Whether you went too hard at the gym, or you’ve injured yourself, muscle pain can cause problems in your day-to-day life. Thankfully, there are ways that you can soothe, treat, and boost recovery of muscle pain and injuries. We’ve taken a look at few ways you can do so below.
What Causes Muscle Pain?
Common muscle aches are not a cause for concern. Unless you have been diagnosed with a condition, there isn’t any reason to worry about muscle pain. If it goes on for a long time and doesn’t improve with self-care, or if it is accompanied by redness, swelling and other signs of infection, you may need to seek medical help for muscle pain.
Common reason for muscle pain include:
- Muscle tension
- Overuse of a muscle during exercise, workouts, and any other physical activity
- Lifting heavy loads improperly
- Not warming up and cooling down when working out
8 Ways to Treat Muscle Pain
Muscle pain can usually be treated at home. We’ve gathered our top tips and tricks for treating muscle pain below.
Rest
Rest is one of the best things you can do for any injury or pain. Removing pressure from the injured area can give it the space and time to heal properly and can reduce the risk of making it worse.
If you have been injured, make sure you actually take the time to rest, or you risk making the injury worse.
Painkillers
Over-the-counter painkillers are an easy way to relieve pain and reduce swelling. Paracetamol and ibuprofen can both be bought over the counter and can be taken to relieve muscle pain. It is important that you always follow dosage guidance and that you do not take ibuprofen within the first 48-hours after injury.
Ice Packs
Cold therapy is a great way to soothe and reduce the pain of muscle injury. Ice packs can be used for 15–20 minutes at a time every couple of hours. Never apply ice directly to skin, always wrap in a towel or cloth to protect the skin.
Gentle Stretches
Gentle stretching is a good way to ease muscle soreness, especially if it is associated with working out. Don’t push yourself too hard and only stretch as far as you are able.
It is also important to stretch before and after working out to reduce the risk of muscle pain. While you may still experience muscle pain after exercise, it is likely to be much less severe if you have warmed up and cooled down properly.
Proper Rest Days
Rest days are more preventative than actual treatment for muscle pain, but it is worth noting that taking a day off your exercise regime is the best thing you can do to minimise muscle soreness.
Rest days give your muscles time to heal. Active recovery, like stretching and low-intensity workouts, is a great way to have a rest day without feeling like you’re sitting around doing nothing.
Yoga
Yoga is an incredibly restorative process and involves a series of stretches and positions that can be used to soothe pains. There are tons of yoga tutorial videos on YouTube and social media, and you will definitely be able to find a routine for muscle soreness.
See a Chiropractor
Did you know that chiropractors can help you with muscle pains? Most people associate chiropractic treatment with back pain, but chiropractors can help you to ease ongoing muscle pain too.
Why not get in touch with a chiropractor, like Richmond Chiropractic, today to see how they could help you ease muscle pain?
Get a Massage
Getting a massage is a great way to treat muscle pain. This hugely restorative treatment can help to heal damaged muscle tissue by increasing circulation to the area. This increased circulation brings oxygen and nutrients to decrease inflammation and soothe any pain.
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