What causes body aches when you’re sick. How to alleviate full-body pain during illness. When should you see a doctor for persistent body aches. What are the best home remedies for fever and muscle pain.

Understanding the Connection Between Body Aches and Fever

When illness strikes, it often brings along unwelcome companions: body aches and fever. These symptoms can make even the simplest tasks feel overwhelming. But why does your body react this way when you’re sick?

The primary culprit behind body aches during illness is your immune system’s response. As it detects an invader – be it a virus, bacteria, or other pathogens – it releases white blood cells to combat the infection. This process triggers inflammation throughout your body, resulting in that all-too-familiar achy sensation.

Fever, often accompanying body aches, is another weapon in your immune system’s arsenal. By raising your body temperature, it creates an inhospitable environment for pathogens, making it harder for them to thrive and reproduce.

Common Symptoms Accompanying Body Aches and Fever

• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Shivering or body temperature fluctuations
• Cold and flu-like symptoms

Effective Home Remedies for Alleviating Body Aches

While your body fights off the infection, there are several ways to find relief from the discomfort of body aches:

1. Stay Hydrated

Proper hydration is crucial when you’re sick. Symptoms like sweating, vomiting, and diarrhea can quickly lead to dehydration, hampering your body’s ability to function normally and fight infection. How can you ensure you’re getting enough fluids? Opt for water, broth, herbal tea, or electrolyte drinks. Soup is another excellent option, especially if solid foods are unappealing.

2. Apply Heat Therapy

Heat can work wonders for relaxing tense, achy muscles. If you don’t have a high fever, consider taking a warm bath or shower. Keep the water temperature just above lukewarm to avoid overheating. Heating pads or warm blankets can also provide comfort, but use caution to prevent burns or overheating.

3. Regulate Your Body Temperature

Body aches often intensify when you’re shivering due to fever. To help regulate your body temperature, consider taking fever-reducing medication, having a cool bath, or using lightweight bedding. These measures can help minimize muscle tension and reduce overall discomfort.

4. Prioritize Rest

Rest is perhaps the most crucial element in recovery from illness. Sleep and the immune system are closely intertwined, with quality sleep strengthening your body’s defenses. When fighting an infection, your body naturally craves more sleep. Create a restful environment and allow yourself to sleep as much as your body needs.

5. Consider Over-the-Counter Pain Relief

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, can be effective in managing body aches. These medications not only provide pain relief but also have anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce fever and overall discomfort. Always follow dosage instructions and consult with a healthcare professional if you have any concerns.

When to Seek Medical Attention for Body Aches

While most cases of body aches resolve on their own within a few days, there are instances where medical intervention may be necessary. When should you consider seeing a doctor for your body aches?

• If symptoms persist for more than 3-5 days without improvement
• If body aches occur after a tick bite
• If severe redness or swelling accompanies the aches
• If a rash develops alongside the body aches
• If you experience frequent or prolonged body aches without other symptoms

In these cases, it’s best to consult with your primary care physician. Persistent or unusual body aches could indicate a more serious underlying condition or a reaction to medication.

The Role of Fever in Illness

Fever is often misunderstood as merely a symptom to be suppressed. However, it plays a crucial role in your body’s defense against pathogens. How does fever contribute to fighting illness?

A raised body temperature creates an environment that’s less hospitable for many pathogens. It also enhances the function of your immune cells, helping them to work more efficiently. While high fevers can be dangerous, a low-grade fever (between 99.9°F and 101°F) is generally considered beneficial in fighting off infections.

Managing Low-Grade Fever

If you’re experiencing a low-grade fever, focus on rest and hydration. Monitor your temperature regularly and consider using fever-reducing medication if you’re uncomfortable. However, remember that completely suppressing a low-grade fever might prolong the illness by interfering with your body’s natural defense mechanisms.

Preventing Body Aches and Fever: The Importance of Vaccination

While we can’t always avoid getting sick, there are preventive measures we can take to reduce the likelihood of experiencing body aches and fever. One of the most effective strategies is vaccination, particularly against influenza.

The flu shot is a powerful tool in preventing influenza and its associated symptoms, including body aches and fever. Who should prioritize getting the flu vaccine? It’s especially crucial for:

• Children
• Elderly individuals
• People with compromised immune systems
• Those with chronic health conditions

By getting vaccinated, you not only protect yourself but also contribute to community immunity, helping to prevent the spread of influenza to more vulnerable populations.

Understanding Different Types of Body Aches

Not all body aches are created equal. The nature and location of your aches can provide clues about their cause. What are some common types of body aches and what might they indicate?

Generalized Body Aches

These are the all-over aches often associated with viral infections like the flu. They tend to affect large muscle groups and can make your entire body feel sore and tender.

