The Day After A Tough Workout Do Light Exercise
Sore muscles need to rest, but that doesnt mean its best to kick your feet up and spend the day on the couch. Try to get some gentle movement through activities like restorative yoga an easy walk, swim, or cycle or even light resistance training. The key is to avoid doing another intense workout using the same muscle groups on consecutive days. On an effort scale of 0 to 10 , aim for an effort level of 3, Schroeder says. You want to get blood moving to the sore muscles to deliver oxygen and nutrients needed for repair without causing more damage to the muscle tissues.
RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Low-Intensity Steady-State Cardio
Does Warming Up Lessen Post
You may have heard that stretching can help prevent injury and soreness. But stretching your muscles before you exercise is probably not a good idea. Im not a fan of stretching before you start training, Arent says.
A Cochrane review of 12 studies that looked at how stretching before or after a workout affected later muscle soreness consistently found that stretching did not have an effect on muscle soreness within a week after a workout.
Some evidence suggests that a dynamic warmup immediately before a workout could reduce muscle soreness up to two days later, but the reduction in soreness seen in the research has been very small.
Treating And Relieving Muscle Pain
While soreness, stiffness and cramps are most often benign, there are certain types of muscle pain that can indicate a more serious problem and therefore require a medical consultation in order to determine the cause of the pain and the appropriate treatment.
For muscle soreness and stiffness, rest , stretching or massaging the painful muscle, applying heat and taking painkillers are usually sufficient for relieving the pain.
If the pain is due to an injury, we recommend applying a cold pack , then resting, elevating and compressing the affected muscle with a bandage. If the pain persists, painkillers and muscle relaxants may be prescribed.
Also Check: How To Heal Really Chapped Lips
Symptoms Of Muscle Pain
Tenderness and pain are symptoms of injured muscles and may be felt when youre moving or resting.
When a muscle is injured, inflammation can cause pain and swelling. You may feel tenderness when the muscle is moved or touched.
Your muscles might hurt even when you are resting, or only when you use the injured muscle.
Muscle pain may be so mild that it hardly bothers you or so severe that you cant use the muscle at all.
When To See Your Doctor About Full
Body aches from a viral illness typically clear up in a couple of days and improve with home remedies. But if your body aches havent gotten better after 3-5 days, check in with your primary care physician .
See a doctor sooner if your body aches:
- Appear after a tick bite
- Accompany severe redness or swelling
- Occur with a rash
If you dont have a fever or other symptoms, and you experience body aches often or for prolonged periods of time, make an appointment with your PCP. It could be a sign of a drug reaction or a more severe and chronic underlying medical condition, such as an autoimmune disease.
If you have body aches that arent improving, reach out to your primary care physician.
You May Like: How To Heal Scabs On Scalp
How Muscle Pain Can Affect You
Suffering from muscle pain can be distressing and limit your ability to move freely. Almost everyone experiences aching muscles from time to time, which can make doing everyday things like getting out of bed, climbing stairs and lifting things painful.
*GSK Global Pain Index Research 2014 full report p. 26
Types Of Body Pain & Causes Of Body Pain
There are generally two types of body pain: acute pain and chronic pain.
Acute body pain
Acute body pain results from an illness or event, such as injury or surgery. It generally occurs suddenly, then gradually diminishes or stops on its own or with medical treatment. Acute pain can range from mild to severe, and may last for weeks or months. If treated properly, acute body pain will subside within six months. If left untreated, acute pain may lead to chronic pain.
Chronic body pain
Chronic body pain is pain that persists over time and may have no apparent cause, even after an injury has healed or an illness has subsided. Chronic pain can persist for weeks or even years. Sufferers of chronic pain may find it debilitating, resulting in loss of sleep and inability to function normally.
Important: If you or someone you know suffers from acute or chronic body pain, make sure to see a medical professional for diagnosis and treatment options. Medication should be used as directed.
How common is back pain?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, back pain is second only to headache as the most common medical complaint in the United States, and is the second leading cause of missed workdays. Each year, 80% of adults below age 50 experience back pain at least once, and the majority will have multiple occurrences. Back injury is the number one occupational hazard in the U.S.
Back or body pain can have any of a number of causes
Poor posture
Poor physical condition
Don’t Miss: Best Ointment For Healing Wounds
Love Is The First Step Toward Healing
Self-care is such a cliche and from bubble bath to massage, exercising and healthy nutrition modern society tells us to take care of our body. This is essential at a different level.
Taking care of your body will send to your brain the message that you matter. When was the last time you said I love you to yourself? This message of love can be expressed in words but also through physical touch.
