Musculoskeletal Pain - Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

4/29/2020 Musculoskeletal Pain: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment
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FINDING SUPPORT FOR PIGMENTED VILLONODULAR SYNOVITIS
Musculoskeletal Pain
Medically reviewed by Alana Biggers, MD on October 21, 2019 —
Written by Stephanie Watson
Causes Types Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment

Lifestyle Takeaway
Overview
Musculoskeletal pain refers to pain in the muscles, bones,
ligaments, tendons, and nerves. You can feel this pain in just
one area of the body, such as your back. You can also have it
throughout your body if you have a widespread condition like
fibromyalgia.
The pain can range from mild to severe enough to interfere

with your day-to-day life. It may start suddenly and be short-
lived, which is called acute pain. Pain that lasts for more than 3
to 6 months is called chronic pain.
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Causes
Musculoskeletal disorders
These disorders directly affect the bones, muscles, joints, and

ligaments. The most common cause of musculoskeletal pain is
an injury to the bones, joints, muscles, tendons, or ligaments.
Falls, sports injuries, and car accidents are just a few of the
incidents that can lead to pain.
More than 150 different musculoskeletal disorders exist. Some

of the most common ones are:
arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis,

lupus, osteoarthritis, gout, and ankylosing spondylitis
osteoporosis
injuries such as fractures and dislocations
muscle loss (sarcopenia)

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
problems with the structure of bones or joints, such as

scoliosis
Non-musculoskeletal disorders
These are a few of the non-musculoskeletal disorders that

cause pain in the bones, muscles, joints, and ligaments:
overuse at work or while playing sports
poor posture
prolonged bed rest, such as during an illness or after
surgery
infections of the bones, muscles, or other soft tissues

tumors that put pressure on tendons and bones, including
tenosynovial giant cell tumors (TGCTs) like pigmented
villonodular synovitis (PVNS)
Pain can sometimes feel like it’s originating in the

musculoskeletal system when it’s from another organ system
entirely. For example, a heart attack can cause pain that
radiates down the arm. This is called referred pain, and it can
stem from the:
heart
lungs
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kidneys
gallbladder
spleen
pancreas
Types
Lower back pain is the most common type of musculoskeletal
pain. Other types include:
muscle pain (myalgia) from an injury, infection, cramp or

spasm, loss of blood flow to the muscle, or tumor
bone pain from an injury such as a fracture, infection,

tumor, or hormone disorder
tendon and ligament pain, such as from a sprain, strain, or

inflammation from tendonitis or tenosynovitis
joint pain from arthritis
fibromyalgia, which causes pain in tendons, muscles, and

joints throughout the body
nerve compression pain from conditions that put pressure
on nerves, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel
syndrome, and tarsal tunnel syndrome
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Signs and symptoms

The quality of the pain can vary based on where it’s located.
Bone pain is dull, sharp, stabbing, or deep. It’s typically more

uncomfortable than muscle or tendon pain.
Muscle pain can be intense and short-lived if it’s caused by a

cramp or powerful muscle contraction, commonly called a
Charley horse. The muscle may twitch or contract
uncomfortably.
Tendon pain may feel sharp if an injury caused it. It usually

worsens when you move or stretch the affected tendon, and
improves with rest.
Joint pain feels like an aching. It may be accompanied by

stiffness and swelling.
Fibromyalgia causes multiple tender spots throughout the

body.
Nerve compression pain may have a tingling, pins-and-needles,

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or burning quality. Other symptoms depend on the cause of the

pain, and can include:
stiffness
soreness
swelling
redness
cracking or popping sound in the joint
trouble moving the affected area

weakness
fatigue
difficulty sleeping
muscle spasms or twitches
bruising
Diagnosis
Because musculoskeletal pain can have a variety of causes,
your doctor will first take a detailed medical history and ask
about your symptoms. Expect to answer questions like these:
When did the pain start?

