Can asthma cause muscle aches?

[Mandevilla]

We live in quite a hilly area that is also bad for my asthma, and I often find my legs ache badly when I'm walking uphill. (It's the feeling you get when you exercise and push yourself a bit further than normal only it happens on normal walks)

We've just come back from a week's holiday where I didn't get any asthma symptoms, and I was doing some really steep climbs up hills, no problem. Since getting back, the asthma's back to normal, and this morning, my legs were really aching by the time I'd walked uphill for about 5 minutes.

It's obviously not lack of fitness, because I was walking much further, over more difficult and steeper terrain on holiday, so I wondered if it could be connected to the asthma? It does seem to be worse on the days when my breathing is playing up.

[Homely2 Administrator]

My asthma nurse said I have an allowance of inflammatory things I can do each day.

So at home I do the washing, gardening etc all of which inflame my lungs. So a short walk can lead to asthma issues, and feel generally done in.

On holiday, I am chilled out, so I can go for a decent walk without trigerring my asthma and other issues

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

I don't think I've had this personally, though my 'fitness' and stamina definitely vary with my asthma.

This could be off base, but I am wondering about steroids though, or previous use/current lack thereof, since aching muscles can be a symptom of adrenal issues for some people. If you've had quite a few short courses of pred for asthma, it could be affecting your adrenals, and asthma will eat up your cortisol because it's physiologically stressful.

This is obviously not a diagnosis because I'm not a doctor and this is a forum - just something for you to consider and perhaps discuss with the helpline and then your GP, in case you think it fits your situation. If it doesn't, feel free to ignore!

[PaulRosedene]

Have you identified what it may be in the environment where you live that is bad for your asthma ? It sounds as though your asthma was much better on holiday.

[Mandevilla in reply to PaulRosedene]

We live in a damp area without much air circulation (small town in wooded valley with a river running through it). Damp is one of my biggest triggers (e.g. mist, rain, fog, steam in bathroom or kitchen). I'm much better in open areas with good airflow. And by the sea, I have no trouble at all. Funnily enough, even mist doesn't bother me if it comes from the sea. I read somewhere that the chemicals in sea air can actually soothe inflammation, so I don't know if that has anything to do with it. But I can literally feel my lungs calming down when I'm breathing in sea air.

[PaulRosedene in reply to Mandevilla]

It's good to know what factors are causing your asthma. Perhaps a move to Arabia ?

[Collienut]

This happens to me too, as well as suddenly feeling really tired. It's always been the first indicator of asthma for me when I'm outdoors. I usually take my reliever inhaler then it improves. Have you tried taking your reliever to see what happens? The only place I've been and my asthma 'disappeared' was Norfolk, but it was very flat. Beside the sea my asthma improves as well as my bronchiectasis. Holiday lets often have very little furnishings or things that can hold dust/allergens, but I struggle with the carpets in hotels.

[Mandevilla in reply to Collienut]

I haven't tried my reliever for the aching - that's a good point. I'll try a puff next time I get this and see if it makes any difference.

[Collienut in reply to Mandevilla]

Would be interesting to hear if the reliever makes a difference to you too. Fingers crossed it helps.

[Mandevilla in reply to Collienut]

Started aching when walking on a slight incline yesterday so tried one puff of my blue inhaler. Couldn't stand round waiting for it to take full effect, but a few minutes later, I got to a steep hill and was aching less walking up that than I had been on the gentle slope pre-Ventolin. So thank you for the suggestion to try it - seems to be working.

[6538]

I think the reply given by Lysistrata is probably correct as my ex consultant said my muscle ache was down to steroid medication, research on the internet has confirmed long term steroid use can burn off muscle mass, ( loss of muscle mass is a serious side-effect of treatment with corticosteroids.)

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to 6538]

It can also just be a temporary sign that cortisol is lacking, though it isn't a sign for everyone and some doctors don't always seem to recognise it as being linked to low cortisol. Mandevilla's muscles seem to be working fine some of the time, so it seems whatever the cause, it's currently temporary.

I could be wrong as I'm not an expert but I would think if long-term loss of muscle mass were an issue, she would have had the achiness climbing hills on holiday too.

[Mandevilla in reply to Lysistrata]

Yes, it's definitely something that can come and go overnight. I tend to think of myself as being quite unfit, but I'm obviously not as bad as I think I am because of the amount of exercise I can take when I have no asthma symptoms at all. I did a 5 hour walk up and down steep terrain on holiday and no symptoms beyond slightly stiff calf muscles the next day. Compared to being out of puff and aching when doing quarter of a mile this week!

[runcyclexcski in reply to Lysistrata]

Lysistrata -- would 2 mg of steroids a day be enough to trigger this muscle loss?

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to runcyclexcski]

2 mg of which steroids - pred? As that's about the same for your body as 8mg of hydrocortisone, and 2mg of other steroids eg dexamethasone might equate to more or less vs pred (I don't know exactly how this works pharmacologically, just that on a clinical level 5mg pred=20mg hydrocortisone).

I'm genuinely not sure as I'm not an expert and haven't read the literature on this specifically (my impression is it's a complex area). I do get the impression that if you have adrenal/pituitary problems and are just replacing the cortisol you don't make yourself with medication, then it's not typically associated with the long-term effects you can get from taking steroids at a higher dose for their anti-inflammatory effects.

[runcyclexcski]

I definitely get very tired, to the point of not being able to get out of bed, following an asthma attack. Also, some biologicals, like Dupilumab, cause joint inflammation -- I have experienced this, too.