Statins & Thigh Pain

Statins, a class of medication used to lower cholesterol, often result in side effects including inflammation, muscle and joint pain.

Significance

• Muscle pain, including aches throughout the thigh, is a common disorder. “You may feel this pain as a soreness, tiredness or weakness in your muscles,” states the Mayo Clinic. “The pain can be a mild discomfort, or it can be severe enough to make your daily activities difficult.”

Effects

• Statin muscle pain typically develops in muscle groups closest to the trunk of the body and along the lower back.

Arthritis Risk

• Pain throughout the thigh may indicate a statin contribution to arthritis. “Elderly women who take statins may have a small increase in their risk of developing hip osteoarthritis (OA), but statin use does not worsen progression of existing hip osteoarthritis,” according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Considerations

• Researchers speculate that in addition to blocking bodily production of cholesterol, statins also inhibit production of the compound coenzyme Q10 important for muscle growth. This may contribute to muscle ache.

Prevention/Solution

• Consumption of supplemental COQ10 may help restore the loss of these muscle-builders. “Q10 supplementation may decrease muscle pain associated with statin treatment,” reports a study conducted by Stony Brook University in New York and published in the American Journal of Cardiology in 2007. “Thus, coenzyme Q10 supplementation may offer an alternative to stopping treatment with these vital drugs.”