Treat your body as if you were taking care of a baby. Be soft and gentle. Listen to what gives it pleasure and what hurts. Ask it what it needs to develop and feel healthy. If your body hurts, dont ignore it, dont judge it. Instead, be patient, and ask what are your trying to tell me?
Realize that in the past your body may have tried to express the same thing over and over without you paying attention. So ask yourself when was the very first time I felt that sensation? Simply acknowledging the feeling, will most of the time reduce the pain. If its not enough, ask a professional to guide you.
RELATED: 11 Ways You Can Become A Better You In Under One Minute
Youve Fallen Victim To Cold And Flu Season
The body aches related to an infection such as pharyngitis or flu are related to the immune systems response to the infection, says Stephen Parodi, M.D., infectious disease expert at Kaiser Permanente. Our body releases certain chemicals, including ones called interferons, which help fight off the infection, but also cause body aches. Whats more, your immune system is channeling most of your bodys energy into fighting off the infection, causing you to feel super tired.
Ease the aches: Take it slow and get some rest. Dr. Parodi suggests over-the-counter medications for pain relief, like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, especially if you have the flu.
Flu tends to make people sicker than regular cold viruses, and the body aches and fevers can be higher with flu. Thats why it is so important to get vaccinated and prevent the infection altogether, he says.
Read Also: How Can You Heal Your Lungs
Causes Of Muscle Joint And Body Aches
The actual cause of pain found in the muscles, joints and body can be difficult to self-diagnose. If you have had an obvious injury, such as stressing a joint through a repetitive pattern at work, dislocating a shoulder playing sports, or pinching a nerve by falling asleep in an awkward position, the source of your immediate pain may be obvious.
However, when pain develops slowly over time without the occurrence of an obvious injury or accident, or when the pain from an injury has become chronic and the source becomes unknown, you may be in need of a more thorough assessment to determine the actual source. Hint – That’s when you should call us at and let us give you a neurological evaluation to check for misalignments in your !
Listen Before Its Too Late
One of my early clients, John complained about aches and pain in his stomach. His wife had just left him for another man and he was deeply hurt. Johns feeling of betrayal was and made total sense.
We needed to address the PTSD coming from his childhood and the pain from the current situation. Unfortunately, he had no intention of letting go of the anger nor of his sense of righteousness. Actually, he was taking pride in the deep pain he was described as a punch in the gut each time he was thinking about her.
You are the only one who could choose to let go and in Johns case, he refused to forgive. He was holding onto the pain as a symbol of his love. The toxicity of the body sensation accumulated over time and after a few months he was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
Your body is talking to you but you are the only one who can listen and appease it. Acknowledging the message is the first step, and choosing to love yourself enough and letting go of the emotional hurt is the only way you can change your emotional pain and ultimately your physical one.
RELATED: 5 Tips To Help You Develop A Solid Self-Care Plan
Read Also: How To Heal From Emotional Abuse
Youre Overworking One Specific Part Of Your Body
When you repeatedly use just one part of your bodywhether while working out or typing at worka more focused body ache and concentrated pain can take the form of a repetitive motion injury. A common example? Carpal tunnel syndrome.
Doing the same motion repeatedly can cause muscles, ligaments, and tendons to become swollen and inflamed, which causes the ache. In addition to aches, you may notice a lack of strength and reduced range of motion in the affected area.
Ease the aches: Strengthening exercises through physical therapy, wearing braces to keep the area stable, and occupational therapy may be needed to get the body part functioning normally again.
How To Heal The Pain Body By Leveraging Various Healing Modalities
So the inside scoop on how to heal the pain body is to combine therapies or find healing modalities that can meet at least two of the legs of the pain body triangle at once: for instance a combination of meditation and physical therapy, psychotherapy and chiropractic, prayer and psychotherapy, etc
There are healing modalities that can affect the whole continuum, Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy, Network Chiropractic and Somato-Respiratory Integration, Somatic Experiencing and body centered psychotherapies that utilize powerful brain/body, trauma unraveling techniques like EMDR and Brainspotting, to name a few.
And I feel like I need to mention the work that I do, something I call BioSoul Integration.
Don’t Miss: How To Heal From Codependency
You May Want To Steer Clear Of Nsaids
Though you may be tempted to pop a painkiller and call it a day, Arent warns that in doing so you may sacrifice key parts of the muscle rebuilding process. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil and Aleve may ease pain associated with muscle soreness, but they may also prevent your muscles from growing back bigger and stronger. A small study published in the August 2017 issue of Acta Physiologica found that taking the maximum dosage of over-the-counter ibuprofen stalled progress during an eight-week resistance training program geared toward building muscle and strength in young adults.
