Comprehensive Guide to Managing Musculoskeletal Pain and Body Aches

In this article

In addition to living healthier lifestyles, there are other things you can do to manage pain. Here’s some information about types of body pain, their causes, and treatments, so you can find relief.

What To Do

• If you have an injury, rest and allow it time to heal.
• When you can move the injured area without pain stopping you, try to keep moving so the joint or muscle does not become stiff.
• Apply ice to injured sprains or strains for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours to reduce pain and swelling.
• Apply compression to a strain or sprain by wrapping a bandage around the injury, to support it.
• If possible, elevate and support the injured area with a pillow to reduce swelling.
• For joint stiffness or muscle spasms (without swelling), apply a heat pack wrapped in a tea towel.
• Try a medication with anti-inflammatory properties, such as ibuprofen. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as Nurofen can help relieve body pain.

What To Avoid

• If it’s a muscle strain or injury, avoid applying heat or massaging for the first few days.
• While exercise is important to help injured muscles, it is important to ask your doctor or physiotherapist for guidance.
• If you have back pain, it’s important not to stay in bed for long periods of time.

How ibuprofen can help

Ibuprofen with anti-inflammatory properties is the active ingredient in Nurofen, which helps to relieve pain. It’s available over the counter in pharmacies as tablets that can be taken with a glass of water or topical such as a plaster that can be applied to the skin. Click here to find out more on the Nurofen range.

When to see your doctor

Most musculoskeletal conditions get better within six to eight weeks, although sometimes they can last longer, but it doesn’t mean it’s anything serious.

If you experience any of the following you should seek the advice of your GP.

• Your pain is getting worse, even after you’ve tried managing it at home for 6 to 8 weeks.
• Medicine you’re taking has not helped, as expected.
• You feel unwell and have symptoms such as fever, night sweats or weight loss.
• You experience pain at night, possibly worse than during the day that prevents you from sleeping.
• You have changes, to or difficulty walking with balance problems or weakness/heaviness in your legs.
• You develop a hot and swollen joint for no obvious reason.
• You have early morning stiffness, lasting for longer than 30 minutes.
• You have a sudden or new, severe headache

Common types and causes of body pain

Knee & Hip Pain

Pain in the knee can have a variety of causes, including sprains, strains, tears and in some cases fractures, arthritis, gout or bursitis. Symptoms of injury to, or conditions affecting the knee include:

• Swelling
• Stiffness
• Pain
• Unstable (gives way when you try to stand)
• Inability to straighten the leg
• Pain below the kneecap
• Hot, red sudden pain
• Pain when kneeling or bending

Pain in the hip can also have a variety of causes, including injury or longer lasting conditions such as osteoarthritis. Symptoms of hip problems include:

• Pain, swelling or bruising after exercise.
• Pain after walking or stiffness after moving.
• Stiffness when you wake up or after not moving.
• Weight-bearing pain or pain after a fall or injury.

Try to avoid putting too much strain on your hip or overdoing things, when you can move. Knee and hip pain should be investigated by your doctor who can identify the cause and recommend appropriate management. They might suggest a painkiller or NSAID.

Shoulder & Neck Pain

Shoulder pain can come from a range of causes including:

• Injury such as sprains or strains to muscles and tendons
• Dislocation
• Arthritis
• Restricted movement after injury (e.g. frozen shoulder)

If your shoulder is painful, avoid doing things that seem to make it worse, but don’t stop using it completely as this may prevent it from getting better. Make sure you maintain good posture by avoiding slouching or rolling your shoulders or bringing your head forward. Try shoulder exercises for 6 to 8 weeks to stop pain returning after an injury. If this doesn’t work, please see a GP for medicinal options.

Neck pain usually lasts a few weeks, with the most common causes being:

• An awkward sleeping position.
• Bad posture.
• A pinched nerve.
• An injury such as whiplash.

To ease neck pain, try neck flexibility exercises, sleeping on a low, firm pillow, or putting heat or cold packs on your neck.

Back pain

Back pain is a common type of pain. It usually improves within a few weeks but can last longer or keep coming back. Common causes of back pain include:

• An injury like a pulled or strained muscle
• Medical conditions like a slipped disk or sciatica (trapped nerve)

You can ease back pain by staying active, applying a heat or ice pack and trying some stretching exercises. You could also try a pain killer like ibuprofen.

Joint pain caused by osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a condition that causes pain and stiffness in the joints. It’s the most common type of arthritis in the UK. Some people may also experience symptoms like swelling, tenderness and grating or crackling sounds in their joints. It can affect any joint but most commonly causes problems in the knees, hips and small joints in the hands. It is normal for the cartilage tissue to age as the body does. This can sometimes lead to osteoarthritis which is when the body does not repair the normal wear and tear to joints, the protective cartilage on the ends of bones breaks down, causing pain, swelling and difficulty moving the joint.

You may be more likely to have osteoarthritis if:

• You have an injury, from overusing a joint before it has healed.
• You have other types of arthritis.
• Age – it’s more likely the older you are.
• You have other family members who have it.
• Obesity or being extremely overweight.
• You’re a woman.

Mild osteoarthritis can sometimes be managed with regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, wearing suitable shoes and using devices that reduce strain on your joints during exercise. More severe cases may require painkillers and a structured exercise plan from a physiotherapist.

Sprains & Strains

Sprains and strains are injuries that affect the muscles and ligaments. Symptoms include pain, tenderness or weakness of the injured joint or body part, often affecting the ankle, foot, wrist, thumb, knee, leg or back.

Other signs of a sprain or strain include:

• Swelling or bruising of the injured area
• Not being able to use the joint normally or put weight on it
• Muscle spasms or cramping

A sprain is when you tear or twist a ligament (the tissue that connects the joints), whereas a strain is when you overstretch or tear a muscle.

Preventing body pain

Not all body pain caused by musculoskeletal conditions can be avoided but there are some lifestyle changes that can be made throughout our lives to reduce the risk of developing these conditions, to maintain a healthy and active life. These include:

• Physical activity - Adults should aim for strengthening exercises at least 2 days per week and 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity weekly. Try to keep inactive time to a minimum.
• Healthy weight and balanced diet – along with physical activity, maintaining a healthy diet will contribute to a healthier weight. People who maintain a healthy weight are less likely to develop musculoskeletal conditions such as back and neck pain and osteoarthritis of the knee and hip
• Smoking – people who smoked or still smoke is more likely to have back, neck and leg pain, especially severe lower back pain.

This article is for general information only and not intended as a substitute for medical advice. All information presented on these web pages is not meant to diagnose or prescribe. In all health-related matters, always consult your healthcare professional.

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