Getting sore muscles is one thing you do not want to have after doing your favorite workout. However, as the cliche goes, "no pain, no gain." Starting a new exercise would surely make you feel sore afterward. The good thing about getting sore muscles is that they are growing.
So if you want to gain muscles, the best way to do it is to keep your muscles working. And by doing so, you will surely experience pain. Here are ways to relieve pain after a strenuous workout.
How to relieve muscle pain
You may get muscle soreness right after your workout. Sometimes, it lasts for up to 48 to 72 hours. It is during this time that your muscles repair and strengthen themselves. To ease your pain, you could do the following.
- Rest
- Massage your muscles
- Gentle stretching
- Apply ice or cold compress
- Apply hot compress, or have a warm bath or shower
- Take over-the-counter drugs like NSAIDs
- Apply over-the-counter creams and gels
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How to lessen pain from sore muscles
While getting sore muscles is inevitable, you could do ways to lessen the amount of pain you would feel.
Drink water
A body struggles to perform its best without water. Apart from that, you could also experience fatigue, dizziness, muscle cramps, or other serious symptoms. By drinking water, you help loosen your joints and help control its temperature, and transport nutrients to create more energy.
Warm-up
Warming up before an exercise could help you get lesser pain than stretching them. Doing a lighter version of the activity could wake your muscles up and increase blood flow. You could jog, jump rope, bike, or lift light weights before your routine.
Using proper technique
Seek the help of a trainer or instructor to help you do exercises the right way. It helps protect you from muscle strain or injury.
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Rest in limited amounts
Resting a muscle group for about 48 hours could help to lessen the pain. You could also do a lighter version of the exercise to avoid aggravating the muscle soreness.
Cooldown
Stretch after you exercise because your muscles are more flexible and relaxed when they are warm. It also helps circulate blood away from your worked out muscles and bring them to your heart to promote recovery.
Be at your limits
Start small and gradually increase your workout intensity as you go along. Pushing yourself too much could only injure, which could let you stop doing your workout. Increase the amount of time or weight over time as your muscles get used to the exercise.
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When to go to the doctor?
If you are sore for more than one week, or the pain is unbearable, you should seek a doctor. Other things you have to consider are as follows.
- Pain gets worse as you workout
- You feel dizzy or have trouble breathing due to pain
- There is redness, swelling, and warmth in the muscles
- Joint, bone, or tendon pain