Localized Muscle Pain

If your aches are concentrated in specific areas, they might be due to strain, overuse, or injury. For instance, back pain or neck pain often falls into this category.

Joint Pain

Aches in your joints could indicate conditions like arthritis or be a symptom of certain viral infections. If joint pain persists, it’s important to consult with a healthcare provider.

Fibromyalgia-Related Pain

This chronic condition causes widespread muscle pain and tenderness, often accompanied by fatigue and sleep issues.

Understanding the nature of your body aches can help you and your healthcare provider determine the most appropriate treatment approach.

The Impact of Stress on Body Aches and Fever

While we often associate body aches and fever with physical illness, it’s important to recognize the role that stress can play in these symptoms. How does stress contribute to body aches and potentially even fever?

Chronic stress can weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to infections that cause body aches and fever. Additionally, stress itself can lead to muscle tension and pain, mimicking the body aches associated with illness.

In some cases, severe stress or anxiety can even cause a slight elevation in body temperature, though this is typically not classified as a true fever. This phenomenon, sometimes called “psychogenic fever,” is a reminder of the powerful connection between our mental and physical health.

Managing Stress to Reduce Body Aches

• Practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing or meditation
• Engage in regular physical activity
• Ensure you’re getting adequate sleep
• Consider talking to a mental health professional if stress is significantly impacting your life

By addressing stress, you may find that you experience fewer instances of unexplained body aches and improved overall health.

Nutrition and Its Role in Fighting Body Aches and Fever

When you’re battling body aches and fever, your diet can play a crucial role in supporting your recovery. What foods should you focus on when you’re feeling under the weather?

Hydrating Foods

In addition to drinking fluids, consuming foods with high water content can help maintain hydration. Options include:

• Watermelon
• Cucumber
• Strawberries
• Broths and soups

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Certain foods have natural anti-inflammatory properties that may help reduce body aches. These include:

• Fatty fish (like salmon or sardines)
• Leafy green vegetables
• Berries
• Turmeric
• Ginger

Immune-Boosting Foods

Supporting your immune system through nutrition can help your body fight off the underlying cause of your symptoms. Consider incorporating:

• Citrus fruits (high in Vitamin C)
• Garlic
• Yogurt or other probiotic-rich foods
• Spinach and other leafy greens

Remember, even if your appetite is reduced, try to eat small, nutritious meals or snacks to provide your body with the energy and nutrients it needs to recover.

Why your whole body aches when you’re sick (and what you can do about it)

Coming down with a cold, virus or the flu is never fun. But sometimes you can push through if the symptoms aren’t too bad. Have a sore throat? Gargle. Feeling congested? Take a steam shower. Mild fever? Take fever-reducing medicine. It’s bearable, though not ideal.

But once full-body aches set in (often accompanied by a fever), you may quickly find yourself out of commission. Unlike the muscle aches that can come on after one too many squats, body aches from an illness tend to cause dull pain and discomfort everywhere.

The good news is you can find some relief from full-body aches right in the comfort of your home. Here’s what you need to know:

What causes body aches when you’re sick?

When you have the flu, a common cold, a virus or a bacterial infection, your immune system jumps into action. It reacts by releasing white blood cells to fight off the infection. The reaction causes inflammation, which can leave your muscles feeling achy.

The good news is that your achiness is a sign that your body is fighting off the illness. But the harder your body works, the more severely the body might ache.

Full-body aches are also often accompanied by other symptoms including:

• Fever
• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Shivering or body temperature changes
• Cold and flu-like symptoms

What helps body aches

The best way to diminish full-body aches is to treat the underlying cause of the aching. But as you’re waiting for treatment to kick in — or just waiting for a virus to run its course — try to:

Stay hydrated

Some symptoms of cold and flu — such as sweating, vomiting and diarrhea — can leave you dehydrated. But water is essential to your body’s normal functioning and its ability to fight infection. Drink plenty of water, broth, tea or electrolyte drinks. Soup is also a great way to stay hydrated, especially if you are struggling to eat solid foods.

Use heat to relax your muscles

Heat can loosen muscles and provide relief from body aches. If you don’t have a severe fever, a warm bath or shower can be relaxing. But avoid making the temperature too hot — keep the water just above lukewarm to maintain your body temperature. Heating pads or blankets can also offer some comfort, but avoid excessive heat and don’t use them if there is a chance you may fall asleep.

Regulate your body temperature

Full-body aches often go hand-in-hand with a fever. As a higher body temperature causes you to shiver, your muscles tense up and may begin to ache. To regulate your body temperature, reach for fever-reducing pain medicine, take a cool bath and use only a thin blanket or sheet.

