Symptoms Of Scleroderma

Joint And Muscle Aches

Joint and muscle aches are common symptoms that occur in individuals with scleroderma. There are numerous ways scleroderma can cause pain in an affected individual's joints and muscles. Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease because the immune system attacks its own tissues, causing an overproduction of collagen and scar tissue. Rheumatoid arthritis is also an autoimmune disease that is associated with scleroderma that causes the bones of a joint to become severely inflamed. The muscle aches may originate from thick and stiff blood vessels that are unable to provide muscle fibers with adequate amounts of oxygenated blood. Muscle pain may also arise from a buildup of scar tissue caused by the abnormal autoimmune actions taken by the immune system of scleroderma-affected individuals. Scar tissue is more dense and fibrous than healthy muscle tissue, and it also cannot stretch the same way as healthy muscle tissue. Scar tissue can cause injury and damage to surrounding healthy muscle tissue when the individual attempts to utilize the affected muscle.

Learn more about how to identify scleroderma now.