Muscle Pain, the Most Common Pain

[Used with permission from the new book, PAIN RELIEF in 4 Simple Steps by Jacob Teitelbaum, MD. A complete set of 22 pain videos is available at Dr. T’s YouTube Channel.]

Low Energy Equals Muscle Shortening

Muscle pain, sometimes also called myofascial pain, is the most common cause of chronic pain. It is triggered by muscles getting stuck in the shortened position. These tight muscles then hurt.

Low energy in the muscles is what drives this. It takes more energy for a muscle to relax than it does to contract. This may seem counterintuitive. But think about what happens after you do a heavy workout, draining your muscles of energy. You don’t come home and say, “Honey my muscles are all loose and limp.” Instead, you ask for a shoulder rub because your muscles are tight.

Causes of Low Muscle Energy

Localized

When you have localized muscle pain, such as tension headaches, most low back pain, or tendinitis, there is usually something causing localized low energy in that muscle.

For example, poor ergonomics when sitting by your computer keyboard is a common cause of shoulder or neck pain.

Not convinced? Try this little exercise. It is not uncommon to sit at one’s keyboard for hours at a time. So, take a moment to notice something when you’re sitting by your computer typing.

Are your elbows resting comfortably on your chair’s armrests?

If not, your shoulders are holding your arms up. If this is the case, move away from the keyboard and sit there for half an hour with your arms held out in front of you. Notice how tight your neck and shoulder muscles feel.

This is what happens for hours at a time when you have not properly set up the seat by your computer.

Widespread Muscle Pain

When you have a lot of aches and pains in different areas, this suggests that your muscles (and body) in general are not making enough energy. Even localized muscle pain suggests this, as the low overall muscle energy predisposed you to developing the problem.

Getting Pain Relief

Optimizing your body’s energy production can dramatically help both local and widespread muscle pain. This was shown in several of my published research studies, where the S.H.I.N.E. protocol dramatically reduced the widespread muscle pain of fibromyalgia.

The S.H.I.N.E. Protocol to Optimize Healthy Energy Production

An easy and powerfully helpful way to begin? I use a high potency multinutrient powder (I like the Energy Revitalization Drink Mix) and make sure to get 8-9 hours of sleep a night. For most people with muscle discomfort or fatigue this is a great start, and often enough.

But what about those of you whose pain and fatigue are more severe—who need energy “intensive care”?

Sleep (the “S” in S.H.I.N.E.)

The average night’s sleep in the United States until lightbulbs were invented was 9 hours a night. We are now down to 6¾ hours a night. This is like a 30% energy pay cut to our bodies.

But sleep is not only about energy. It is also when tissue repair is done, helping pain go away. Research shows that if you take healthy people and disrupt their sleep, they will get widespread pain. Poor sleep also causes:

• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Poor immunity
• Brain fog
• A host of other problems

Make time for sleep by cutting out things you don’t enjoy, especially those that leave you feeling anxious or just generally awful. Can you let go of those without being homeless or arrested? Then I recommend you do so and use that time for sleep.

Optimizing Sleep

Simple natural options can be dramatically beneficial. What I take myself are:

• Melatonin. EP120 sustained-release melatonin 10 mg. Other shorter acting products often leave people waking up in the middle of the night.
• The Revitalizing Sleep Formula. A powerful, yet gentle, herbal and nutrient sleep blend containing valerian, passionflower, lemon balm, hops, 5-HTP, and theanine.
• When needed for further sleep support, I add Terrific Zzzz™, a blend of four sleep-supporting essential oils; AnxioCalm®, which stimulates cannabinoid receptors; or whole hemp oil (without THC). Note: Many hemp oils out there are problematic. I recommend ones from licensed formularies or from the company Charlotte’s Web.

When needed for further sleep support, I add Terrific Zzzz, a blend of four sleep-supporting essential oils; AnxioCalm®, which stimulates cannabinoid receptors; or whole hemp oil (without THC).

