Why do your joints and muscles hurt when you have the flu?

When you get hit with the flu, one of the symptoms is sore muscles and joints. Do you ever wonder why this happens?

You may think this is part of the virus making them hurt but it is actually a sign from your body that it is fighting the virus 

While your white blood cells are working hard to fight off the infection, you experience muscle weakness (myositis) and joint and muscle pain (myalgia) as a way for your body to make you rest so that it can focus on getting the virus out of your body.

While white blood cells are fighting infection, they produce a chemical called cytokines, which causes inflammation in muscles and joints. The pain that you experience from this is similar to mild arthritis or rheumatism and will ease once your body has fought off the infection.

What to do to help ease sore muscles and joints:

• Rest
• Drink lots of fluids – your white blood cells need resources to fight the virus.
• Regulate your temperature - stay warm or cool to avoid shivering as it increases muscle tension
• Massage sore areas
• Eat food that is easy on the stomach

How can MEDISTIK help?

The Extra Strength Dual Action Stick, Fast Acting Dual Action Spray, and Natural Ice Roll-On contain active ingredients, such as menthol, camphor, and eucalyptus, to help reduce inflammation and tension in your sore muscles and joints to help you relax. 

These active ingredients date back hundreds of years ago as traditional remedies for congestion and have shown to be helpful in aiding with flu symptoms such as:

• Help relieve tension in muscle and joint pain
• Open the airways to help relieve your cough and ease congestion

If you have the flu, take care of yourself so that you can go back to being #TheStrongOne in your life!