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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Yes, usually. Most aches come from strains, overuse, exercise, viral infections, stress or poor sleep, which a doctor can assess and treat by video; some causes need blood tests in person.
- One place or all over: an ache in one area usually comes from a strain or overuse; aching all over points to something that affects the whole body, such as an infection, a medicine or a long-term condition.
- Most muscle aches: are temporary and not serious, and ease within a few days with rest, gentle stretching and simple pain relief; ice helps for the first 24 to 72 hours after an injury, heat after that.
- See a doctor: for an ache that lasts more than a week with no clear cause, started with a new medicine such as a statin, or comes with a fever, a rash or a tick bite.
- Emergency: call 112 for aching muscles with weakness or red, brown or very dark pee, a high temperature with a very stiff neck, chest pain, or difficulty breathing.
Do not book a video appointment if aching muscles come with sudden weakness or you cannot move part of your body, difficulty breathing or swallowing, chest pain or pressure, a high temperature with a very stiff neck or vomiting, or red, brown or very dark pee or much less pee than usual. Call 112 or go to an emergency department.
Can an online doctor treat aches and pains?
Yes, usually. Most aches and pains come from a strain, overuse, exercise, a viral infection such as flu, stress or poor sleep, and a doctor can work out the likely cause by video from where it aches, how it started and what comes with it, then treat it. Aches that need blood tests, such as those from a medicine, an underactive thyroid or an inflammatory condition, are planned online and tested in person, and the doctor tells you plainly when you need to be seen urgently.
How an online consultation helps with aches and pains
- One place or all over?: Where the ache is, how it started and what eases it point to the cause.
- Warning signs ruled out first: Weakness, dark pee, a stiff neck with a fever and chest pain are checked before anything else.
- Your medicines checked: Statins and some blood pressure medicines can cause aching muscles, and the doctor reviews what you take.
- A plan and the right tests: Pain relief, rest and movement advice, and blood tests when the cause needs them.
What the doctor checks in an online consultation about aches
The doctor checks the warning signs first, then where and how it aches. The doctor asks about:
- Warning signs: weakness, red, brown or very dark pee, a high temperature with a stiff neck, chest pain, and difficulty breathing or swallowing.
- Where it aches: one muscle or area, or all over, and whether the pain is in the muscles or centred on the joints.
- How it started: after exercise, a new activity or an injury, with a cold or flu, after starting a medicine, or slowly over weeks.
- Other symptoms: a fever, tiredness, stiffness in the morning, a rash or a tick bite, swelling, and weight loss.
- Your medicines: statins, blood pressure medicines and anything you have started or changed recently.
- Your health: sleep, stress and mood, your thyroid, and long-term conditions.
Before the call, note when the aches started and what eases them, and have a list of your medicines to hand.
How do you know if your pain is muscular?
Muscle pain, called myalgia, is felt in the fleshy part of a muscle, is often tender to the touch, and is usually worse when you use that muscle. Pain centred on a joint, especially with swelling or stiffness, is more likely to be joint pain, which the arthritis and joint pain pages cover.
- An ache in one place is more likely to come from something that happened to that muscle group, such as a strain or overuse.
- Aching all over is more likely to come from something that affects the whole body, such as an infection, a medicine or a long-term condition.
Aches that come a day or two after harder or new exercise are delayed-onset muscle soreness, a normal response that eases on its own.
What causes aching all over?
