Muscle and joint aches during the flu, known as myalgia and arthralgia, can be a distressing symptom for many. When a body is infected with a virus, such as the flu, the immune system engages in a battle to fight off the infection. This immune response can lead to inflammation, which manifests as muscle weakness, or myositis, and pain in the muscles and joints. The pain, redness, swelling, and heat produced are part of the body’s defense mechanism to fight off infectious agents like bacteria and repair tissue damage.

Every year, millions of Americans struggle with bouts of coughing, sneezing, sniffling, achiness, and fever caused by colds and flu. Though these ailments share some symptoms, the severity varies; colds are generally milder, while flu symptoms are more intense. High fever and body aches are trademark symptoms of the flu.

Influenza can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. It is different from a cold and usually comes on suddenly, with symptoms that may include fever or chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, and fatigue. Pneumonia, an infection causing the air sacs in the lungs to fill with fluid, can also accompany the flu, leading to severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing.

While COVID-19 can cause severe symptoms, including shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, it also shares commonalities with flu symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, and muscle aches. However, upper respiratory symptoms like sneezing or a stuffy or runny nose are most common with a cold.

Body aches and pains are usually present with COVID-19 and are often severe with the flu. Fatigue and weakness are more common and severe with the flu compared to a cold, where muscle aches and tiredness are typically very mild.

Loma Linda University Health
Harvard Health
Harvard Health
Harvard Health
UAB News
Harvard Health
University of Central Florida News
GCU News