Did you know that 20% of American adults reported suffering from chronic pain or muscle pain over the course of three months in 2019? 7.4% of adults suffered from chronic pain that impacted their day-to-day activities. If you’re suffering from chronic pain or muscle pain, there are things you can do to manage your pain. Keep reading to learn more.
1. Stretching Can Help
If you’re feeling sore or are experiencing pain in your muscles, stretching can help relieve it. Light stretches can help reduce tension and bring back a range of motion, especially after an intense workout. Lunges are a great way to stretch the body when you’re feeling sore because they’ll help reduce the pain as your muscles recover. Make sure you do some stretches before a workout as well, as this can prevent muscle pain altogether.
2. Do Some Cool Down Exercises
When dealing with muscular pain it’s crucial to incorporate cool-down exercises into your workout routine. Stretching is great, but cooling down will help your muscles recover better and faster. This means you’ll need to decrease your speed toward the end of your workout.
Doing about 20 minutes of low-intensity activity like walking on the treadmill can increase blood flow to the muscles and prevent pain.
3. Try an Ice Bath
When dealing with pain, one remedy that can help is taking an ice bath. If you can bear the cold, ice is a great method for quick pain relief. Ice can reduce pain and soreness in your muscles because it helps to reduce inflammation. Less swelling means that you’ll feel less tension in the muscles that cause you the most problems.
You should remain in the ice water for about five minutes but if you’re able, ten minutes can bring even more relief. You can shop cold compression therapy products online. To understand the benefits of Cold Compression, you must first understand the body’s built-in responses and why it is essential to treat with an appropriate and specific regimen.
Blood itself is composed of many things; most importantly, it contains red and white cells, anti-inflammatory proteins, and endorphins. These components play a role in how the body responds to injuries.
4. Use a Foam Roller
Sore muscles are best treated using a foam roller. Foam rollers will decrease swelling, increase blood flow, and increase the necessary oxygen to your muscles for a quick recovery.
You might feel some added pain while using the foam roller, but it can help heal your sore muscles and reduce your pain the next day. Try foam rolling for about 20 minutes following your workout and see how it makes you feel.
5. Schedule a Massage
Massages are fun and relaxing and they can also relieve muscle pain! The stimulation of certain muscle groups with specific hand movements increases blood flow and promotes muscle healing.
You can schedule a massage, and a deep tissue massage works great for pain relief and fast recovery. A Swedish massage is great for reducing stiffness in your muscles. Massages also bring many other benefits like increased flexibility, stress reduction, and toxin removal. You can try Percussion Massager when you feel muscle pain.
6. Drink Plenty of Water
If you’re trying to learn how to relieve muscle pain, it’s as simple as staying hydrated. Drinking plenty of water is great for your skin and general health and it can reduce soreness too. Drinking enough water prevents stiffness and inflammation. Getting the necessary hydration during your workout is vital.
You should also make sure you’re drinking enough water every day. Switching out water for sugary drinks with meals is the best option for maintaining a healthy weight, too.
7. Get Enough Rest
Staying active is important, but so is getting rest when your body needs to recover. Pushing yourself won’t just cause muscle pain, but it’ll inevitably make it worse. After you’ve had a long day or an intense workout, make sure you’re taking time to rest your muscles so that they can properly recover.
Getting seven to nine hours of sleep is also crucial when you’re dealing with muscle pain.
8. Try a Heating Pad
Using heat can help relieve a muscle ache. Heating pads can increase blood flow and reduce inflammation and lead to pain relief. Using an ice pack in combination with a heating pad can bring relief faster too. If you’re experiencing pain after exercise, you can use an ice pack on the affected muscles for about 20 minutes.
Make sure you wrap the ice pack in a towel before placing it on your skin. Follow up with a heating pad to the same area for another 20 minutes. You’ll wake up the next day with less pain.
9. Use Compression Gear
Compression gear is the perfect tool if you want to prevent muscle soreness and pain from occurring after a workout. Wearing compression gear on your body will prevent a harsh impact on the muscles you work on during exercise. Compressing your muscles during a workout will prevent fluid from building up and increase circulation. This will also prevent pain and help your muscles recover faster.
You can choose to wear a compression sleeve or a compression shirt to protect your entire upper body during exercise.
10. Try Essential Oils
If you’re still wondering how to relieve muscle aches, you can try using essential oils. While not approved as a cure for any illness by the FDA, many people use essential oils for relaxation during a massage.
You can mix peppermint oil, which is said to relieve achy muscles, with coconut oil, and apply it directly to your sore muscles.
Tips for Managing Muscle Pain
Muscle pain can affect your life and prevent you from doing your day-to-day activities. If you’re looking for a way to relieve pain, this guide has some of the best-known remedies. Getting a massage can help relieve soreness and tension. Staying hydrated and using a heating/ice pack are other simple ways to reduce pain.
Did you find this article helpful? Make sure to check out some of the other health and wellness blogs on our site to learn more.
Also read: 20 Reasons Why You Should Never Skip A Day of Exercise