Body aches have many causes. The pattern, and what comes with them, points to the right one:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Cause | Typical signs | Online care |
|---|---|---|
| Flu, COVID-19 and other viral infections | Aching all over with a fever, tiredness, a cough or a sore throat, coming on quickly | Treated online |
| Statins and some other medicines | Aching muscles after starting or changing a medicine | Treated online, with a medicine review |
| Fibromyalgia | Widespread pain, with tiredness, poor sleep and trouble concentrating | Treated online |
| Polymyalgia rheumatica | Over 65s mostly: pain and stiffness around the shoulders, neck and hips, with morning stiffness of more than 45 minutes | Assessed online; blood tests and treatment in person |
| Stress and anxiety | Tense, aching muscles, often with poor sleep | Treated online |
| Lupus and dermatomyositis | Aches with joint pain, rashes, weak muscles or fevers | Assessed online |
| Underactive thyroid, low vitamin D, or low potassium or calcium | Aches with no other clear cause, found with blood tests | Assessed online; blood tests in person |
| Lyme disease | Aches after a tick bite, sometimes with a rash | Treated online |
| Rhabdomyolysis | Severe muscle pain, weakness and red, brown or very dark pee after extreme exercise, heat, a crush injury or some drugs | Emergency: call 112 |
What causes muscle pain that moves around the body?
Aches that move from place to place are usually part of something that affects the whole body: a viral infection, fibromyalgia, or an inflammatory condition such as polymyalgia rheumatica or lupus. A doctor can sort these out from your other symptoms, and some need blood tests.
Why do I ache all over in the morning?
Stiffness after sleep is common and usually eases once you get moving. Stiffness of more than 45 minutes around the shoulders, neck and hips is the main symptom of polymyalgia rheumatica, which mainly affects people over 65 and needs a doctor. See a doctor if it lasts more than a week.
Aches in one place: where does it ache?
An ache in one area usually comes from the muscles, tendons or joints there. These pages cover each area in detail, all treated online:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Where it aches | Read more |
|---|---|
| Neck and shoulders | Neck pain, shoulder pain |
| Back and bottom | Back pain, sciatica |
| Hips and thighs | Hip pain, bursitis |
| Knees | Knee pain |
| Elbows, wrists and hands | Tennis elbow, wrist pain, carpal tunnel syndrome |
| Heels and feet | Plantar fasciitis |
| Jaw | TMJ disorder |
| A muscle after sport, lifting or repetitive work | Sports injuries, RSI, tendonitis |
Muscle and joint pain without an obvious cause is covered on the musculoskeletal pain page.
How long do body aches last?
It depends on the cause. Aches after exercise ease within days. The aching body of flu comes on quickly with the fever and usually improves as the flu gets better: get advice if your symptoms have not improved after 7 days. See a doctor about muscle pain that lasts more than a week with no clear cause, or that does not improve with home care.
Statins and muscle aches
Muscle aches are a common side effect of statins. Keep taking your statin unless a doctor advises you to stop, and ask a doctor or pharmacist about aches that bother you or do not go away: they can advise how to reduce side effects. Rarely, statins inflame and damage the muscles, causing cramps, severe pain and weakness, sometimes with a high temperature and red or brown pee, which needs urgent care.
Which treatment might the doctor recommend for aches?
Treatment depends on the cause. This is the framework the doctors use:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| What you have | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aching muscles after exercise, lifting or a long day | Rest, ice and then heat, gentle stretching and pain relief | Yes | Not usually needed |
| Aching all over with a fever, cough or sore throat | Treatment for the infection and its symptoms | Yes | If you are getting worse, or not better after 7 days |
| Aches since starting or changing a medicine such as a statin | A medicine review, sometimes with a blood test | Yes | For a blood test if needed |
| Widespread aches for weeks with tiredness or poor sleep | Blood tests for common causes, and a plan for fibromyalgia or sleep problems | Yes, to assess | For blood tests |
| Over 50 with stiff, painful shoulders and hips every morning | Blood tests and assessment for polymyalgia rheumatica | Yes, to assess | For blood tests and treatment |
| Aching muscles with weakness, or red, brown or very dark pee | Emergency assessment | No | Call 112 or go to an emergency department |
Not sure why you ache? A doctor can tell you in one consultation what is likely to help.
See available times →How to relieve muscle aches
What you can do yourself
- Rest the aching part if you have overused it or strained it.
- Ice, then heat: use ice for the first 24 to 72 hours after an injury; after that, heat often feels more soothing.
- Pain relief: paracetamol or ibuprofen, if they suit you; products you rub in, such as those with menthol or capsaicin, can help an ache in one place.
