Best Ways to Stop Muscle Pain

These “pulled” muscles are often more common later in life, Gardner says. The best treatment is a day or two of rest, ice, compression, and elevation. But that doesn’t mean lying in bed all day.

If you have the flu or COVID-19, the muscles all over your body may really hurt. “Older adults often feel muscle aches more intensely during a virus than younger ones, as their muscles tend to be tighter and weaker,” says Michael Hochman, MD, MPH, an internist in Oak Park and Sunland, Calif.

What to do: Call your doctor for an antiviral prescription (Paxlovid for COVID-19 or Tamiflu for the flu). This may ease symptoms and help you recover faster. And while you’re sick, drink plenty of fluids, because dehydration can worsen achiness, he says. Water is best. You can also take the over-the-counter pain reliever acetaminophen (Tylenol and generic) to ease aches.

More than 32 percent of people between the ages of 70 and 79 experience uncomfortable nighttime leg cramps at least five times a month. “It’s very common because older adults are more vulnerable to factors that raise the risk of muscle cramps, such as dehydration or electrolyte imbalances,” Kligler says. The natural shortening of your tendons as you age can also make the cramps more likely.

If a painful leg cramp wakes you up at night, Kligler recommends stretching your calf. You can do this while standing up or even while lying down in bed. For the latter, with the affected leg straight in front of you and flat on the bed, point your toes toward the ceiling.

If that doesn’t provide sufficient relief, try walking around your home until the cramp subsides. After that, elevate your leg to get more blood flowing to the area. You can also take a hot shower or a warm bath (add in some Epsom salts if you like), or use a heating pad on the area that’s cramped.

If you’re prone to nighttime muscle cramps, stretch your calves and hamstrings at least once a day. A 2021 Cochrane review concluded that while this won’t eliminate cramps, it may make them less severe. Kligler also recommends a supplement of about 100 to 200 mg of magnesium before bedtime. But check with your doctor first because magnesium can cause diarrhea.

If you feel achy every day for more than a couple of weeks, see your doctor. You may have a medical problem that needs attention. For widespread pain, for instance, your doctor may have you evaluated by a rheumatologist for fibromyalgia, a chronic condition marked by deep muscle aches and stiffness. “It often starts in your neck or shoulders before spreading to your middle and lower back, arms and legs, and chest wall,” says Don Goldenberg, MD, a rheumatologist and professor emeritus of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. You may also notice specific tender points near joints.

“One of the best treatments available is cognitive behavior therapy, not because fibromyalgia is ‘all in your head’ but because it gives you coping tools to help live with the condition,” Goldenberg says. Low-impact activities like walking, water aerobics, tai chi, and gentle yoga may help, too. “We know that people who do moderate exercise regularly with fibromyalgia have lower pain levels.” You may also need an antidepressant that targets the brain chemicals that process pain. If that doesn’t work, your doctor may recommend an anticonvulsant.

Another condition that can cause muscle pain is polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), which occurs almost exclusively in people over age 50, Goldenberg says. “We think of it anytime we have an older adult complain of new-onset aches, pain, and stiffness in their neck, shoulders, upper back, and hips, particularly in the morning,” he says. Treatment is a long-term (a year or two, or even more) low dosage of a steroid like prednisone. Your doctor should also monitor you closely for sudden loss of sight, he says. This, and symptoms such as new headaches and high fever, may be signs of a serious condition called giant cell arteritis, which one small 2023 study found was present in more than 40 percent of people with PMR. Treatment for this is usually a short course of high-dose steroids.

Statin drugs for lowering cholesterol, such as atorvastatin (Lipitor and generic) and rosuvastatin (Crestor and generic), can cause a rare side effect of muscle pain. This occurs in fewer than 5 percent of people, according to a 2022 paper, but can be quite uncomfortable. “Patients often tell me that it feels like they got hit with a truck—it’s a whole-body, flu-like experience,” says Chad Worz, PharmD, chief executive of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.

If you notice this kind of pain, let your doctor know. They may want you to stop taking your statin drug for about a week, says John Batsis, MD, a geriatrician at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill. If your symptoms improve, the medication was probably the culprit. You can then work with your doctor to reduce the dosage of your current medication or try a different statin altogether. And if these steps don’t help, talk to your doctor about other options for managing cholesterol.