Ways to Fix Sore Muscles: Rapid Relief Suggestions

A heavy workout at a gym comes with a price, and that is a sore muscle; either you worked hard, or you are trying something that you haven’t done before, which can give you pain. Although it is good in a way that your muscles are getting stronger, muscle soreness occurs when a muscle gets damaged and is now working to repair itself. 

Basically, sore muscles are caused by micro-tears and inflammation due to physical stress from exercise. Whereas not all muscle soreness is the same, Acute muscle soreness is felt during or after the exercise or injury. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) mostly shows symptoms within 24 to 72 hours. Muscle soreness that affects the whole body is due to the flu. 

Muscle soreness is a natural thing but it also create nuisance in your day to day life. Your body hurts, your movements are compromised temporarily plus puts you in bad mood. 

There is no way you can avoid it, but there is a way you can deal with it. A pain relief balm or massage gun can be very helpful. 

How to get rid of muscle soreness?

1. Consider massage therapy

Massage is one of the oldest ways to soothe your muscle pain and soreness. It not only help you with pain relief but helps you in improving your range of motion. If self-massage is not your thing, you can go for a professional massage, too. Body massage involves gentle hand strokes and kneading that may helps in increasing the blood flow in the affected areas and helps with the body pain. 

Muscle soreness after gym can be very common due to heavy exercise and weight lifting, but that can’t stop you from working out. That’s when massage helps you with instant relaxation from body pain after a workout. 

A massage gun is a form of vibration therapy that can help with sore muscles; it can be as effective as a classic massage. Interestingly, if you use a massage gun on the affected area, you can get the desired result more quickly than with a manual massage. 

You can also use form rollers for the gym pain relief on the used muscle after the workout, Form rolling is a type of myofascial release is performed on form roller or massage ball. It helps in releasing tension from the sore mussel and tissues and increase blood flow. 

2. Try heat therapy

Heat therapy can help alleviate muscle soreness symptoms, as hot compression increases blood circulation to the muscles, reduces discomfort, helps in relaxing muscles and improves flexibility. Heat therapy helps with muscle pain by increasing blood flow to the sore muscle and increasing nutrient delivery. It also helps in relieving excess lactic acid buildup. 

Hot compresses can done in the form of dry heat compression or warm heat compression; mainly, dry heat compression is when you use a heating pad and warm heat compression is all about a warm bath with a little bit of sea salt. Applying heat to the affected area for 15 to 20 minutes can give you instant relief. Warm baths can help you with tight muscles after a long workout at the gym and give you temporary relief. Heat therapy is mainly used for older injuries and pain. 

3. Ice pack

A cold compression is a form of cold therapy that helps slow down circulation and reduces blood flow to the muscle area. Therefore, it reduces inflammation and swelling. Cold compression therapy is also known as cryotherapy. Ice compression is mainly used for new injuries and pain.

If you apply an ice pack on the affected area within 1 hour, it can help in soothing muscle aches. Ice compression can be done in two ways: ice bath or ice pack. Ice bath includes a tub or bucket filled with ice cubes, and bathing with that slows the circulation in the whole body. At the same time, an ice pack can be applied to the affected area and is available easily. Applying an ice pack on the affected area can reduce blood flow and reduce swelling. 

4. Sleep helps

Taking a rest day is essential for recovery, and a good sleep helps you feel calm and improves your mood. Sleep may not be your first choice, but it’s the time when your body repairs and recovers the most. Sleeping after an intense workout can help in relaxing your muscles; even some pro athletes are actually big nappers. 

Sleeping for seven to nine hours at night is essential, as it involves a multitude of physiological functions that may not be easy to explain or clearly define. Lack of sleep can be a problem to higher levels of inflammation, which can be linked to your lower ability to tolerate pain. Prioritizing your sleep is important; that is where your body does the hard work of recovery. 

Taking proper rest can relax your mind and clear chemical waste, it repairs damaged tissues and decrease pain sensitivity. A good night sleep can calm your mind and helps you with pain relief.Whereas quality sleep can boost everything from your heart health to your mood. Sleeping your way into recovery is an essential and easiest way to recover muscle pain after workout. 

5. Staying hydrated and adding electrolytes

There is nothing water cannot fix. Whereas drinking plenty of water acts as the best natural remedy for muscle pain and inflammation. Water is responsible for about 75% of the overall muscle mass in our body. It is important to stay hydrated before, during and after the workout, as hydration is important for exercise performance and muscle pain after a workout. 

Electrolytes are basically minerals that are dissolved in water to form ions. Electrolytes help regulate fluid and support exercise and muscle recovery. An imbalance or short supply of electrolytes, such as magnesium, makes muscle cramps more painful. Meanwhile, a deficiency of magnesium can increase the chances of cramps during or after exercise. It’s the same when you are dehydrated. Muscle cramps can be more painful. When your body doesn’t have enough fluids to properly lubricate your muscles, it can lead to sore muscles or body pain after a workout. 

6. Eat well

Just working out won’t help, but you have to eat, too, especially after an intense workout. A healthy diet full of nutrients will help you with weight and pain management. Consuming protein-rich food like eggs, fish, lentils, and spinach helps your body power through muscle soreness. Not only protein but fats and carbohydrates are also important to fuel your joint mobility. 

Anti-inflammatory foods can help with sore muscles and pain relief. Runners are more likely to consume tart cherry juice as it has high anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that help with muscle soreness. However, in tart cherry extract, you should look out for the sugar intake present in it. 

Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory spice, also known as “golden healer”, that helps with sore muscles and body pain. It has an active component called curcumin, which is a powerful antioxidant that helps with inflammation. Limited consumption of turmeric daily can support your body’s daily inflammatory response. 

7. Pain relief medication

For instant pain relief, you can use pain relief bam, oral medication or home remedies that can help you with muscle soreness. You can get pain relief over the counter for your sore muscles. Applying it to the affected area can give you instant relief for a few hours, but you do have to take care of your health for better results. 

Apple cider vinegar is also recommended for sore muscles due to its anti-inflammatory and alkaline properties you can mix one tablespoon apple cider vinegar in water and dilute it or can be consumed directly for pain relief. You can also apply it on you affected area for sore muscle relief. 

Essential oils have numerous health benefits as well as wellness concerns. You can use essential oil for sore muscles, muscle pain and stiffness. Essential oils like rosemary, lavender and peppermint oil are useful for the pain relief. Add two drops of essential oil in carrier oil like olive oil or coconut oil and massage it on affected area can help with sore muscle and stiffness. 

Tips to consider

• Stay hydrated throughout your workout and even after that to avoid cramps and soreness.
• Eat a healthy diet for strong muscles and better health.
• Consult the doctor if the sore muscle continues for more than 5-6 days.

Conclusion 

A sore muscle is not that big of a problem if treated well on time. It can be treated by staying hydrated, managing your diet and sleeping well, but if you need to get rid of sore muscle overnight, then you can use heat therapy or cold therapy according to your need, and you can even massage it out with the traditional massage method or massage gun. Applying pain relief or essential oil can help, too. Even after all this, if it doesn’t get better, consult your doctor for better treatment. 

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