If almost all people suffer from muscle pain at some time, which in the case of the elderly these can be even more limiting. The question is to know where they come from, how to combat them, for example with a , and when it is necessary to see a specialist.
What is muscle pain?
The feeling of muscle stiffness and pain in which the muscles are swollen, sore, and weak is common to many older people who are wondering how to alleviate it. He chronic pain or long duration usually intensifies with increasing age. It may be associated with chronic diseases with a higher prevalence among the elderly. Diseases such as osteoarthritis. It may also be associated with sleep disturbances, a partial or total loss of mobility, or psychological problems.
Changes in the body derived from aging favor chronic muscle pain
Depending on the cause, different types of chronic pain:
- nociceptive
It affects the skin, the musculoskeletal system or connective tissue. They are conditions like arthritis. We are talking about visceral pain if it appears in inflammatory processes, bleeding or muscle spasms. - neuropathic
- When the nerves are damaged. It is acute and can be due to different causes (diabetic neuropathy, stroke, spinal stenosis, etc.).
- Mixed
It has components of nociceptive and neuropathic pain. - Psychological
Changes in the body derived from aging favor chronic muscle pain. The muscle pains may be the result of musculoskeletal changes. There is a decrease and atrophy of muscle mass, an increase in osteoporosis and osteopenia, especially in women. Everything leads to greater difficulty in performing spinal techniques. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are two examples of joint disorders associated with aging. They are especially disabling due to the pain and associated limitations. It is also more common the presence of spondyloarthrosisproducing great pain and disability in the elderly.
Joints and musculature
In older people, the joint pain can be very limiting, and can lead to falls or other types of ailments. You can attend to a series of tips to prevent joint pain. We summarize some of the main ones below:
- Get up carefully so that the weight does not fall suddenly on the joints.
- Move the joints frequently to promote circulation and keep the strengthening muscles of the extremities active.
- Do stretches of the extremities after spending long periods sitting.
- Wear suitable footwear so that the footprint is properly cushioned and stability is ensured when moving.
- Do not carry a lot of weight on you to avoid overloading the extremities and the consequent wear and tear.
Some remedies for muscle pain They go through massages with stimulating lotions or eating foods that help soothe muscle pain such as dark leafy vegetables, salmon or ginger. Avoid trans fats from processed foods, omega-6 vegetable oils, and saturated fats.
will be key physiotherapy in prevention and rehabilitation. The physiotherapist will treat all movement pathology. Not only problems with the musculoskeletal apparatus, but also with fluids, blood, air or electrical signals.