How to relieve muscle pain? 5 useful tips.
Does this ring any bells: you did your best in the gym the day before, maybe even performed more reps with higher loads. The next day you want to be proud of yourself, but it’s hard because you’re in pain.
At this point, you are definitely thinking about how to relieve muscle pain quickly and effectively.
Fortunately, there are many different ways to do this, the 5 most effective of which are given below.
NB! If necessary, we recommend you consult a specialist to find the most suitable solution.
Recommendation 1: Effective cold treatment to help with muscle pain
You’ve probably heard that cold, e.g an ice bag, should be used in case of injury.
An ice bag is definitely something that helps with muscle pain, especially if the pain is topical.
However, this alone is not enough to relieve more extensive muscle pain.
Your muscle pain is probably the result of an overstrain, which has caused microtraumas to the muscle fibers, which in turn actuates inflammation.
Viimastel aastatel paljude sportlaste seas populaarsust kogunud krüoteraapia ehk külmaravi aitab leevendada põletikku, turset kui ka kudede kahjustusi.
Cryotherapy, or cold treatment, which has gained popularity among many athletes in recent years, helps relieve inflammation, swelling and tissue damage.
Cold treatment relieves inflammation and thus reduces muscle pain.
Whole body cryotherapy is a good way to speed recovery and reduce muscle pain throughout the body.
Topical cryotherapy is suitable for relieving muscle pain in a specific part of the body.
Recommendation 2: Relieve muscle pain with heat
The heat helps to relax the muscles and speed up blood circulation, so if you are a big sauna lover or you just like to relax in a warm bath for a long time, relieving muscle pain with heat is the perfect way for you.
Home options for heat therapy:
- Enjoy a hot bath for about 20 minutes.
- Place a warm compress, a heat bag on your muscles. Keep it on for at least 20 minutes, repeat the procedure three times a day;
- Do it yourself or have a hot wax treatment performed in the nearest parlour.
Recommendation 3: Contrast therapy for major muscle pain
The third way loved by many athletes is to relieve muscle pain with contrast therapy, or alternating cold and hot water. For it to be most effective, you have to start with the cold. For example, do it in the shower:- to start, turn on the tap water, which is about 10-15 degrees cold;
- take a cold shower for about 1 minute;
- then exchange it for warm water (35-45 degrees), and enjoy it for 1-3 minutes;
- repeat the procedure a few times.
Recommendation 4: Optimal water consumption is paramount
Consuming enough water prevents the formation of muscle cramps as well as ensures the normal and regular condition of the muscles.
After exercising, fluid levels in your body are reduced.
Therefore, water consumption during recovery period is very important.
After your workout, drink something from which you can get all the necessary minerals, such as Mg, K, Na and other electrolytes that you have lost while doing sports.
Then, consume at least 2 liters of water a day, as usual.
Recommendation 5: Recovery is the fundamental pillar
Muscle pain is a cause of overstrain and therefore recovery should not be forgotten.
The above recommendations will help relieve pain and speed recovery, but will not completely eliminate it.
So it’s not worth rushing back to the gym right away, because unrecovered muscle capacity isn’t what you’re used to, and new injuries can come back quickly.
Give enough time for recovery. This may take a few days, but sometimes longer.
An important part of recovery is good and high-quality sleep, which might take about 8 hours a day, and a balanced diet that provides your body with the right balance of vitamins, nutrients and minerals.
To prevent more muscle pain next time, pay attention to proper warm-up before starting muscle training, which could take about 10-15 minutes. Also avoid overtraining.
If you want to increase your training loads, do it gradually.
Photo: Kevin.