In some painful conditions, the pain is widespread and accompanied by severe insomnia and fatigue. When this is the case, I suspect fibromyalgia. Even if other overt causes of the pain, such as autoimmune illnesses, are present.

In these cases, medications may also be needed. I often begin with one of these, adding in the others as needed:

• Gabapentin (Neurontin®) 100–600 mg at bedtime
• Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril®) 2.5–5 mg at bedtime
• Trazodone (Desyrel®) 25–50 mg a night
• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl®) 12.5–50 mg a night
• Amitriptyline (Elavil®) 10–25 mg a night

Hormones (the “H” in S.H.I.N.E.)

Hormones regulate our body’s energy production. Unfortunately, standard medical lab testing misses most people who need hormonal support. The following are some of the key hormones involved in pain:

Thyroid

The thyroid gland is like the body’s gas pedal. When your thyroid level is low, your body simply cannot make enough energy. Symptoms suggesting low thyroid, in addition to fatigue and pain, include weight gain, cold intolerance, and brain fog.

Most people who would benefit from thyroid hormone support have “normal” blood tests. The medical definition of hypothyroidism is being in the lowest 2% of the population. This is a statistical term called two standard deviations (2 SD).

To put this in an easy-to-understand way, if medicine created a normal range for shoe sizes, it would be size 6–13. So, anybody wearing a size 6 shoe, even with a size 12 foot, would be told that the shoe they are wearing is normal!

Unfortunately, over 12% of the population has thyroid inflammation, which  is just one cause of low thyroid. So, thyroid blood tests miss most people who would benefit from thyroid hormones. Low thyroid is a major driver for pain. To get proper treatment for low thyroid, you may need to see a holistic physician. The nutrients in the Energy Revitalization Drink Mix multinutrient powder can help support healthy thyroid function quite a bit.

Diagnosing and treating low thyroid is discussed in detail in my book From Fatigued to Fantastic.

Adrenal 

The adrenal gland is the body’s stress handler. To be medically low, adrenal insufficiency (called Addison’s disease) requires such severe autoimmune or infectious destruction of the adrenal gland that it can kill you. Otherwise, it is considered normal, which is sadly absurd.

The problem? We are seeing fatigue of the adrenals becoming common because of the excess stress of modern life. I suspect about a quarter of the population has this.

A simple way to tell?

I suspect adrenal fatigue when people get irritable and sugar cravings when hungry (called “hangry”). This is likely because of drops in blood sugar from the adrenal fatigue. Unfortunately, these repeated drops in blood sugar can cause muscle shortening, worsening pain.

Drops in blood sugar when hangry can also wreak havoc on relationships, because of the mood swings. If you suspect you have this, let your loved ones know. Advise them not to try to comfort you when you get irritable—you’d just claw their eyes out. Instead, if you get irritable, tell them to just feed you or remind you to eat.

I find that marital and relationship problems are often caused by the unpredictable irritability associated with these blood sugar drops.

If you get irritable when hungry, reducing refined sugar and increasing protein and salt intake may help stabilize energy. A supplement called Adrenaplex® contains a blend of herbs and nutrients formulated to support healthy stress response and adrenal function. Many people report significant changes within days with 1–2 capsules each morning.

It is quite remarkable. Not only will your muscles thank you, but adrenal support is way less expensive than marriage counseling or a divorce lawyer!

Estrogen and Progesterone (and Testosterone)

Deficiencies of these hormones, even with “normal” blood tests, increase pain severity. Estrogen increases a woman’s natural endorphins, muting pain sensitivity. But as a woman enters perimenopause in her 40s, she becomes estrogen and progesterone deficient. This can be present for 5–12 years before the deficiency shows up in blood testing and a woman’s menstrual period stops.

When to suspect you may need bioidentical hormone support?

