Relax muscles

How to Make Sore Muscles Feel Good

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Muscles can often feel sore after exercise or other strenuous activity. Use these simple tips to alleviate common muscle soreness. Put pillows in needed areas

Steps

1. Rest. This is the very best thing you can do for soreness. Try not to use the muscle in a strenuous fashion for 24-48 hours after exercise, especially if the soreness is due to a weight lifting routine.
2. Stretching. This will also help to get the lactic acid out of your muscles. Waiting a few hours after a strenuous workout before stretching is not the best. Stretch after activity that caused the soreness to prevent becoming stiff.
3. Heat. After the first day of soreness, heat can be used to help blood flow to the muscle. This will help rebuilding take place and provide some soothing relief.
4. Proper diet. If your muscles are sore from intense activities such as weightlifting, your muscles are rebuilding themselves and need lots of protein. Aim to take in 1 gram of protein per day for every pound of lean body mass you have. For example, a 160lb. man at 20% body fat would want to take in approximately 130 grams of protein per day. This will speed up recovery times considerably, as well as prevent muscle loss from poor nutrition. Take Protein 15 to 30 minutes after workout. Drink lots of water
5. Take a shower. Allow warm water to hit the muscles, relaxing them.

Tips

• An excellent source of protein would be fat-free chocolate milk, which can assist in muscle protein repair and replenish glycogen stores faster than most energy drinks after a long workout[1]. It also provides sugar for your body which normal milk does not. The ideal carbohydrate:protein ratio for both energy replenishing and muscle recovery is 4:1.
• Saran Wrap. If you need to be moving around (cooking, cleaning, etc.) while using ice, saran wrap can help secure ice onto a muscle while you move.
• 5 gallon bucket. For soreness of the arms (like from baseball practice) a 5 gallon bucket filled with ice water will allow you to ice the whole arm at one time.
• Sour cherry juice can also help your muscles feel better. Sour cherry juice is filled with antioxidants to help your working muscles during or after physical exercise. Sour cherry juice can be found at most health food stores.
• Adding baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) to your bathwater is a home remedy that is very effective. Add 2-4 heaped tablespoons of soda to a full bathtub and stir a little to dissolve. Enjoy your bath. You should feel some relief immediately after you finish your bath.
• Stretch while taking a shower. Use water which is slightly hotter than what you are used to. This increases blood flow around the muscle fibers with micro-tears.
• If you do end up getting stiff from working out or some other physical activity where you have forgotten to stretch afterwards, massaging the stiff area will relieve you from the pain for a while. Then stretch and find another place of the muscle it hurts and massage there until the pain goes away.
• If you are massaging a sore muscle, don't focus on the middle of the sore muscle. Focus more on the connections at each end. This will help the muscle to relax more quickly. If the muscles are along the back and neck, see a massage therapist. These areas are dangerous to massage without proper training.
• You may want to consider a massage or sauna.
• Some people believe that taking a shower with cold water for a few minutes, then with hot water for a few minutes, then finish with a cold shower again may relieve sore muscles.

Warnings

• Sustained icing of sore muscles is not very effective. It is generally recommended to ice for 15-20 minutes, taking the ice off for the same 15-20 minutes, and repeating as desired. The reason for this is that icing for longer than the 15-20 minutes will not cool the muscle any more than it already is. Also, if iced for too long, the icing period can lead to frostbite, damage of the soft tissue, or skin damage.
• Joint pain is a serious problem and can result in sustained, critical injury. Try not to confuse muscle pain and joint pain. If the pain does not go away after a few days rest and the other procedures prescribed here, it may be wise to contact a physician.
• Stretching both before and after exercise is important to avoid injuries, however it must be done properly. Consult a personal trainer at your local gym for tips on proper stretching.
• Be careful if you plan to immerse a whole arm as indicated above with the 5-gallon-bucket method. This may result in a rapid loss of body warmth and may affect your circulation. Do NOT do this if you have blood pressure or heart problems. Even if you are completely healthy, proceed slowly by dipping your arm in bit by bit, starting at the fingertips, especially if it is a hot day. It may be even better to make something resembling a Popsicle from regular water and wiping the arm with it (again, starting at the fingers), then drying immediately and massaging (moving from the hand towards the body). Be gentle to avoid causing pain or over-agitating the muscles.

Things You'll Need

• Ice
• Plastic Bags
• Heating Pad
• Saran Wrap (optional)
• 5 gallon bucket (optional)
• Protein-rich foods or protein powders

Related wikiHows

• How to Heal a Sore Arm
• How to Do a Lower Back Stretch Safely
• How to Improve Your Posture
• How to Mobilize Your Spine
• How to Treat a Trigger Finger

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ http://www.acsm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=About_ACSM&TEMPLATE=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=14752

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