- Gentle stretching and massage, especially after a long rest.
- Low-impact exercise such as walking, cycling or swimming; avoid high-impact exercise and weights while you are injured or in pain.
- Sleep and stress: enough sleep, and ways to wind down such as yoga or meditation.
- Prevention: warm up, cool down and stretch around exercise, drink enough, and get up to stretch at least once an hour if you sit for long periods.
Which painkiller works best for muscle pain?
For a strain or overuse, paracetamol or ibuprofen are the usual choices; ibuprofen does not suit everyone, including some people with stomach, kidney or heart problems, so check with a pharmacist or doctor. For aches all over, treating the cause matters more than the painkiller.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. Most aches need none. When a cause is found, the doctor may prescribe for it, such as an anti-inflammatory for a strain when it suits you, or review a medicine that may be causing the aches; do not stop a statin or another prescribed medicine without advice. Opioid painkillers such as codeine and tramadol, and benzodiazepines sometimes used as muscle relaxants, are never prescribed online. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
What does not help
Long spells of bed rest. High-impact exercise or weights while a muscle is injured. Stopping a prescribed medicine on your own. Taking painkillers for weeks without finding out why you ache.
Special situations
Over 50
New stiffness and pain around the shoulders and hips may be polymyalgia rheumatica. Up to 1 in 5 people with it develop giant cell arteritis: a new headache, jaw or tongue pain when eating or talking, or vision problems need a doctor straight away, and the giant cell arteritis page explains why.
After a tick bite, or travel
Aches after a tick bite can be the start of Lyme disease, and aches with a fever after travel need a doctor. Other holiday health problems are covered on the travel illnesses page.
Hot weather and hard exercise
Very hard exercise, heat and losing a lot of fluid can damage muscles. Severe muscle pain with weakness and red, brown or very dark pee afterwards is an emergency. Drink enough when it is hot, and see the dehydration page.
Children
Mobi Doctor consultations are for adults aged 18 and over. A child who is unwell needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person, and emergency signs in a child mean 112.
When aches are treated online, and when you need in-person care
Treated online: aches after exercise or strain, aches with flu and other viral infections, stress and sleep-related aches, medicine reviews, fibromyalgia, and planning the tests that find the cause.
In-person care: blood tests and examinations, inflammatory conditions that need a specialist, and any warning sign.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department now for:
- muscle weakness, or not being able to move part of your body
- difficulty breathing or swallowing
- chest pain or pressure
- a high temperature with a very stiff neck or vomiting
- red, brown or very dark pee, or much less pee than usual, with aching muscles
Get medical advice the same day for:
- severe pain that you cannot explain
- redness, warmth or swelling around a tender muscle
- aches with a fever after a tick bite or a rash
- a new headache, jaw pain when chewing or vision problems with aching shoulders and hips, if you are over 50
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CET. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about your aches: say where it aches, when it started and what came with it, and have a list of your medicines to hand.
- Leave with a plan: what to do, what to take and for how long, and which signs mean you should be seen in person. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
No sign-up needed
Aching muscles can have more than one cause. Tick every symptom you have to see each condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call. If you have an emergency sign listed on this page, call 112 instead.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Fibromyalgia can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about aches and pains
What are the common causes of muscle pain?
Strains and overuse, exercise, tension and stress, and infections such as flu. Medicines such as statins, and conditions such as fibromyalgia, polymyalgia rheumatica, lupus and an underactive thyroid, cause aches too.
How do I know if my pain is muscular?
Muscle pain is felt in the fleshy part of a muscle, is often tender to the touch and is worse when you use that muscle. Pain centred on a joint, especially with swelling or stiffness, is more likely to come from the joint.
Is it muscle aches or something else?
Muscle aches are tender to press, worse when you use the muscle, and usually have an explanation. Pain centred on a joint with swelling, redness or stiffness points to arthritis or gout; pain that shoots down a limb with tingling suggests a trapped nerve; aching with weakness or very dark pee can be muscle breakdown and is an emergency; and aches with a fever, a rash or a tick bite need a doctor to look for an infection.
