Concerns
Aches and pain in the body
You wake up stiff, have aches in your joints and muscles and feel sore in places that should not hurt. Perhaps you have been told your X-rays and tests look fine, and been given painkillers and told to keep moving.
Being in pain every day takes a lot of strength, and it is hard when nobody can explain why. The pain is real, even when it does not show on a scan. Many people who get in touch with us have lived with it for years.
Does this sound familiar?
- You are in pain every day, but your tests and scans look normal.
- You are stiff in the morning and worse when you sleep badly.
- The pain moves around your body.
- You have been given painkillers, but nobody has asked about your sleep or daily life.
- You avoid things you enjoy because you are afraid it will hurt more.
Why is it hard to get help?
Healthcare is good at finding injuries and inflammatory diseases. Once those are ruled out, long-term pain easily becomes a question of pain relief, and what makes the body so sensitive rarely gets time.
Sleep, stress, vitamin D, iron, hormones and low-grade inflammation all affect how much pain you feel. Each on its own can seem small, but together they make a difference.
With us, we look at what may be contributing, and we work alongside your doctor or physiotherapist.
Why does it hurt?
Pain is the body's warning signal, but with long-term pain the nervous system can become oversensitive. The signals are amplified, and things hurt that otherwise would not.
Poor sleep, long-term stress and inflammation make the nervous system even more sensitive. Low vitamin D and magnesium, and falling oestrogen in the menopause, can also cause aches in muscles and joints.
What could be behind it?
We often find that sleep matters more for pain than many people think. Poor sleep makes you more sensitive to pain, and pain makes you sleep worse.
Low-grade inflammation
It can cause aches and stiffness in the body, and can be measured with hs-CRP.
Read the guide: Healthspan and ageing →Vitamin D
Low levels have been linked to muscle and bone pain, and are common in Sweden in winter.
Read the guide: Vitamin deficiency →Magnesium
The muscles need it. A deficiency can cause cramps and tension.
Read the guide: Vitamin deficiency →Iron deficiency
It can cause tiredness, restless legs and slower recovery.
Read the guide: Iron deficiency →The menopause
Joint pain and stiffness are common as oestrogen falls.
Read the guide: Women's health →Sleep and stress
Poor sleep and long-term stress make the body more sensitive to pain.
What you can do yourself
- Move a little every day, rather often and gently than rarely and hard.
- Warmth, such as a hot bath, often helps with stiffness.
- Prioritise sleep. People who sleep better often have less pain.
- Find ways to wind down, such as walks, breathing exercises or relaxation.
- Keep a diary of your pain, sleep and what you have done, so the patterns show.
- Measure your vitamin D, especially in winter.
What we look at
Your pain and your history
Where it hurts, when it started, what makes it better or worse, previous investigations and the care you have.
Sleep, movement and daily life
How you sleep, how you move, how you sit and work, and how much stress you have.
Tests with a purpose
We only suggest tests that could change the next step. Here that often means hs-CRP, vitamin D, magnesium, iron status and the thyroid.
Tests that may be relevant
How it works
Four steps
- 01
Tell us about you
You fill in a health questionnaire about your symptoms, your sleep, what you eat and your daily life.
- 02
Take your blood test
You give a blood sample at a lab near you, in Stockholm or at any of more than 100 sampling locations across Sweden. We help you choose the tests that answer your questions.
- 03
Go through your results
You receive a personal health report and a session with one of our practitioners, and we make a plan together.
- 04
Follow up
We follow how you are getting on and adjust the plan. A new blood test after three to six months shows how your results have changed.
When to get medical help
Contact your health centre soon if you also have any of these:
- You have sudden, severe pain, or pain after an accident.
- You have swollen, warm and red joints, or a fever.
- You have chest pain, or pain spreading to your arm or jaw. Call 112.
- You have back pain together with numbness around your genitals or difficulty passing urine. Call 112.
- You are losing weight without explanation, or have pain at night that does not go away.
Call 112 in an emergency. Call 1177 for advice on where to get care.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I ache all over?
It can have many causes, from lack of sleep, stress and little movement to low vitamin D, inflammation or a slow thyroid. Long-term pain all over the body should also be assessed by a doctor.
Can stress cause aches in the body?
Yes. Long-term stress often causes tension in the neck, shoulders and jaw, and makes the body more sensitive to pain. It is often linked to poorer sleep.
Can vitamin D deficiency cause pain?
Low vitamin D has been linked to muscle and bone pain. It is common in Sweden during the winter months and easy to measure.
Do you treat pain?
No. We do not treat pain or disease. We look at what may be contributing, such as sleep, stress, diet and nutrients, and work alongside your doctor or physiotherapist.
What is included in a Health Assessment?
A health questionnaire, a personal health report and a short session with one of our practitioners. You add the blood test depending on what you want to look into, and we help you choose. If you have a long-term condition and want to find out whether your diet and lifestyle may be contributing, or you need a referral to our doctor, we also offer longer appointments.
Do I need a referral?
No. You book yourself, and the blood sample is taken at a lab near you. We have sampling locations in Stockholm and at more than 100 places across Sweden.
Would you like help understanding what affects your pain? Read about the Health Assessment →
Read more
Sources
Reviewed by
Wellth Team
Wellth
Our content is written and reviewed by Wellth, and fact-checked against peer-reviewed research and current Swedish clinical guidelines.
Learn more about our team →Important to know
Wellth does not diagnose or treat disease. We work with diet, lifestyle and preventive health, alongside the care you already have.
Our reports and sessions do not replace medical advice, and a test result should not be read as a diagnosis. We use both standard healthcare reference ranges and optimal ranges. A value can therefore be normal by healthcare standards and still fall outside the range associated with good health. That does not mean disease, but it can be a chance to act early.
Supplements are only recommended by a nutritional therapist as part of a consultation, never automatically from a test result.
If anything in your results needs to be looked at by a doctor, we will tell you clearly. Contact your healthcare provider if you are worried about your health. Call 1177 for advice, or 112 in an emergency.