Home remedies for body aches: How to relieve the pain

What is body aches?

In medicine, body aches are defined as muscle and joint pain in the legs and arms. The severity of the pain can vary greatly: on some days it is hardly noticeable and on other days it has an extreme impact on everyday life. How does body aches feel? They are most often described as a pulling pain that keeps moving through the body. Both arms or both legs can be affected, or just one extremity at a time.

cause of body aches

The cause of such pain in individual parts of the body can be very different: On the one hand, such muscle pain can occur as an accompanying symptom of another illness, such as a cold or a flu-like infection . This is often accompanied by back pain, headaches and body aches with fever. Infections are generally the most common cause of pain in extremities. Other infections can be, for example, measles , mumps or tick -borne encephalitis – a disease caused by a tick bite.

How does body aches arise?

Pain in the limbs is a sign that your body and thus your whole organism is fighting an infection. As a result, certain messenger substances are released, such as so-called pyrogens. On the one hand, they are responsible for increasing body temperature and, on the other hand, they lower the pain threshold. This means that if such messenger substances – caused by the infection – flow through your body, you will notice pain in your limbs more extreme and much earlier than in a completely healthy state.

Body aches without fever or cold

Of course, body aches can also occur without fever or an infection. In this case, they usually appear in just one part of the body and indicate an underlying disease , such as osteoarthritis. However, such chronic body aches without fever or cold are rare. In addition, such muscle pain can also occur as a side effect of medication . If you suspect this to be the cause of your pain, a look at the package insert or a discussion with your doctor can help.

Another reason for pain in limbs without a flu infection can also be extreme sweating , since the body loses a lot of fluid and thus electrolytes. As soon as your body loses up to six percent of its weight in fluid, muscle pain can result.

Another reason for leg and arm pain in women can be an extreme  hormonal imbalance just before the period, also known as premenstrual syndrome (PMS) . Before the menstrual period, many women complain of migraines, difficulty concentrating, but also aching limbs.

What helps against body aches?

In order to deal with pain in the limbs, it is of course important to know the exact cause. If a cold or fever is the reason, the following home remedies can help in addition to plenty of rest and sleep.

Home remedies for body aches

• Ginger Tea : Did you know that the ginger plant relieves pain and spasms? Add a teaspoon of ginger powder to a liter of boiling water. Drink this ginger tea throughout the day.
• Linden blossom tea: The linden blossom tea is said to be very helpful with fever and colds, as it is very sweaty. So if you suffer from muscle pain due to an impending cold or flu, you can sweat out your flu infection with this tea.
• Hot- water bottle: The hot-water bottle is a real all-rounder! She can help you very quickly, especially with pain in your legs: just snuggle up with her in bed, nice and warm.
• Calf wraps: If fever is the reason for your symptoms, cold calf wraps can help. However, you should make sure that your feet and legs are warm. If they are cold , warm calf wraps should be used instead. This lowers the fever, which should also make the body aches go away.
• Warm bath:  If you don’t have a fever and still have pain in your extremities, a warm bath with eucalyptus oil can work wonders. Because it promotes blood circulation and thus ensures relaxation of the muscles. But lavender can be just as effective: Boil 250 to 1000g of lavender, let it stand for a few minutes and strain the brew. Simply add this brew to your bath water. You can also use thyme instead of lavender.
• Rubbing alcohol/spirit of lemon balm: Your grandparents already knew these tricks: simply rub rubbing alcohol or spirit of lemon balm into the affected areas. Both cool and relieve your pain. Pine, peppermint and arnica oil have also proved very effective for body aches.

If these home remedies do not help and you suffer from severe body aches, you can also use common painkillers such as ibuprofen or paracetamol. Always consult your doctor about this.