Can Anxiety Cause Muscle Pain?

Written by: Arooj Paulus – B. Sc (Applied Psychology)
Last updated date : March 13, 2023

Joint or muscle pains can be caused by anxiety as well as general ill health. Worry or tension brought on by stress can cause pain and fatigue in any part of the body. Anxiety may affect your body in a number of different ways. It not only manifests mentally, but also physically. It may also result in extremely serious bodily signs and responses that significantly impair your capacity to live and work properly and easily.

In this article, we will discuss the link that how anxiety and muscle pain is related. In the end, we will.


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Chapter 1:

How Anxiety and Muscle Pain Are Related?

Sometimes you may feel like your body is very stiff that you can merely move it. It is distressing for you to take painkillers for your pain and it is increasing day by day. To get the solutions to the problem and treat this issue we must look at the possible causes behind your muscle pain.

Anxiety is a fear of the future. While anxiety comes in handy with a lot of side effects including both mental and physical ones. A lot of people agree with the pain that worries cause. During anxiety, your body goes into a state of flight-or-flight which is a physical sign as your body prepares itself for danger. It has an adverse impact on your life, such as by generating bodily side effects that prevent you from engaging in your favorite activities. Muscle pain is an instance of this kind of reaction caused by anxiety. It affects a lot of people who are anxious and can, in some ways, fuel their worry. The pain can occur in any part of the body. In addition, muscle pain might make it difficult for a person to partake in what other people often enjoy, such as going out, meeting friends, or playing sports.

Chapter 2:

Is Your Frequent Muscle Pain a Sign of Anxiety?

If you have had a constant muscle for quite some time with no major medical reasons. It may be a sign of anxiety. Numerous uncomfortable bodily sensations can be brought on by it. Let us see it in detail to find out its physical signs of it.

Physical Signs of Anxiety
  • You may feel tired most of the day.
  • Feelings of lightheadedness and dizziness.
  • Anxiety causes unexplainable body pains and muscle stiffness.
  • It can disturb your heart and respiratory rate.
  • You may feel shaky or sweaty.
  • It can also cause digestive problems.
  • You may also feel tingling or a sensation of numbness on the skin.
  • Further, it disturbs sleep as well.

Muscle discomfort may be brought on by so many different things. There is no doubting, however, that worry may significantly affect your body muscles. A few possible theories for the connections with how anxiety causes muscle pain are as follows:

Muscular Tension
Worry brings on tension in the body. Whether it is mental tension or physical tension. This tension creates a sensation of pain in the body. A common sign of anxiety is tightness in the muscles, which is more likely to happen in stressful conditions. Your muscles get strained and hard as a result of tension. This can over time result in both weak to severe pains in your muscles.

For instance, when people worry they move their legs constantly. As a result of this worrying and overthinking this tenses the muscles of the legs and might cause pain. It intensity of moving legs may increase with worry while muscle pain as well.

Noticing Pain
People who have anxiety issues typically pay close attention to minor details like how they are feeling and what their bodies are doing. They commonly experience muscle pains. The majority of people can overlook symptoms, but those who suffer from anxiety problems are more likely to notice all sorts of discomfort. They feel it more deeply since their brains tend to quickly evaluate things negatively. They are highly aware of what their bodies are doing and may detect feelings that others might not have observed. This is known as hypersensitivity, and it is very common among those who struggle with anxiety.

Stress Adaptation

You might not be aware of it, but worry can alter your form, frequency of moving, and other habits. People who worry a lot tend to move or behave in subtle ways that they are not even aware of that are different from how they normally would. Such as they may lean, fidget, twitch, or pace unknowingly. These changes could result in their body stiffness, which might then result in pain in the muscles.

Diet and Exercise

People who have anxiety often engage in habits that are unhealthy such as they skip their meals, drinking less water, staying in the same position, and do not exercise much. Each of these might have a negative impact on your health and anxiety, which would then stress both your body and mind. Hence, you feel frequent muscle pains. When are not taking a proper your muscles become weak hence pains are common in this case.

Tip: You will probably feel better if you eat right, exercise regularly, and drink enough water. It can help you to manage and lessen your body tension including anxiety and muscle pains.

Chapter 3:

Conclusion

So now you know the connection between worry and its physical signs that anxiety causes muscle pain. Such body pains are also common in panic attacks which is a common situation for people with anxiety problems. Some people also face difficulty in sleeping as a result of muscle pain. They keep on changing their positions which is uncomfortable and makes their body even stiffer. Hence these are some of the factors which combine to facilitate this body tension.

Chapter 4:

Call to Action

You can read “Muscle Aches – Everything You Need to Know”, under the section on body and aches at Epsychonline. To help learn about body pains, their causes, and how to manage them. Further, you can enroll in the “Chronis Fatigue“ or “Chronic Pain” courses on our website. Research has shown that body tension can cause increased pain and sensitivity to it if you have anxiety problems. Fatigue and pain are common symptoms of anxiety. The mentioned courses will help you to cope with your muscle pain and related issues. We hope this article was helpful to you. Sign up now for more learning.

"Quick online learning, thanks!" Susan

92 sections

6-Weeks Self-Paced

  • Educational Content
  • Quizzes
  • Self-reflection material
  • Suggestions & feedback
  • Worksheet, tips & tools to use

$9.00 $12.00

25% discount