The US Centers for Illness Control and Prevention recently added six new COVID-19 symptoms to its official list. Now, as well as to the standard dry cough, shortness of breath, and fever, the CDC additionally lists chills, repeated shaking with chills, headache, sore throat, new loss of odor or taste, and muscle pain to the list of signs of a coronavirus infection.
To be clear, a lot of those symptoms aren't brand-new discoveries: In March, ear, nostril, and throat specialists in the United Kingdom warned that lost sense of odor and taste could also be a symptom of COVID-19; and anecdotally, people have additionally reported chills, headache, and sore throat.
The newly-added symptom of muscle pain, however, may be a little more shocking than the rest. Whereas physique aches and pain will be the results of pretty much something, it seems coronavirus-associated muscle pain is a bit different.
How frequent is muscle pain with COVID-19
The CDC doesn't present that information on its list of symptoms, however according to the World Health Organization, muscle pain (aka, myalgia) was a little less common than different nicely-known coronavirus symptoms.
A February WHO report, which analyzed fifty five,924 laboratory-confirmed circumstances of COVID-19 in China, found that 14.eight% of sufferers reported myalgia or arthralgia (joint pain). That's considerably lower than the amount of patients who reported a fever (87.9%) and dry cough (67.7%), and nonetheless much less widespread than other symptoms like fatigue (38.1%) and shortness of breath (18.6%). It's, however, barely more frequent than sore throat (13.9%), headache (13.6%), and chills (11.four%).
Why does COVID-19 trigger muscle pain?
Muscle pain-often caused by muscle inflammation (myositis)-isn't an uncommon symptom for a viral infection. "Generally, coronavirus, like different viruses, may cause inflammation of the muscle tissue," Amir Barzin, DO, MS, incident commander for the Respiratory Diagnostic Center at UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill, tells Health.
Dr. Barzin explains that muscle pain that outcomes from a viral an infection is brought on by damage to the muscle fibers from the virus itself. The virus additionally triggers an inflammatory response inside your physique-by means of inflammatory cytokines that basically signal the immune system to get to work-that can cause abnormal tissue breakdown.
What does muscle pain from COVID-19 really feel like?
According to Dr. Barzin, the muscle pain related to COVID-19 often looks like "tenderness to the touch of the muscle or pain with movements of the muscle." While muscle pain from a workout can feel related to muscle pain attributable to a virus like SARS-CoV-2, virus pain tends to be extra generalized, whereas train- or damage-associated pain tends to be more localized in a specific muscle.
Typically even doctors have a hard time distinguishing virus-induced muscle pain from train-induced muscle pain. "It's extremely exhausting to inform the distinction," Dr. Barzin admits, adding that doctors usually have to play detective to get to the basis of the issue-questioning whether or not the affected person has worked out not too long ago or if they produce other infectious symptoms, like fever, chills, or coughing, which can help with a diagnosis.
Virus-associated muscle pain and exercise-induced muscle pain are also completely different in how long they take to resolve. "Viral myopathies [muscle issues] have a tendency to resolve in weeks to months after the infection clears," says Dr. Barzin, whereas he notes that muscle soreness from train tends to resolve inside 48-72 hours.
When do muscle pains happen in COVID-19?
Unusual muscle pains might be an early symptom of COVID-19, often showing at the very start of the illness.
Often, it lasts for a median of two to three days however can take longer to go away the older you are. That is generally up to 4 days for youngsters, 5 days for adults aged 16-35, seven days for adults aged 35-sixty five and up to eight days for adults over 65.
Sadly, COVID-related muscle pains can sometimes last much longer, and are generally reported in people with lengthy COVID or post-COVID syndrome.
How widespread are muscle pains in COVID-19?
One out of three people who find themselves sick with COVID-19 may have unusual muscle pains. It’s more widespread in adults aged 16-sixty five (forty one%) than youngsters (15%) or these over the age of sixty five (36%).
Solely 2% of people who were ailing with COVID-19 reported muscle pains as their solely symptom.
What other symptoms of COVID-19 are widespread alongside muscle pains?
Uncommon muscle pains are most probably to happen alongside different symptoms. Across all ages, more often than not muscle pains occur alongside fatigue and sometimes with fever, feeling dizzy or gentle-headed and skipping meals.
Other symptoms frequent alongside uncommon muscle pains rely on age. For instance, getting complications with muscle pains is very common in individuals underneath 65. Loss of odor (anosmia) additionally tends to happen alongside unusual muscle pains in adults, however is less frequent in adults aged over 65.
Depending in your age and intercourse, you must contact your doctor in case you have multiple completely different symptoms of COVID-19 in the first week of being ill.
What ought to I do if I have muscle pains and think it is perhaps COVID-19?
Should you’ve acquired new, unusual muscle pains it could possibly be COVID-19, especially if you happen to even have a headache and fatigue. It is best to:
Observe the NHS tips and self-isolate at dwelling to assist shield the people round you and the broader community.
Download the ZOE COVID Symptom Examine app and log your symptoms to be supplied a test via the app.
Also log your health day by day in the app, if you’re not already, to assist us perceive extra about how COVID-19 affects individuals and contribute to life-saving scientific research.
Check out our recommendations on looking after your self in case you are sick with COVID-19, monitoring your health at residence and staying hydrated.
Having unusual muscle pains could be very debilitating. It’s essential to pay attention to your physique and never push yourself into doing more than you’re in a position to.
Ensure you give your self enough time and relaxation to get higher in case your muscle pains are attributable to COVID-19, which may take per week or more to go away.
How can you deal with muscle pain from COVID-19?
According to Dr. Barzin, "muscle soreness from train might be relieved by icing, rolling, light stretching, massage, and lightweight aerobic activity before starting your exercise routine."
However when it comes to muscle pain that may be a results of COVID-19 or another viral an infection, treatment appears a bit different. Charles Odonkor, MD, a Yale Drugs physiatrist and pain medication specialist recommends bed rest, fluid hydration, and normal symptom administration with pain relievers like acetaminophen or NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine) like aspirin and ibuprofen. Dr. Odonkor notes, however, that if you don't feel aid from the above suggestions, you should search medical care.
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