Signs and Symptoms of Bronchitis

10. Muscle Aches

Coughing is physically taxing.  It involves a repetitive intense contraction of the muscles in the abdominal core and thorax.  A person with bronchitis will likely be coughing repeatedly over the course of a day, for several days.  It is quite expected that the abdominal muscles and the chest muscles will start to feel the effects of repeated contractions after several days in the course of a bout of bronchitis.  The effects of repeated contractions will sometimes manifest as muscular pain and/ or muscular fatigue, much like what one would feel after an intense core workout (because coughing repeatedly actually is like a core workout).

The longer the coughing persists, the more the muscle pain and muscle fatigue.  As the muscles of the core and thorax become taxed, they can eventually recruit the muscles on the back to get involved in the contractions.  Eventually, the pain and fatigue can manifest on the back muscles as well.