What were you doing at the time (for example, working
out or playing sports)?
What does it feel like — stabbing, burning, aching,
tingling?
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Where does it hurt?
What other symptoms do you have (trouble sleeping,

fatigue, etc.)?
What makes it worse or better?
Your doctor might press on or move the affected area into

different positions to find the exact location of your pain. A
number of tests can help pinpoint the cause of your pain,
including:
blood tests to look for signs of inflammation that might

suggest arthritis
X-rays or CT scans to find problems with the bones
MRI scans to find problems with soft tissues such as
muscles, ligaments, and tendons
joint fluid testing to look for infections or the crystals that
cause gout
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Treatment
Primary care doctors most often treat musculoskeletal pain.
Physical therapists, rheumatologists, osteopaths, orthopedic
specialists, and other specialists may also be involved in your
care.
The treatment you receive is based on what’s causing your

pain. Treatment options are broken down into several types.
Medications
acetaminophen (Tylenol)
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as

aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve)
corticosteroid injections into the painful area
opioids (only for more severe pain because of the risk of

addiction and side effects)
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Hands-on therapy
therapeutic massage
chiropractic/osteopathic manipulation
physical therapy

Alternative therapies
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acupuncture
herbal, vitamin, and mineral supplements
Aids and devices
orthotics
braces
cervical collars
taping
lumbar supports
Surgery
Surgery is typically reserved for cases that don’t improve with

more conservative treatments. Procedures may include:
joint replacement
laminectomy
soft tissue and cartilage repair
arthroscopy
Lifestyle modifications
For injuries or problems related to overuse, your doctor might
recommend resting the affected body part until it heals. If you

have arthritis
A D Vor
E R Tother
I S E M E N Tmuscle pain, doing some stretching and
other exercises under the direction of a physical therapist may

be helpful.
Ice and heat are both good options for soothing pain. Ice
brings down swelling and relieves pain immediately after an
injury. Heat alleviates stiffness a few days after the initial injury.
Sometimes it’s helpful to talk to someone about your pain.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) teaches you ways to
manage your pain more effectively.
Takeaway
Musculoskeletal pain can have many sources, a few of which
aren’t in the muscles, bones, and joints themselves. If you have
pain that’s severe or that doesn’t improve in a few weeks, see
your doctor for a checkup to find the cause.
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4/29/2020 Musculoskeletal Pain: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

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Causes Types Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment

The pain can range from mild to severe enough to interfere

These disorders directly affect the bones, muscles, joints, and

More than 150 different musculoskeletal disorders exist. Some

arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis,

muscle loss (sarcopenia)

problems with the structure of bones or joints, such as

These are a few of the non-musculoskeletal disorders that

overuse at work or while playing sports

infections of the bones, muscles, or other soft tissues

Pain can sometimes feel like it’s originating in the

muscle pain (myalgia) from an injury, infection, cramp or

bone pain from an injury such as a fracture, infection,

tendon and ligament pain, such as from a sprain, strain, or

fibromyalgia, which causes pain in tendons, muscles, and

Signs and symptoms

Bone pain is dull, sharp, stabbing, or deep. It’s typically more

Muscle pain can be intense and short-lived if it’s caused by a

Tendon pain may feel sharp if an injury caused it. It usually

Joint pain feels like an aching. It may be accompanied by

Fibromyalgia causes multiple tender spots throughout the

Nerve compression pain may have a tingling, pins-and-needles,

or burning quality. Other symptoms depend on the cause of the

cracking or popping sound in the joint

trouble moving the affected area

When did the pain start?

Where does it hurt?

What other symptoms do you have (trouble sleeping,

Your doctor might press on or move the affected area into

blood tests to look for signs of inflammation that might

The treatment you receive is based on what’s causing your

nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as

opioids (only for more severe pain because of the risk of

herbal, vitamin, and mineral supplements

Aids and devices

Surgery is typically reserved for cases that don’t improve with

other exercises under the direction of a physical therapist may

Sometimes it’s helpful to talk to someone about your pain.

Get our wellness newsletter

Enter your email

Your privacy is important to us

About Us Health Topics

Health News Contact Us

Advertise With Us Advertising Policy

Find An Online Doctor Do Not Sell My Info

© 2005-2020 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. All

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