscles susceptible to trigger points.

 
 

References

Kavita Trivedi, Easy tips to relieve stress-related neck and back pain https://utswmed.org/medblog/stress-back-pain/

Mayo Clinic Staff, Myofascial pain syndrome https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/myofascial-pain-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20375444

Health Essentials, Strange things Stress Can Do to Your Body https://health.clevelandclinic.org/7-strange-things-stress-can-body/

Alan E. Kazdin, PhD, Pain https://www.apa.org/topics/pain

Melody Walford,  Stress: It's Not in Your Head, It's in Your Nervous System, https://www.filmsforaction.org/articles/stress-its-not-in-your-head-its-in-your-nervous-system/

mainGeoff Harper