Have you ever pressed yourself a bit far at the gym or have done too many household chores or any other activities that strained your muscles excessively? If yes, perhaps you also have suffered from the inability to move easily and without pain the day after where you almost cannot drag yourself out of bed or change your clothes.
Muscle aches are so common that almost all of us have experienced muscle discomfort at some point. And there are various reasons for these. Usually, muscle overuse or injury will result in muscle aches and pain, or it could also be due to excessive tension, stress, or physical activity.
Researchers, however, are not yet certain on what causes the delayed onset of the muscle soreness (DOMS) in which the symptoms peaked after 24 to 72 hours after excessive muscle use. But they surmised that DOMS is due to the microscopic ripping up in your muscle fibres along with the inflammation after an injury.
So if you have just finished a period of strenuous activity, or if you are currently suffering from muscle soreness, you may follow these ten tips to relieve muscle pain.
- Exercise more
You should not let your soreness stop you from doing your exercise; continue exercising however uncomfortable it may be. Studies show that light exercise or stretching can ease muscle soreness for as long as it is not overdone. Progressively increase the intensity of your workout so your body will get used to it. The soreness will not recur unless you increase the intensity.
But if the soreness is terrible, you should decrease the intensity of your exercise or you may target other muscle groups or the parts of your body that are not that painful. Try to focus on the parts of your body that aren’t as sore.
- Have a massage
Massages are relaxing and have been recognized to relieve DOMS and enhance your muscle potentials. One study shows that a massage is at the peak of its efficacy when done 48 hours after your workout.
You can also massage your muscles with essential oils. You can mix an ounce of massage oil with ten drops of calendula, lavender, rosemary, ginger, or eucalyptus essential oils. You can then rub this into your muscle to relieve the pain.
- Take an over-the-counter pain reliever
A pain reliever medicine such as ibuprofen or Aleve can help. For ibuprofen, you can take 400 to 600 milligrams; and for Aleve, you can take 225 milligrams all through the day up till the 2nd day after exercise. With these medications, the inflammation will be brought down.
- Apply ice on the affected area
Ice helps relieve muscle pains since it fights muscle inflammation as it also numbs nerve endings. It can be used from the first up till the second day right after a sprain or strain. If there remains any pain after day two, you can apply heat thereon.
You can rub a piece of ice over the affected area. Remember to rub the ice in the orientation where the muscle runs. You can massage with a piece of ice for about 20 minutes per session, several times a day if the muscle pain is still less than 48 hours. Beyond 48 hours after muscle injury, ice will be of little use in relieving the soreness. Thus, you should switch to heat.
- Take a warm bath
You should take up to 20 minutes in a hot tub to help relieve muscle soreness. In your bathtub, you should mix up to a cup of dead sea salts or Epsom and 15 drops of calendula, lavender, ginger, rosemary, eucalyptus, or other essential oils. Studies show that when you soaking into this will reduce muscle pain and inflammation.
- Eat anti-inflammatory foods
Some studies are proving that you can relieve muscle soreness by simply eating foods rich in antioxidants. One example is watermelon that is a good source of L-citrulline, a kind of amino acid. Accordingly, this amino acid can help in the reduction of muscle soreness as well as recovery heart rate.
Other anti-inflammatory foods that have been tried in treating muscle soreness include pineapple, ginger, and cherry juice.
- Take antioxidant supplements
Aside from eating antioxidant-rich foods, you can also take antioxidant supplements for your muscle soreness. You can take curcumin, for example, which is present in turmeric. This has high antioxidant content which is highly anti-inflammatory. Therefore, it can reduce the pain of DOMS and will hasten your recovery after an intensive workout.
Aside from the curcumin in turmeric, you can also try fish oil and other omega-3 fatty acids. These offer comparable effects.
- Take milk protein
Milk protein supplement, according to some studies, can alleviate muscle soreness and build up strength after a muscle trauma brought about by intense exercise.
There is available milk protein concentrate in the market. This is a concentrated milk product containing up to 90 percent milk protein. Milk protein concentrate is usually used in foods and beverages that are protein-fortified. Its powdered form can also be bought at health food retailers.
- Apply any sports cream
There are sports creams that you can rub to your sore muscles after a massage. Examples of which include Tiger Balm and Ben Gay. These sports creams, in comparison to massage oils, are thicker and stay longer. It is effective in relieving your aching muscles.
- See a doctor
Home treatment to relieve muscle pain is not always enough in attending to the root cause other than physical activity and tension. This soreness can at times be a symptom of something more serious in your body. Your doctor will be the best person to intervene to fully resolve your muscle pain.
You should consider seeing your doctor or visiting an online walk-in clinic Edmonton if you experience any of the following: lingering pain despite home treatment made for a few days; serious muscle pain whose cause is ambiguous; there are rashes along with the muscle pain, or is accompanied by swelling or redness; the pain occurs right after having bitten by a tick; it occurred right after changing medication; or if you have high body temperature along with muscle pain.
Muscle pains are your body’s way of adjusting to new activities that you are not used to doing. Fortunately, there are several ways to relieve that pain. Should these home remedies fail to alleviate your pain after about a week, professional medical intervention is wanting.