All our lives have taken a major turn since the time the pandemic started. The spread of Coronavirus has claimed millions of lives. It has been more than a year and we are still struggling hard to control it.
As you already know Covid-19 has various symptoms and one of them is pain. Pain in Covid patients is extremely common. From chest pain to joint pain, Covid patients go through an extreme experience during their infection phase.
In this post, we are going to talk about pain management in Covid patients in detail. You can also refer to https://daradia.com/pain-management-in-covid/ to know more about the same.
What is musculoskeletal pain?
In simple words, musculoskeletal pain refers to joint pain and muscle pain together.
Myalgia or muscle pain is caused by local or systemic infection. Arthralgia or joint pain can lead to poor quality of life, reduced compliance, and emotional changes.
Although muscle and joint pain are common among the mass, it feels more painful when you are suffering from Covid. These problems are not very serious and can recover quickly. However, if you have rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, or spondylarthritis, then it may be an issue for you.
Causes Of Joint & Muscle Pain in Covid
There are multiple reasons behind getting muscle and joint pain in Covid.
- Muscle damage
Virus infection can cause muscle damage, which in turn leads to muscle pain. Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) and Creatine kinase (CK) can be linked to striated muscle damage. It has been found that patients having muscle symptoms had higher levels of LDH and CK than those without muscle symptoms. Myalgia can result from striated muscle injury.
- Nerve damage
Micro-damage of the peripheral nerves and brain can cause pain and sensitization. Changes in nociceptors may also amplify the pain. All these can lead to burning sensations and shock-like nerve pain.
- Pain caused by the treatment of Covid
A number of the treatments needed for Covid illness put extra strains and stresses on your joints and muscles. This can either lead to new muscle and joint problems or elevate the existing ones.
- Deconditioning of joints and muscles
Many people have pains and aches before getting infected with Covid-19. But being unwell can worsen their problems. This is because sick people are less active, which is one of the main causes of muscle and joints. This can cause deconditioning of joints and muscles and cause stiffness, muscle weakness, and pain. If this happens, it will reduce the quality of your life.
- Focal myalgia and rhabdomyolysis
General myalgia is very common in Covid-19 patients. But focal myalgia is not. This is a rare condition called rhabdomyolysis, which is a kind of fatal syndrome. The CK level indicates the severity of rhabdomyolysis.
Which types of pain are more common?
Covid patients are known to suffer from a wide variety of pains and body aches. But the most common types of pain are back pain and shoulder pain. It can also cause muscle and small joint pain in any part of the body.
There are reports of people experiencing severe arm and shoulder pain after infection. This is especially common in patients who are admitted to the hospital. These problems are a mixture of stiffness, pain, burning sensations, muscle weakness, and numbness of the arms. On a brighter note, most of these problems will go away with time. But if it is taking too long, then you should consult your doctor.
What to do in muscle and joint pain?
In most cases, muscle and joint pain after Covid improves quickly. To take care of your body, you should perform simple exercises and activities. Instead of rushing things, you should return to normal activities of your life gradually.
Just so you know muscles and joints are deconditioned with rest. To make them stronger, exercise is a must. This is why you are recommended to walk and move a lot.
You should balance between rest and activity to get the best results. You should increase your physical activities gradually and should never overdo them. You can try different types of exercises such as flexibility exercises, strengthening exercises, stretching exercises, etc.
Prevention is always better than cure. To prevent Covid infection, you must follow all that is required. Also, you should eat healthy to keep your immune system strong.