What are aches?

Aches can be best described as nagging pains, taking place due to many different reasons. Most often, upon the mentioning of aches, many people think about muscles and joints which hurt. However, this condition does not affect these body parts only. Rather, it may lead to pain in many different parts of our body.

Causes of Aches

As far as the underlying problems which lead to aches are concerned, sprains, strains, arthritis and injuries due to overstraining are the most common ones. Additionally, complications inside the abdomen, such as appendicitis or hernia, infections including sepsis and flu and even more serious problems such as cancer, all can trigger aches in individuals. Therefore, aches may be less or more serious.

Either way, most commonly, injuries to muscles, bones, ligaments or tendons trigger aches. Sometimes, aches are our body's way of telling us we had too much exercise. Yet, various more complicated conditions such as lupus or Lyme disease, can lead to aches as well. Apart from cancer, meningitis is another serious disease which can result in aches too.

The characteristics of aches depend and vary greatly, based on the underlying condition triggering them. Nevertheless, pain is usually present once aches take place.

Diagnosis and Treatment for Aches

Upon visiting your doctor, he/she will ask you a series of questions about your aches. Basically, he/she will want to know more about the time you noticed the aches for the first time, about your history of suffering from aches, your lifestyle and the amount of physical activity you indulge in, medications you are taking at the moment, the presence of any other symptoms and whether you have been hiking in areas where ticks can be found recently. Additionally, he/she may want to know whether you have traveled outside the country recently.

Aches usually disappear without any excessive interventions. However, if something more serious is causing them, the underlying problem must be promptly identified and treated adequately. Some causes of aches may even cause lethal outcome if left untreated.

Ignoring aches can result in worsening of the problem, especially if some serious underlying illness is behind this phenomenon. Many people mistake and immediately take pain killers. These drugs can be only a temporary solution. Still, they may alleviate the pain, but leave the underlying condition progressing and eventually causing severe complications.

Therefore, if any aches seem to be bothering you for a longer period of time, you are advised to seek medical attention.