If your pain, cognition, and energy are worse around your menstrual period, then estrogen and progesterone drops are likely contributing. Using bioidentical estrogen and progesterone around one’s period (and if over 45 years old, throughout the month) can help. All the prescription estrogen patches are bioidentical, as is the prescription progesterone called Prometrium.

Infections and Inflammation (the “I” in S.H.I.N.E.)

Some infections are obvious, like the achiness when you have the flu. Others—such as Lyme disease, Epstein-Barr reactivation, and Long COVID—are less so. But these usually leave people miserable beyond the pain.

Another commonly missed infection that can drive pain would be candida/fungal overgrowth. These should be suspected if one has irritable bowel syndrome and/or chronic nasal congestion or sinusitis.

Nutritional Support (the “N” in S.H.I.N.E.)

The Standard American Diet (SAD) loses fully half of its vitamins and minerals during food processing, making it a major contributor to the modern human energy crisis.

There is no single diet that is optimal for everyone. Instead, what feels best to you should guide your choices. But there are some key simple tips:

• The average diet includes as much as 140 pounds of sugar per person per year added during food processing. So, cut out the sugary sodas and fruit juices. When convenient, opt for whole grains instead of white flour.
• Take a high-potency multinutrient powder with optimal levels of key nutrients that are higher than the RDA, which reflects minimum needs—not optimal intake. To make it simple, I recommend a high-potency optimized nutritional support powder called the Energy Revitalization Drink Mix.

Exercise (the “E” in S.H.I.N.E.)

Gently stretching tight muscles can be very helpful. Walking, yoga, tai chi, or numerous other approaches can be helpful. These should be done gently so they don’t worsen pain.

This is meant to be a short and simple introduction to these issues. S.H.I.N.E. is discussed in detail in my book From Fatigued to Fantastic.

There Are Many Ways to Increase Muscle Energy

Ever wonder why so many seemingly unrelated things can help with muscle pain?

What many of these have in common is that they increase energy production in the muscles. For example:

1. Acupuncture. Inserting a needle into a tight muscle and then rotating it creates an electrical current that makes a tight muscle (and the energy blocked by it) release. The electrical current is a form of energy.
2. Massage, stretching, and chiropractic care. These also deliver physical energy to the muscles, helping to stretch them and restore normal function.
3. Heat, such as sitting in a hot bath or under an infrared lamp. These put heat energy into the muscles, causing them to release and relax.

The problem?

Unless you treat the underlying causes of low energy, such as nutritional deficiencies, poor sleep, or repetitive stress to the muscle (e.g., from ergonomic problems), the low energy problem will recur. The muscles then go back to the shortened position again.

So, all these modalities can be very helpful. But if the pain keeps recurring, it tells you that the root causes need to be addressed.

How to do that is a key focus for this book.

Action Steps Summary

Relieving muscle distress and tightness can powerfully begin with simple, supportive steps.

How to start:

1. Increase energy production to relax muscles.
   • Optimize nutritional support with the Energy Revitalization Drink Mix.
   • Get your 8–9 hours of sleep each night. Eliminate doing things you don’t enjoy to free up the time. If needed, natural sleep support such as EP120 Sustained Release Melatonin and the herbals Revitalizing Sleep Formula and Terrific Zzzz can leave most people sleeping like kittens.
2. Comfortably stretch muscles.
   • Use a heating pad before stretches.
   • Do light yoga and exercise (e.g., walking in the sunshine) as able.
3. Massage therapists who do myofascial release can help. It does not need to be painful to be beneficial. For smaller and localized areas of pain, including tendinitis, topical prescription pain creams from ITC Compounding Pharmacy can be very effective and without side effects.

You’re Invited! Dr. Teitelbaum is now personally answering questions in his new Facebook support group: Recovering from Fibromyalgia, CFS, and Long COVID. The group is also open to anyone dealing with chronic pain or related health challenges. Join the community, ask your questions, and connect with others!