People of all ages and all levels of activity suffer from muscle and joint pain, or general aches and pains. Pain can either be experienced at the site of the problem or it can be ‘referred pain’ which means that the pain occurs in a location which is not the site of the problem.
Causes of muscle or joint pain may include:
- Sudden or overuse injuries
- Poor posture or ergonomics
- Systemic diseases
Joints – gout, sprains and arthritis (such as rheumatoid or osteoarthritis) are common causes of stiff, painful joints.
Muscles – direct impact injury, over-stretching, strains or overuse can cause muscle pain.
Tendons – tendons join muscles to bones. Examples of tendon problems are Tennis elbow and Achilles tendinitis.
Ligaments – injuries to ligaments (sprains) can be the result of over-stretching or twisting of a joint.