The most common causes of muscle pain are tension, stress, overuse and minor injuries. This type of pain is usually localized, affecting just a few muscles or a small part of your body.

Systemic muscle pain — pain throughout your whole body — is more often the result of an infection, an illness or a side effect of a medication.

Common causes of muscle pain include:

1. Chronic exertional compartment syndrome
2. Chronic fatigue syndrome
3. Claudication
4. Dermatomyositis
5. Dystonia
6. Fibromyalgia
7. Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
8. Influenza (flu) and other viral illness (influenza-like illness)
9. Lupus
10. Lyme disease
11. Medications, especially the cholesterol medications known as statins
12. Muscle cramp
13. Myofascial pain syndrome
14. Polymyalgia rheumatica
15. Polymyositis (inflammatory disease that causes muscle weakness)
16. Repetitive strain injuries
17. Rheumatoid arthritis (inflammatory joint disease)
18. Rocky Mountain spotted fever
19. Sprains and strains

• Definition
• When to see a doctor

Jan. 11, 2018