Muscle Ache (Myalgia)

Pooled analyses of randomized trials reported temporary worsening of pain and local soreness or distension, as well as localized pain, in studies of people with varied conditions.

Pooled human studies recorded muscle or joint pain, while another pooled analysis of randomized trials included adverse events associated with exercise. The studies covered people with a range of health conditions, so the findings do not establish how often this occurs in a general population.

Pooled analyses of randomized trials reported minor musculoskeletal complaints in 2023 and mild muscle soreness or fatigue in 2025 among people with varied health conditions.

Meta-analyses with pooled study designs not recorded reported mild, transient muscle soreness, and transient joint discomfort, muscle soreness, or fatigue at the start of an intervention.

A pooled analysis of randomized trials reported minor musculoskeletal discomfort, including muscle soreness and knee, foot, and back pain. A 2025 pooled analysis whose designs were not recorded also reported transient muscle soreness and increased knee or foot pain.

A meta-analysis pooling randomized trials found that adverse events, mainly increased back pain, were more common with Yoga than with non-exercise controls among people with osteoarthritis; the risk difference was 5% (95% CI 2% to 8%).

A 2022 pooled analysis whose study designs were not recorded noted tenderness or soreness. A 2026 randomized trial also recorded pain with TENS in 384 participants.

A randomized trial involving 700 participants recorded musculoskeletal-related adverse events associated with the yoga programme in 6 intervention participants. A separate pooled review whose study designs were not recorded reported musculoskeletal pain or discomfort.

A randomized trial of 55 people recorded delayed onset muscle soreness. In another randomized trial of 18 people, discomfort during a sprint cycling session led to a dropout.

A 2025 meta-analysis of randomized and non-randomized human studies reported lower-limb discomfort. A 2022 randomized trial in 69 healthy participants reported discomfort including knee and ankle pain.

One randomized controlled trial involving 60 people reported mild shoulder ache after the first treatment; another randomized controlled trial involving 60 people reported aches over the treated area after the first massage session.

Trials recorded pain during stretching exercises and musculoskeletal symptoms including soreness or pain in the calf, ankle, or knee, as well as bruising near the big toe.

Pooled analyses whose designs were not recorded reported increased back pain after massage.

A meta-analysis of randomized trials reported training-related adverse effects that included musculoskeletal pain. A separate randomized trial involving 372 people reported leg pain.

One randomized trial found mild, transient muscle soreness that resolved within 48 h; another found a slight increase in muscle weakness. The studies involved people with Multiple Sclerosis or Osteoarthritis.

In a 2021 randomized trial of 65 healthy participants, perceived muscle pain rose in the foam-rolling group from 1.15 to 1.75, while it fell in the massage group (1.70 to 1.15) and relaxation group (1.52 to 1.28; p<0.001). A separate 2021 randomized trial of 22 participants rated discomfort during foam rolling as “slightly uncomfortable” (2.3 ± 2.4 cm on a 9.5-cm visual analog scale).

Studies in people with Parkinson's disease reported temporary leg weakness in a pooled analysis of randomized trials. A separate 2026 systematic review of randomized trials reported a mild, transient increase in pain or muscular tension with PBMT-sMF.

A pooled systematic review whose study designs were not recorded linked musculoskeletal pain with unsupervised at-home dance training.

A pooled analysis of randomized trials reported muscle soreness. One trial in 110 people found light muscular backache.

An RCT with 58 people in 2023 reported muscle pain, while a 2022 RCT with 21 people reported muscle soreness. The studies included people with Breast Cancer.

Two randomized trials in people with depression, each involving 30 participants and published in 2017, reported transient muscle soreness.

A 2019 randomized controlled trial involving 32 people recorded post-class muscle soreness and recovery time that was too great.

In a 2026 randomized controlled trial involving 23 healthy people, body aches were reported; the finding did not quantify their frequency.

A 2022 cross-sectional study of 3,668 healthy people recorded muscle injuries, but it did not specify muscle aches as a separate finding.

In a cohort of 18 healthy participants, all reported obvious muscle soreness 24 h after exercise, consistent with delayed-onset muscle soreness.

A 2026 systematic review of observational studies classified reported events as musculoskeletal adverse events, without specifying the types of muscle symptoms.

A 2023 trial of 74 people reported neck pain.

In a trial involving 48 people with hypertension, one participant reported leg pain after forest bathing sessions and was lost to follow-up at T2.

A randomized trial in 2015 involving 17 people listed neck and shoulder pain.

Sitting still in one posture during a long session can make the back, neck, or legs sore.

Unaccustomed or hard swimming sessions can cause delayed-onset muscle soreness lasting 1-3 days.

Muscle soreness is common after unaccustomed dance activity, particularly in the legs and core.

This effect was mentioned in 20 of 328 community reports discussing it (Reddit 18, Bluesky 2).

This effect was mentioned in 2 of 313 Reddit reports discussing it.

This effect was mentioned in 2 of 301 Reddit reports discussing it.

This effect was mentioned in 2 of 237 Reddit reports discussing it.

Unaccustomed or prolonged gardening can lead to delayed-onset muscle soreness, particularly in the lower back, shoulders, and hands.

This effect was mentioned in 8 of 262 community reports discussing it (Reddit 3, YouTube 3, Bluesky 2).

Prolonged or vigorous laughter yoga sessions can cause temporary soreness in the abdominal and intercostal muscles due to sustained, repetitive contractions.

This effect was mentioned in 3 of 322 Reddit reports discussing it.

Prolonged swishing (exceeding 20 minutes) may cause jaw muscle fatigue or temporomandibular discomfort.

This effect was mentioned in 9 of 216 Reddit reports discussing it.

This effect was mentioned in 6 of 218 Reddit reports discussing it.

One trial in 18 healthy participants found that pressure pain threshold scores in the cold-water immersion group first increased, then fell from 4.2 to 1.5 by Post48 (MD -2.5 kgf; p = 0.024).