How to Ease Sore Muscles
(Estimated Reading Time: 2 Minutes)
After gym day, a long period of inactivity, labor intensive work, or stress- you’re sore. It’s your back, your neck, your shoulders- well, it might as well be everywhere. While the soreness intensifies, you sit there wondering what to do. You would prefer to keep the use of medication as a last resort. In this situation, it’d be important to understand what can help out. The following are some ways to deal with achy muscle pain.
1. Keep things hot and cold.
It may seem contradictory, but both extremes of the temperature spectrum can help out. Heat therapy is one way of keeping pain at bay. For those feeling sore after workouts, applying a hot object to the pained area can reduce almost half the percentage of the pain. Likewise, cryotherapy (application of cold) helps by reducing blood flow, thus reducing inflammation. With these two therapies combined, the practice of alternate therapy is brought to life, which helps by alternating between heat therapy and cryotherapy.
2. Drink things with a natural anti-inflammatory effect.
There are several things you can consume instead of a pain pill. One of these things is caffeine. Whether you get it through coffee, tea, or elsewhere, you will find a puddle of anti-inflammatory magic in your cup. A hypothesis as to why this works is the very same reason why caffeine prevents sleep: blockage of adenosine. The blockage of this molecule means possible blockage of inflammation. Aside from caffeine, it’s also worth it to try out turmeric-based drinks. Turmeric contains curcumin, which is a compound known for the yellow color it gives to the spice. It’s also known for its anti-inflammatory effects.
3. Get a massage.
You may want to try out massage therapy. While it’s given that this classic manner of therapy provides feelings of peace, it goes beyond that and also relieves pain too. The recovery of pulled, tight, or damaged fibers is influenced by the increased blood circulation that occurs during a massage. Like the other points mentioned, massage is another way of reducing inflammation. For the most effective results, the massage should take place as soon as possible after the workout.
Article by: Jonathan A. Watson