Nerve pain vs muscle pain: is there a difference?

There are different kinds and degrees of pain, and to better understand what this signal means we need to be able to differentiate the different kind of pains. Repeated migraine sufferers will easily distinguish the migraine pain from a headache. This happens even though the location of the pain is many times similar, but the intensity and kind of pain are indeed different. The same way you can distinguish between the pain of burning your finger and the pain from making a small cut on your finger while peeling potatoes.

But when it comes to muscle pain and nerve pain, are you able to distinguish them? Probably a bit trickier but patients who have experienced both pain types easily distinguish them.

Muscle pain

The most common characteristics of muscle pain are:

·        Pain is located in muscle tissue and joints;

·        Associated with a throbbing and stiffness sensation;

·        Most usually results from overworking particular muscles, either by physical activity or due to tension (stress);

·        Many times, it can be associated with an injury or an inflammation process;

·        It is usually short-term. In many cases, with proper rest the pain will disappear on its own;

·        Pain is aggravated by specific movements that force the use of the affected muscles.

Muscle pain is very frequent in athletes and fitness enthusiasts and results from repeated use of those muscles. The pain itself can be just a signal of tiredness of the muscle but it can also be a warning to an injury that has happen on the muscle tissue.

Bad posture, incorrect movements and stress can also lead to muscle pain. A continuous bad posture can result in pain in the neck, lower back and shoulders. Lifting ever small weight carton box, can trigger lower back pai, especially as you get older. It is also very common to “accumulate” stress on specific areas of your body. Some people, people while going through a stress phase will realize that their neck or shoulders or lower back are too tense causing them pain. This happens because while dealing with the stress situation they will contract more than usual those muscles in a continuous way leading to muscle pain.

In principle, muscle pains should improve with rest, and once the cause of pain is eliminated the pain should be short-termed and disappear. Stretching, massaging and moderate exercise can sometimes also help as long as you stay in your comfort zone and listen to your body signals.

Treatments for muscle pain

Most common treatments used for muscle pain are:

·        Anti-inflammatory medications

·        Applying heat and cold packs

·        Muscle relaxing medications

·        Local anesthetics

Nerve pain

The most common characteristics of muscle pain are:

·        Burning, tingling, pins and needles, numbness, sharp sensation

·        Most common pain locations are arms, hands, legs and feet;

·        The pain exists independently from movement;

·        Can be caused by trauma, associated diseases, or some medicines side effects;

·        The nerve pain tends to become a chronic pain (lasting for 6 months or more).

Diseases such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis and herpes zoster are famous for their negative impact on nerve tissue. In some situations, although there is no pain stimulus, the nervous system “malfunctions” and continuously passes the message of pain to the brain, leading to a permanent painful status.

Some chemotherapy treatments are also known to cause neuralgia (nerve pain). Another common cause for nerve pain is trauma, accidents that damage the nerve tissue or the structures supporting the nerve can lead to chronic nerve pain. Posture can also trigger the most common nerve pains, like Sciatica or neck pain, resulting from the compression of the nerve, that translates into pain on the hip and leg, or on the arm, respectively.

It is important to distinguish nerve pain resulting from aggressions to nerve causing pain vs nerve tissue damage. Both situations lead to chronic pain in case they are not properly handled, but once the nerve tissue gets damaged it will be much harder to overcome the pain resulting from this injury.

The treatment can pass by specific exercises to correct local structure, or to strengthen the muscles around the structure, providing it with more stability and protection. Stretching and exercises with direct impact, such as swimming, can also contribute to the recovery of an injury and to prevent further episodes.

Treatments for nerve pain:

The nerve treatment options are broader since the span of injuries is also broader when compared to muscle pain. Some of the common treatments are:

·        Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications;

·        Oral and local analgesics;

·        Physical therapy, such as physiotherapy and massage;

·        Surgery to correct cause of nerve damage or to remove part of the damaged nerve.

The main purpose of the nerve pain therapy is to make the nerves less reactive to painful stimulus by either inhibiting partly its functionality or by creating a surrounding environment that increases the nerve protection against stimulus.

A proper diet minimizing foods know for promoting inflammatory status in our body and proper hydration are also aspects to consider minimizing the pain. Another aspect, commonly reported is the inability to sleep with the pain, causing a vicious cycle where, you cannot rest, and without rest, you are more sensitive to the pain. It is crucial to break this cycle in order to recover.

Conclusion

Muscular pain and nerve pain can be sometimes confused by unaware patients, but once you are aware of the causes and associated symptoms, it becomes easy to identify which one you are experiencing.

Pain is a strong defense mechanism and it should not be ignored. Once you experience pain, try to identify the cause and start treating it. In case it persists or the intensity of the pain is too high, do not hesitate to reach out to your physician for a diagnosis and treatment options.

There is no reason to suffer needlessly, do not ignore pain and act on it once you realize it. There are some solutions that can provide you temporary release from the pain, but these should be used as a temporary adjuvant treatment to help you rest without pain, or do your daily necessary activities with less pain while in parallel you are fixing the cause of the pain.