Rest

Research shows that the immune system and sleep are closely connected. Sleep strengthens the body’s defense system. And when the body is fighting infection, it craves more sleep. The problem is that when you are sick, other symptoms often make it hard to sleep soundly. Try to rest as much as possible — it will relax your muscles and speed up the healing process.

Take over-the-counter pain medication

Common pain relievers may help you feel better but be sure to choose non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen. NSAIDs have anti-inflammatory properties and block the body’s production of inflammation-causing chemicals. As a bonus, NSAIDs also help reduce fever to regulate body temperature.

When to see your doctor about full-body aches

Body aches from a viral illness typically clear up in a couple of days and improve with home remedies. But if your body aches haven’t gotten better after 3-5 days, check in with your primary care physician (PCP).

See a doctor sooner if your body aches:

• Appear after a tick bite
• Accompany severe redness or swelling
• Occur with a rash

If you don’t have a fever or other symptoms, and you experience body aches often or for prolonged periods of time, make an appointment with your PCP. It could be a sign of a drug reaction or a more severe and chronic underlying medical condition, such as an autoimmune disease.

If you have body aches that aren’t improving, reach out to your primary care physician.

Low Grade Fever and Body Aches

April 8, 2016

A low grade fever and body aches are common signs of influenza, or the flu. Headache and fatigue often accompany a fever and body aches, especially if one is suffering from the flu.

The best way to avoid fever, body aches and other flu symptoms is to get the flu shot. This is especially true for children, the elderly, and anyone with a compromised immune system.

The Flu Can Cause Body Aches and Fever

A fever is typically a sign that the body is fighting infection. A fever is typically considered “low grade” if it is between 99.9 and 101 degrees Fahrenheit. However, fever in children and particularly infants should be watched carefully. A newborn with a temperature of 101 degrees Fahrenheit needs emergency medical attention.

When you have a viral infection like the flu, your body diverts white blood cells to fight the infection. Those white blood cells are normally assigned to keep your joints and muscles in optimal working order. When they get called away, you develop body aches.

Unfortunately, if you have the flu, you are probably contagious. Most adults become contagious a day before symptoms start and remain contagious for up to seven days. Children sometimes are contagious for longer periods.

Treatment for Flu-Like Symptoms

Common at-home treatments for a low grade fever and body aches include:

• Rest.
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Take over-the-counter medicines such as acetaminophen or aspirin.

Get Fast Relief for Low Grade Fever and Body Aches

FastMed Urgent Care is available when you need us, and you don’t need to wait for an appointment. We have locations open 365 days a year, and our medical professionals can help diagnose and treat your low grade fever and body aches.

Check out our Health Resources Center for more answers to your health questions. When you are ready to get relief for your flu-like symptoms, contact us or simply walk into your local FastMed Urgent Care.

See what satisfied patients like Kim R. have to say about their experience with FastMed Urgent Care:

“Being sick stinks, but my experience at the urgent care clinic was top notch. ALL of the staff were kind, helpful, and good listeners. The medical center was much more attractive than the typical walk-in clinic and the service was amazing. If I had to feel bad enough to see a family doctor, at least I was fortunate to have a clinic like this one nearby. Thank you!!!”

———-
Sources:
EMedicine Health: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/fever_in_adults/article_em.htm
Everyday Health: https://www.everydayhealth.com/symptom-checker/fever
Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/basics/symptoms

Share this Page

Sign up for email offers

Sign up to receive coupons, health tips, and more–directly to your inbox.

First name

Last name

Email address

Find your nearest

FastMed location.

Use current location

or

Our Brands

Breaks the body at a temperature, what to do?

The cause of pain in muscles, joints and bones during fever often lies in intoxication, that is, poisoning of the body ¹ . As “poisons” are bacterial toxins, products of inflammation and decay of tissues in the affected areas, substances that appear in the body due to metabolic disorders against the background of the disease ¹ . At the same time, the severity of symptoms of intoxication primarily depends on the type of infectious agent and the body’s ability to resist it ¹ .

Infectious diseases are more commonly caused by:

• viruses, such as influenza, parainfluenza, adenoviruses, hepatitis viruses, infectious mononucleosis, measles, varicella, and others;
• bacteria: staphylococcus, streptococcus, salmonella, tubercle bacillus, etc.;
• protozoa: amoeba and giardia;
• mushrooms ² .

The vast majority of all infections are acute respiratory viral diseases ^2.3 . Their pathogens can be:

• influenza viruses – about 15% of cases;
• parainfluenza – up to 50%;
• adenoviruses – up to 5%,
• respiratory syncytial virus – about 4%;
• enteroviruses – 1%;
• viral associations – about 23%;
• other viruses ⁴ .

