What causes the muscle soreness and swelling?

[Beefsteak]

Well, I get angina when I exercise or walk up hills or stairs.
I try to keep a decent level of fitness by exercising daily and playing several hours of sport each week. Medication is 20mg Lipitor, 500mg Niacin, and for BP Avapro (Irbesartin) 150mg, all daily. My BP is about 120/70, so I can probably do without the Irbesartin now.
What I sometimes get is swelling and aching in muscles I occasionally use - when normally those muscles are not used much. For example, today I was up and down ladders a lot, and carrying stuff up and down. Now I have swelling and soreness in both leg muscles just above the knee. It disappears after a day or so. If I use tools and say strain hard on a spanner or lift something heavy a muscle can swell up later on and get sore. It's like a strained muscle but it occurs very easily and without any sign until later in the day or night. It occurred before I started the Niacin, when I took 40mg Lipitor.
Seems my muscles have a low strain threshold. This is a new thing that I've noticed recently - last 12 months or so.
Anyone else seen this or know what it is?
Beefsteak

[k2626]

Do you get this in your chest? I think I may have an inflammed chest muscle but am unsure as I have sharp shooting pains and its been going on for 2 wks

[Lenin]

Beefsteak,

I think the ease with which your unused mucles hurt is unrelated
to your angina...or your Lipitor.
These pains from injury always begin to hurt long after the injury...for me the window is usually 36-48 hours.

A lot of parallels beweetween us: I ALSO take 20 mg. Lipitor and 500 mg. niacin and I also just hurt my right knee just above the kneecap...it hurt too much to allow me to finish my elliptical training yesterday afternoon . I actually let out a loud YELP that caused eveyone in the gym to look 'round.

Oh well, as Bette Davis said: "Old age AIN'T for sissies."

Seems my muscles have a low strain threshold.

I think it's more likely our tendons and ligaments rather than out muscles that are the problem...they tend to lose elasticity over the years.

[Beefsteak]

Lenin,
I am pretty sure it's in the muscles AND tendons, as sometimes I get it in the middle of my leg or arm. One thing it might be is a sort of gout reaction. Due to gout I am now taking 300mg allopurinol in two daily doses of 150mg. That fixes the gout and saves me drinking exhaustive quantities of water, and eating endless piles of cherries. This gout thing is pretty new to me and now I just have to accept it that I am one of the 3 or 4 in 1000 that has it.
The gout has thrown my medication for cholesterol out as I have stopped Niacin for the time being. I'm interested that you still manage your (1 gm?) of Niacin even with the gout. Gout is so painfull to me that I'm not keen to restart Niacin. My current bottle is "no-flush" which seems to make things worse. I must get some normal stuff before I restart.
Anyway dropping right back to just 20mg Lipitor has made me feel a lot better (I was taking 80mg when I started.), but it's hardly the attack on cholesterol that I want.
I will chat about the pros and cons of stents soon as I have time - that looks like an interesting thread you have started.
Cheers, Beefsteak