Musculoskeletal Pain: What It Is and What You Can Do?

What Is Musculoskeletal Pain? Musculoskeletal pain is a general term for pain that affects your muscles, bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, or nerves. It can come from an injury or appear gradually over time — and sometimes it becomes chronic (lasting more than 3 months).

Musculoskeletal Pain: What It Is and What You Can Do?

Common Causes Include:

• Overuse injuries (from work or repetitive movements)

• Sports trauma

• Accidents

• Poor posture or incorrect workstation setup

• Conditions like osteoarthritis, rheumatism, or fibromyalgia

Sometimes, muscle or joint pain appears without a clear reason and goes away on its own.

How Common Is It?

Musculoskeletal pain is one of the most common reasons people see a doctor. For example, muscle pain alone leads to about 5.5 out of 1,000 visits to a general practitioner each year.

How to Recognize It

Symptoms vary depending on the cause, but may include:

• Pain in muscles or joints

• Stiffness

• Swelling

• Cramping

• Redness or warmth

• Sensitivity to touch

Examples:

• Sports injury: Sudden pain during or after activity.

• Osteoarthritis: Pain develops slowly, often with morning stiffness or night pain.

• Rheumatic diseases: One or more joints may become swollen, hot, red, and painful.

• Tendinitis: Pain linked to repeated movements in sports or at work.

How Is It Diagnosed?

Your doctor will:

1. Ask about your symptoms — when they started, what makes them better or worse.

2. Do a physical exam.

3. Sometimes order tests like blood work or X-rays if needed.

What Can You Do?

Most mild muscle or joint pain doesn’t need a doctor. These simple remedies help in many cases:

• Rest the area

• Use ice packs

• Take paracetamol (acetaminophen) for pain relief

If the pain comes from an injury or overuse (like tendinitis), rest is especially important.

Exercises Can Help:

• For knee osteoarthritis: Strength exercises may reduce pain.

• For neck or lower back pain: Movement and strength training help.

• For fibromyalgia: Endurance exercises (under supervision) are beneficial.

Note: Passive treatments like massage may feel good but have limited long-term effect.

What Can Your Doctor Do?

If medication is needed, the doctor may suggest:

• Paracetamol (acetaminophen) first, as it's safe and effective.

• Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (oral or in gel/cream form), but with caution — especially for long-term use.

⚠️ NSAIDs can cause side effects like:

• Stomach ulcers

• High blood pressure

• Heart and kidney problems

Other Treatments:

• Cortisone injections for tendinitis, bursitis, or arthritis

• Low-dose antidepressants for fibromyalgia and chronic pain

• Workplace adjustments (ergonomic chairs, desks, mouse/keyboard)

In complex or long-term cases, your doctor might refer you to a multidisciplinary pain team, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and pain specialists.

When to See a Doctor

Seek medical advice if:

• Pain lasts longer than a few weeks

• It limits your daily activities

• There’s swelling, redness, or warmth

• You’ve had a recent injury

• Over-the-counter treatments don’t help

Reliable Medical Sources

• Mayo Clinic – Musculoskeletal Pain🔗

• NIH – Chronic Pain Overview🔗

• Cleveland Clinic – Tendinitis🔗

• Johns Hopkins – Osteoarthritis🔗

• CDC – Fibromyalgia🔗