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When to see a doctor
By Mayo Clinic staffHome treatment usually relieves muscle pain from minor injuries, stress or exercise. Muscle pain from severe injuries or systemic disease is often serious and requires medical care.
Self-care
Whether you're a novice or conditioned athlete, you can become sore after exercise, especially if your workout lasts longer, is more intense or uses different muscles from usual. This type of muscle pain — called delayed-onset muscle soreness — usually shows up 12 to 48 hours after the activity and will go away on its own in a few days to a week. The best remedy is often to keep exercising at a moderate level. Stretching won't relieve sore muscles, though some people find that massage helps.
Muscle pain that occurs during an activity usually signals a "pulled" or strained muscle. Even severe strains — which can take months to heal completely — usually respond well to R.I.C.E. therapy. For best results, start these measures within 48 hours of an injury:
- Rest. Take a break from your normal activities.
- Ice. Place an ice pack or bag of frozen peas on the sore area for 15 to 20 minutes three times a day.
- Compression. Use a compression bandage to reduce swelling.
- Elevation. Elevate your foot to help reduce swelling.
Schedule an office visit if you have:
- Muscle pain that lasts longer than a week
- Signs of infection, such as redness and swelling, around a sore muscle
- Poor circulation and muscle pain in your legs
Call your doctor right away if you:
- Have sudden, severe muscle pain that doesn't go away or that recurs every time you exercise
- Think you have a serious muscle strain or rupture
- Have a tick bite or rash
- Experience muscle pain after you start taking or increase the dosage of a medication — especially a statin
Get immediate medical care if you have muscle pain with:
- Trouble breathing or dizziness
- Extreme muscle weakness
- A high fever and stiff neck
- Muscle strains in the thigh. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00306. Accessed July 14, 2010.
- Alvarez DJ, et al. Trigger points: Diagnosis and management. American Family Physician. 2002;65:653.
- Cheung K, et al. Delayed onset muscle soreness: Treatment strategies and performance factors. Sports Medicine. 2003;33:145.
- Filho JAF, et al. Muscle pain and cramps. In: Bradley WG, et al. Neurology in Clinical Practice. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Butterworth Heinemann Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/linkTo?type=bookPage&isbn=978-0-7506-7525-3&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7506-7525-3..50031-5. Accessed July 16, 2010.
- Shmerling RH. Approach to the patient with myalgia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 16, 2010.
- Rosenson RS, et al. Muscle injury associated with lipid lowering drugs. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 16, 2010.
- Sprains and strains. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Sprains_Strains/default.asp. Accessed July 16, 2010.
- Ropper AH, et al. Disorders of muscle characterized by cramp, spasm, pain, and localized masses. In: Ropper AH, et al. Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=3643105. Accessed July 16, 2010.
- Mohler ER. Clinical features, diagnosis, and natural history of lower extremity peripheral arterial disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 16, 2010.
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