What causes aching all over without a fever?
Aching all over without a fever can come from hard exercise, stress and poor sleep, medicines such as statins, fibromyalgia, an underactive thyroid, low vitamin D, and inflammatory conditions such as polymyalgia rheumatica. A doctor can work out which fits and arrange blood tests if needed.
What could cause muscle pain that moves around the body?
Muscle pain that moves around the body usually comes from something that affects the whole body rather than one muscle: a viral infection such as flu or COVID-19, fibromyalgia, an underactive thyroid, low vitamin D, or an inflammatory condition such as polymyalgia rheumatica or lupus. Aches that move with a fever, a rash or swollen joints need a doctor and usually blood tests.
How long do body aches last with flu?
The aching body of flu comes on quickly with the fever and usually improves as the flu gets better. Get advice if your symptoms have not improved after 7 days.
What is the best painkiller for muscle pain?
For a strain or overuse, paracetamol or ibuprofen are the usual choices, and a rub-on product can help an ache in one place. Ibuprofen does not suit everyone, so check with a pharmacist or doctor.
What can I do at home for aching muscles?
Rest the aching muscle for a day or two but keep gently active, because complete rest makes stiffness worse; use ice for the first 24 to 72 hours after an injury and heat after that; stretch gently once the sharp pain has eased; take paracetamol or ibuprofen if they suit you; and drink enough water, since dehydration makes cramps and aches more likely. Aches from flu or another infection need rest, fluids and simple painkillers, and they lift as the infection clears.
Should I use ice or heat for aching muscles?
For aching muscles, ice for the first 24 to 72 hours after an injury, then heat, which often feels more soothing and may help healing. Heat also eases stiffness and tension.
Do statins cause muscle aches?
Muscle aches are a common side effect. Keep taking the statin unless a doctor advises otherwise, and ask a doctor about aches that bother you. Severe pain and weakness with red or brown pee needs urgent care.
Can stress cause body aches?
Yes. Tension and stress are common causes of muscle aches, because stressed muscles stay partly tensed, especially in the neck, shoulders and back, and poor sleep makes them more sensitive to pain. Enough sleep, regular exercise, and ways to lower stress such as yoga, breathing exercises or meditation help, and aches that are there every morning are worth a check.
How can I prevent muscle aches?
Warm up before exercise and build up new activity gradually, since sudden increases are a common cause of aching muscles; stretch after exercise and stay hydrated; vary repetitive tasks and set up your desk so your neck and shoulders are not held tense; sleep enough, because poor sleep lowers your pain threshold; and keep moving every day, as muscles that are used regularly ache less. If a new medicine such as a statin starts the aches, tell a doctor rather than stopping it yourself.
Why do I ache all over in the morning?
Some aching and stiffness after sleep is common and eases as you move. Stiffness of more than 45 minutes around the shoulders and hips, especially over the age of 65, can be polymyalgia rheumatica and needs a doctor.
When should I worry about body aches?
Call 112 for aches with weakness, difficulty breathing or swallowing, chest pain, a high temperature with a very stiff neck, or red, brown or very dark pee. See a doctor for aches lasting more than a week with no clear cause.
Can an online doctor treat aches?
Yes, usually. A doctor can work out the likely cause by video, treat strains, infections and stress-related aches, review your medicines, and arrange blood tests when they are needed.
- Muscle aches, MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine, reviewed 1 April 2025.
- Myalgia (muscle pain), Cleveland Clinic (US), reviewed 1 October 2024.
- Polymyalgia rheumatica, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 23 April 2023.
- Fibromyalgia, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 12 October 2022.
- Flu, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 3 February 2026.
- Side effects of atorvastatin, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 23 June 2026.
- Rhabdomyolysis, MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine, reviewed 2 September 2025.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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Read article →Speak to a doctor about aches and pains over video, usually within 15 minutes
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