Use A Vaporizer Or Humidifier
Dry air can make flu symptoms worse. When a flu virus enters your respiratory tract, it gets caught in mucus, which helps prevent infection from spreading. However, when the air is cold and dry, mucus dries up in your airways, making it more difficult for your body to fight the virus.
Maintaining a relative humidity between 40% and 60% in your home can reduce the spread of transmission and relieve respiratory symptoms, such as cough and nasal congestion. It can also help fast-track your healing by reducing pain and inflammation in your throat and helping you sleep better.
Don’t Miss: Herbs That Heal Wounds Fast
Some Muscle Soreness Is A Good Thing But It Shouldnt Last For Too Long
Torn, inflamed muscles sound bad and we certainly want to minimize inflammation in our normal daily lives, because past research has shown chronic inflammation contributes to many chronic diseases but some degree of inflammation can be an important signal for muscle growth and repair, according to Arent. If you help your muscles recover from the damage, theyll likely grow back bigger and stronger, so its not so much that we dont want inflammation to occur, but we want to get it under control as soon as possible, Arent says.
RELATED: The Best Exercises for a Stronger Back
Keep in mind that you dont have to be sore after a workout in order for it to be effective. Soreness means damage, and damage is fine in small doses, but you dont have to create soreness-inducing damage every time you work out. That shouldnt be your goal, Dr. Schroeder says. You dont have to be sore to know you had a good workout.
When Should You Seek Medical Advice For Muscle Aches And Pains
You should seek medical advice if:
- you have a serious loss of movement
- the muscle pain is severe
- your muscle pain is associated with weakness, for example you are unable to bear weight on a leg or use an arm
- the area is swollen and/or warm to touch, or you have extensive bruising
- your muscle pain began after starting a new medicine
- the muscle pain or discomfort has not improved after self-care treatment
- the pain is from a back or neck injury
- the muscle pain is accompanied by fever or
- you have dark-coloured urine.
Read Also: His Stripes We Are Healed
Reducing Fever And Aches With Lifestyle Management
Path To Improved Health
Your muscles may get sore right away. This is known as acute soreness. You may feel them ache or tighten up about 12 hours after you exercise. In some cases, the discomfort may peak 48 to 72 hours afterward. This is called delayed-onset muscle soreness. During this time, your muscles repair and strengthen themselves. Sore muscle pain can improve quickly or last several days.
To help relieve muscle soreness, try:
- Gentle stretching.
- Rest.
- Ice to help reduce inflammation.
- Heat to help increase blood flow to your muscles. Even a warm bath or shower can help.
- Over-the-counter pain medicine, such as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug like ibuprofen .
- OTC creams and gels that contain menthol or capsaicin can ease muscle soreness.
Unfortunately, you cant avoid sore muscles. Its part of getting stronger and healthier. There are some things you can do to help lessen the amount of soreness.
You May Like: How To Heal Leaky Gut With Supplements
Practice Good Sleep Habits
Getting enough sleep is important for managing pain and promoting healing. Practice habits that help you get restful, adequate sleep. For example, make your bedroom quiet and dark, ban electronics from the bedroom, and establish a regular schedule for going to bed and getting up.
See Therapies for Treating Insomnia
Ways To Relieve Pain Naturally
Many people with arthritis want to treat their joint pain without the expense and potential side effects of medications. There are several natural ways to decrease pain and improve day-to-day living. Try one or a combination of these approaches and see what works for you.
Stretching and strengthening your joints affected by arthritis can help decrease pain and increase flexibility. SeeKnee Strengthening Exercises
Also Check: How Long Does It Take To Heal From Lipo
What Is The Pain Body
When people end up reaching out to me for help, often its pain of some sort that has prompted them.
Even when it seems obviously physical I might ask questions about whats going on in their lives.
For example, are there any new relationships, new jobs, have they recently moved, are there any new stresses, have they experienced a recent losses of any sort?
I want to get a sense of where the physical pain is and how it got there and what their experience of it is, for sure.
I also want to understand whats going on around it, how do they feel about it, what they think is going on and I want to have a sense of the timing of the appearance of the pain and where they are on the continuum of their lives.
Because no matter how obvious it seems, physical, psychological and spiritual pain are never separate, they always exist as an interwoven tapestry of experience.
This tapestry of physical, psychological and spiritual pain is the pain body.
This is crucial to understand if you wan to learn how to heal the pain body.
