Questions Your Doctor May Ask - and Why!
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in his assesment of the symptom: Muscle aches.
These may include a physical examination or other medical tests.
Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing
your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information
you can share with your doctor may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- How long have you had muscle aches?
Why: to determine if acute or chronic.
- Which muscles in the body are aching?
Why: to determine if focal or generalized.
- Are the muscle aches transient or persistent?
Why: If transient, may be due to fever, injury, fatigue, anxiety or after extensive physical work-outs.
- History of injury or trauma?
Why: may suggest muscular strain or sprain.
- Exercise history?
Why: excessive physical work-outs or unaccustomed exercise may commonly cause muscle aches.
- Age of patient?
Why: children can experience "growing pains" which are usually related to excessive exercise or trauma from sport. The pains are intermittent and symmetrical and deep in the legs, usually in the front of the thighs or calves. They typically occur at night in bed and last for 30-60 minutes.
- Risk factors for leg muscle cramps?
Why: e.g. pregnancy, motor neurone disease, low sodium, hemodialysis, renal failure, diabetes, dehydration, thyroiditis, after exertion in a hot environment (heat cramps).
- Risk factors for peripheral vascular disease?
Why: e.g. cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, family history - may indicate intermittent claudication as cause for leg pain.
- Past medical history?
Why: e.g. Fibromyalgia may be associated with anxiety, depression, tension headache and irritable bowel syndrome; chronic fatigue syndrome and depression may be associated with generalized muscle aches and pains; hypothyroidism; diabetes (if undiagnosed or poorly controlled).
- Medications?
Why: diuretic medications, some high blood pressure medications and certain cholesterol lowering medications may cause muscle aches.
Questions your doctor may ask about related symptoms:
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse
your condition. These may include:
- Fever?
Why: muscle aches with a fever may suggest Dengue fever, poliomyelitis, Bornholm disease, acute trichinosis, viral influenza or meningitis. Almost any other febrile illness may cause muscle aches.
- Muscle weakness or paralysis?
Why: Focal weakness or paralysis may suggest poliomyelitis. Generalised weakness or paralysis may suggest porphyria, polyneuritis, Guillain-Barre syndrome or dermatomyositis.
- Symptoms of fibromyalgia?
Why: e.g. a history of widespread pain (from neck to lower back), poor sleep pattern, fatigue. May be associated with anxiety, depression, tension headache, irritable bowel syndrome.
- Symptoms of polymyositis and dermatomyositis?
Why: e.g. muscle weakness, especially in thighs and upper arms, muscle aches and pains, joint pain, Raynaud's phenomenon, difficulty with swallowing. Dermatomyositis also features a characteristic violet colored rash over the eyelids, forehead, cheeks, hands, knees and elbows.
- Symptoms of chronic peripheral vascular disease?
Why: e.g. pain in buttock, thigh and calf, especially when walking up hills and stairs; persistent fatigue over the whole lower limb; impotence is possible. If severe, pain may occur at rest especially at night.
- Symptoms of depression?
Why: e.g. depressed mood, crying spells, anhedonia (loss of interest or pleasure), increase or decrease in appetite (usually decreased), weight loss or gain, insomnia or increased sleeping (usually early morning waking), fatigue, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness, feelings of excessive guilt, poor concentration, difficulty making decisions, low libido, thoughts of death or suicide attempt. A range of somatic (physical) symptoms not uncommonly occur with depression such as muscle aches and pains, headache, constipation, indigestion, weight loss, dry mouth, unusual pains or sensations in the chest and abdomen. Depression can be associated with many illnesses but it is important to realize that these somatic symptoms may be the presentation of depressive illness.
- Symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome?
Why: e.g. extreme exhaustion with minimal physical effort, acing in the muscles and legs, poor concentration and memory, excessive sleep, waking feeling tired, emotional lability, joint pain, sore throat, tender swollen lymph nodes.
» Next page: Types of Muscle aches
Rate This Website
What do you think about the features of this website?
Take our user survey and have your say:
Website User Survey
Medical Tools & Articles:
Next articles:
Tools & Services:
Medical Articles:
Forums & Message Boards
- Ask or answer a question at the Boards:
