Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Do you feel sore and weak, even when you’re trying to stay active? Maybe you work out, but your strength doesn’t improve. Or worse, exercise leaves you hurting, and now you avoid it. You’ve gained weight, feel frustrated, and maybe even anxious about your future. Chronic pain and feeling weak can wear you down. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. In my Edmonton chiropractic clinic, I see people struggling with these very issues. One overlooked culprit? Inflammation. In this post, we’ll look at how chronic inflammation may be behind your muscle weakness and ongoing pain. We’ll also explore what you can do to reduce inflammation to relieve muscle weakness and pain – so you can get back to doing what you love.
How Inflammation Affects Muscle Strength and Movement
Strong muscles help your body move smoothly. They stabilize your joints and support good posture. But when muscles weaken, movement becomes unstable. Poor alignment follows, and over time, pain becomes chronic. If you’re doing all the right things, like exercising, but still feel weak or sore, it’s time to ask why. Inflammation may be the missing piece. I’ve worked with patients for over 20 years and have seen many who are active yet still suffer from widespread weakness. Often, these same people deal with recurring pain. That shouldn’t happen if the muscles are getting enough stimulation. So, what’s disrupting the connection between effort and strength? Chronic, low-grade inflammation can quietly interfere with your muscles’ ability to work properly. It affects your nervous system, joints, and tissues. Over time, it wears down your resilience. Addressing it can be a key step toward feeling better and moving with more confidence.
What the Research Says About Inflammation and Muscle Weakness
Let’s be clear – research doesn’t yet prove that inflammation causes muscle weakness in every case. But there’s growing evidence that chronic, systemic inflammation is linked to poor muscle function. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) Some studies show that inflammation markers rise as strength drops. This doesn’t confirm direct causation, but it’s an important connection. In my clinical experience, people who follow anti-inflammatory protocols often see big changes. They regain strength. Pain fades. And they start moving with less effort. That kind of change doesn’t come from chance alone. We know that inflammation damages all types of body tissue, including muscle. (8) It impairs how your body heals and recovers. So, it’s not hard to believe that reducing inflammation could help restore better muscle function. If we want to reduce inflammation to relieve muscle weakness and pain, we need to look at where that inflammation starts. Diet, gut health, and stress are often the main triggers, and the best places to start your recovery.
Start by Cleaning Up Your Diet
One of the fastest ways to reduce inflammation is by changing what you eat. Many people are sensitive to common foods like gluten, dairy, or added sugars. These don’t always cause obvious digestive symptoms, but they may still trigger a low-grade immune response. Over time, that inflammation may affect your joints, muscles, and nervous system. A good first step is to try an elimination diet. This involves removing common inflammatory foods – like processed grains, added sugars, dairy, seed oils, alcohol, and legumes – for 30 days. Then, slowly reintroduce one food group at a time. Track how you feel. Many of my patients who follow this process report fewer flare-ups, less pain, and improved strength. If elimination diets feel overwhelming, food intolerance testing through a functional medicine provider or naturopath can also help. The point is to remove the source of irritation. This gives your body a break, so it can recover and build strength more easily.
Heal the Gut to Calm Inflammation
If your gut isn’t working well, inflammation becomes harder to control. Your gut lining acts like a filter. When it’s healthy, it keeps out harmful substances while letting in nutrients. But if that lining becomes damaged, commonly known as “leaky gut”, toxins slip into your bloodstream. Your immune system reacts, inflammation rises, and your symptoms persist. Gut issues don’t always cause stomach pain or bloating. Fatigue, weakness, joint pain, or brain fog are more common than you think. Restoring gut health can lower inflammation and help your muscles function better. Start by feeding your gut bacteria with fermentable fiber. This includes vegetables like broccoli, carrots, squash, and leafy greens, along with resistant starches like cooked-and-cooled potatoes. Add bone broth and fermented foods like sauerkraut or kefir. These support gut lining repair. Improving your digestion helps reduce inflammation to relieve muscle weakness and pain, because your gut and muscles are more connected than they might seem.
Manage Stress to Control Inflammation
Chronic stress doesn’t just affect your mood. It disrupts your body’s ability to control inflammation. That makes it harder for your body to recover, even from minor exertion. You might feel tired but wired, sleep poorly, or crash in the afternoon. If you’re trying to get stronger, that kind of stress works against you. Improve your sleep, get natural light, and take time to relax. Regular movement, joyful activity, and nutrient-dense food also help regulate stress. When you manage stress well, you create the conditions your body needs to reduce inflammation and rebuild strength.
As well, I will sometimes recommend patients get more extensive lab tests from a functional medicine practitioner or naturopath that help identify chemical imbalances within their body that could be causing extra stress and inflammation.
Final Thoughts: You Can Take Control
If you’ve been stuck in a cycle of pain, weakness, and frustration, don’t give up. There’s always a reason behind chronic symptoms – you just have to dig deeper. Inflammation may be the missing link. If you want to reduce inflammation to relieve muscle weakness and pain, start by cleaning up your diet, healing your gut, and managing stress. These are powerful steps that support your body’s ability to recover and get stronger. And you don’t have to do it alone. If you’re in Edmonton and looking for guidance, my office offers a holistic approach to uncovering the root cause of pain. We don’t just chase symptoms – we aim to correct the source. You deserve to feel strong, mobile, and confident in your body again.
For a healthy spine and nervous system, contact Edmonton chiropractor Dr. Dean Collins. Or book a consult and exam with him today.
To learn more about how chiropractor care can help you and your family, read Dr. Collins’ comprehensive guide to chiropractic care: Chiropractic Care for Everyone.
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