Sore muscles are caused by overexertion or underlying medical conditions. Most of the time sore muscles go away on their without any medical treatment. It usually happens when coming in the physical activity. The worst part about training is probably being so sore that you have to aim just to plop down on the toilet the next day. There is no other way to around to feel a little soreness. It is just something that comes hand in hand with exercise. It doesn’t have to keep you on the sidelines, though. You can use home remedies or lifestyle changes to ease the pain until you get rid of sore muscles.
Ways to Get Rid of Sore Muscles:
1.) Try Foam Rolling to Treat Sore Muscles
Foam rolling is an inexpensive technique to get a massage at home. A foam roller is a relatively stiff cylinder shaped object that allows you to basically give yourself a massage. You can purchase it at many sports good stores, it is a foam cylinder which is 6 inches in diameter. Fascia is a connective tissue that interconnects basically your whole body. It runs in between you muscles, so it will lose your muscles, it will also be looser and easier to stretch. You can foam roll to warm up after your workout.
- To use a foam roller you need to lie on eh floor with the foam roller beneath you.
- Then gently roll your body along the foam roller and lie down on the floor with the foam roller beneath you.
- Gently roll your body along with the foam roller where the muscles are sore.
- Do to 4 to 5 times a week for about 10 to 15 minutes.
2.) Ice Bath to Get Rid of Sore Muscles
Most of the athlete use this technique to recover after practices and games. The cold water temperature reduces the swelling in muscles and joints.
- You need to fill a bathtub or trashcan with warm water and a bunch of ice. You are going to have to suck it up at the beginning because it is not very comfortable at first. but eventually, your body will get used to it.
- This is probably the most effective way to get rid of sore muscles and joint pain. You will feel very comfortable after 10 to 15 minutes of enduring the arctic water temperature.
- Or you can also use another method. All you have to do is fill some plastic bags with ice and wrap them around the problem area for about 20 minutes.
- You have to make sure that there should be the thin towel in between the bag of ice and your skin. This will prevent your skin from getting burned.
3.) Eat a Proper Diet to Cure Sore Muscle
A diet full of protein and fatty acids will help your muscles. Go for at least 20 gm of protein every 2 to 3 hours throughout the day. Fatty acids found in seeds, nuts, and fish. If you are having trouble in getting fatty acids so you can ask your doctor about fish oil supplement.
- Include foods from the four major groups vegetables, fruit, dairy and whole grains. Go for low-fat dairy products such as lean meats like poultry and fish, nuts, legumes, seeds, whole wheat bread and pasta and a variety of vegetables and fruit. Make sure to eat a lot of leafy green like lettuce and spinach.
- Avoid fast food eating out and frozen meals. Try to cook at home when you can. Sticking to the basics which you can easily found in the grocery store, can help make eating healthy easier.
4.) Drink Enough Water after Working Out
Dehydration can cause many problems including muscle soreness. Make sure to hydrate properly before working out in order to avoid muscle soreness.
- Aim to drink at least 20 to 24 ounces of water for each hour you workout. Drink water before during and after a workout.
- A good way to test your hydration is problem is to observe your urine color. Within a few hours of your workout, your urine should be clear or light yellow. If its color is dark then possibly it indicates dehydration.
5.) Warm up Before Exercise to Get Rid of Sore Muscles
A proper warm up increases the temperature of muscles. When the temperature of muscles I warm, it contracts more forcefully and relaxes more quickly. This will help you to get more out of your workout and reduces the chances of muscle soreness and injury. If you are doing a leg workout so try to warm to do 10-minute warm-up. If you are focusing on upper body so you can try a lightweight shoulder circuit to warm up. you can ask your trainer at the gym if you are not sure which workout will cater to you best. You can also talk to your doctor about ways to warm up before exercise.
6.) Stretching to Treat Sore Muscles
Stretching throughout the day after working out can greatly help to get rid of sore muscles. Work on incorporating stretching into your day to day routine if you want to prevent sore muscles.
- After cool down after exercise. You should spend 10 minutes after workout doing light aerobics, stretching or walking. You can ask your trainer on how to best stretch after a workout.
- Soreness in the shoulders and neck sometimes caused by using a computer at work, and you can treat it with occasional stretching. Try rolling your shoulders backward and down 10 times squeezing your shoulder blades together 10 times. Or you can bring you ears to your shoulders 10 times. Such exercises are quick and can be done on the car on the way to work or during downtime at your office.
- Workout routines like Pilates and yoga focus on stretching the muscles. You can look for Pilates and yoga classes in your area.
7.) NSAID and Pain Reliever
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug is over the counter pain relievers like naproxen, ibuprofen or aspirin are very helpful to get rid of sore muscles. They can help to reduce some of the swellings in joints and muscles that can cause some of the discomfort. Be cautious if you choose to take one of these over the counter pills especially acetaminophen. Long term acetaminophen can cause liver damage.
- Don’t use any of these medicines more than a couple days at a time. it can hinder your body’s ability to repair your muscles.
- It is probably better to keep these as a last resort. Although they are very effective.
8.) Massage to Treat Sore Muscles
Therapeutic deep tissue massage can help to get rid of sore muscles., especially if it is done after you exercise. Invest in ART massage therapy to quickly reduce muscle soreness but chances are you are not a professional athlete. So in many cases their friends and spouse massage at their sore muscles, it will be enough and if you can’t find a partner so you can use an electrical handheld massager. A massage stick will be good enough. You can massage the muscles for up to 20 minutes to help reduce soreness after a tough workout.
9.) Epsom Salt bath to Get Rid of Sore Muscles
You can take an Epsom salt bath. Bathing in a warm water for about 10 to 20 minutes with 200 to 400 grams of Epsom salt added to it relaxes your sore muscles. It increases the blood flow to your muscles and decrease inflammation. Epsom salt bath also prevents bloating and help you to get a flatter stomach. If you can’t take an Epsom salt bath so you can soak a rag in warm water with Epsom salt and then place the warm rag over the sore muscle, it will help to reduce the muscle soreness.
10.) Do More exercise to Treat Muscles
This might not sound good by trying it before counting it out. go for a light jog or do some body weight lunges to get rid of sore muscles. This will get the blood circulation through the sore muscles with nutrients that will help to recover faster. The recovery exercise should be low intensity.
You can also have a look at remedies for cramps.