All of these viruses can infect the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract. They penetrate the epithelial cells of the nasal cavity and pharynx, causing local inflammation and death of these cells ^3.4 . Absorption into the bloodstream of inflammation and decay products leads to the development of an intoxication syndrome, accompanied by body aches and fever, weakness, headache and other symptoms ^3.4 .

Intoxication is most pronounced in influenza ^4.5 . Its appearance precedes the symptoms of respiratory tract damage.

• Body temperature rises to 39-40 °C ⁴ chills occur.
• Starts to have a headache in the forehead and temples.
• Sudden sounds and movements aggravate headache.
• There is pain and pain in the eyes, aggravated by the movement of the eyeballs and pressure on them.
• Eyes become red and watery.
• Aches and pains in muscles and joints.
• Acute weakness and lethargy seizes the whole body ⁵ .

According to statistics, muscle pains accompany influenza in 40% of cases. Muscle weakness occurs in 87% of patients ⁴ .

Additional manifestations of intoxication may be vomiting, sometimes occurring in children, dizziness and fainting, which are more common in adolescents and elderly patients. Possible sleep disturbance in the form of insomnia ⁵ .

The manifestations of SARS caused by other respiratory viruses (not the influenza virus) are similar to each other ⁴ . According to the severity of the intoxication syndrome, these diseases are an order of magnitude inferior to influenza ⁴ .

So, rhinovirus infection , although it begins acutely, with sneezing and the appearance of copious watery discharge from the nose, is almost never accompanied by body aches and fever – the temperature rarely rises to 38 ° C, and sometimes even remains normal ⁴ .

With parainfluenza from the first day, sore throat, dry hacking cough, hoarseness are disturbed, and manifestations of intoxication are limited to a rise in temperature to 37.5 ° C, mild weakness and headache ⁴ .

Adenovirus infection is characterized by high and prolonged fever, runny nose, conjunctivitis, sore throat associated with damage to the pharyngeal tonsils, swollen lymph nodes. However, despite the impressive set of symptoms and high temperature, the muscles and joints do not hurt – some weakness and heaviness in the head are possible ⁴ .

Respiratory syncytial infection also occurs with moderate intoxication: weakness, lethargy, headache, discomfort in the muscles of the body – but the resulting discomfort is not comparable to what happens with the flu. Along with the intoxication syndrome, there is a cough with shortness of breath, wheezing and viscous sputum ⁴ .

Pain in the whole body – General information, Causes. Tomsk

General information

Patients with high fever complain of fever or the presence of chills, feeling hot, excessive sweating, pain throughout the body. With a systematic (morning and evening) measurement of body temperature, attention is drawn to type of fever (temperature height, its daily fluctuations, the duration of the increase in body temperature).

A certain type of fever (temperature curve) is characteristic of certain infectious diseases and carries valuable information. Therefore, all infectious patients who are being treated at home and, especially, in the hospital, have their body temperature measured at least 2 times (in the morning and in the evening). At home, the patient’s body temperature is recorded on a separate sheet in order to provide this informative data to the doctor later.

Causes of pain in the whole body

In addition to excessive exercise, various injuries and viral diseases – from colds or flu to pneumonia, which can cause you to feel pain in the whole body, there are other causes of such disorders, the action of which is not yet fully understood. The immune system responds to the invasion of viruses into the body with a protective reaction – the development of an inflammatory process , with which muscle pains are associated.

bites from ticks that carry infectious diseases can cause pain in all joints. Although the threat posed by these parasites has now decreased somewhat, the problem of the occurrence of disorders remains. Signs of the disease due to a tick bite are a rash in the form of vesicles with a clear liquid, redness of the skin at the site of the bite or on other parts of the body (and a walk in the forest a few weeks before the onset of pain can serve as confirmation of the bite).

Pain throughout the body can be a sign of hematological diseases (leukemia, lymphomas), as well as oncological pathology (cancer). The occurrence of pain throughout the body may be associated with some other diseases. So, with damage to the joints, pain spreads to nearby muscles.

These disorders may be caused by connective tissue or autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis or (in rare cases) lupus. The symptoms of these diseases vary in severity, and mild forms of the disease are mistakenly considered as other disorders.

In rheumatoid arthritis, the pain is usually more pronounced in the morning when the person starts doing something after a period of rest at night. However, soon, after 30-60 minutes of movement, the condition improves. Arthritis due to degenerative changes in bone tissue (so-called osteoarthritis) usually manifests itself in increased pain towards the end of the day.

The vast majority of infectious patients complain of general malaise, weakness, weakness, feeling of pain throughout the body, pain in muscles, joints, sleep disturbance and almost always headache.

The intensity of the listed sufferings of an infectious patient depends primarily on the nature, severity and form of the disease.