4 Strategies To Soothe Sore Muscles At Home

Muscle aches, also known as myalgia, are common, and almost everyone experiences them at some point. You can experience sore muscles in any part of the body because there are muscle tissues almost all over your body.

Some of the most common causes of sore muscles include;

• Injuring the muscles during physical exercises.

• Muscle tension.

• Overusing muscles during physical exercises.

Sometimes it could also be due to an underlying health condition. Some of the ways you can soothe sore muscles at home include;

1. Massage

This is one of the most common ways of relieving muscle soreness. Massaging helps relax the sore muscles and increases blood and nutrient circulation, improving and speeding up recovery.

You can have someone massage you using essential oils that penetrate the muscles and soothe them. Alternatively, you can buy a massage gun. Not only is it easy to use, but it focuses on the injured muscles and helps eliminate the lactic acid that causes fatigue and soreness.

The vibration from the massage guns offers pain relief to the affected muscles in deep tissue massage. Alternatively, you can buy a massage chair that uses the same vibration concept to massage your muscles.

You can change the vibration settings on both the massage gun and massage chair to match the intensity of the pain in your muscles.

2. Cold or hot compress

Using heat or cold on the effect muscles helps relieve the pain and inflammation on the site. To use heat, you can place a heating pad, hot water bottle, or a heated towel on the affected muscle. You can also use a hot shower or get into a hot water tub.

The heat helps in relaxing and soothing the affected muscles and also offers natural pain relief. This is best for muscle soreness caused by strenuous activities. It also helps increase blood flow to the affected area, which speeds up recovery.

On the other hand, using the cold helps reduce inflammation, bruising, and redness in the affected area. It also helps numb the nerves that sense the pain, acting as a pain reliever. To apply cold on the sore muscles, wrap a bag of ice with a towel and place it over the sore muscles.

3. Get enough sleep

Sleep is a magic remedy to a lot of illnesses and conditions. However, muscle soreness is one of the conditions that get better with enough sleep. Muscle soreness happens because of injuries and tears that occur in the muscles.

Your body needs time to heal those muscles, and the best time to do that is while you sleep. Your body releases higher growth and healing hormones when you sleep than when you are awake, and that helps in faster healing and rebuilding of the damaged muscles.

When you sleep, ensure that your bed is comfortable and does not pressure the affected areas.

4. Increase magnesium intake

Low magnesium levels in the body lead to muscle cramps and soreness. Magnesium plays as a natural muscle relaxer and helps remove excess fluids from the affected tissues, reducing swelling.

There are different ways to increase magnesium levels in your body and use it for muscle sores. The first one is orally consuming more magnesium. Some of the good sources of magnesium include;

• Spinach.

• Nuts like almonds and cashew nuts.

• Seeds like sunflower, flax, pumpkin, and sesame seeds.

• Cocoa powder.

• Swiss chard.

• Black beans.

You could also get magnesium from supplements, but you have to consult your doctor about that first.

You can also apply magnesium topically through Epsom Salt or Magnesium Oil. To use Epsom Salt, dissolve about 2 cups into a bathtub with warm water and sit for around 15 minutes. For Magnesium Oil, apply it to the affected area and massage it into the skin.

Sometimes these home remedies may not work, which is a sign that you should see your doctor. Other signs that you visit the doctor are muscle soreness gets worse after temperature change and muscle soreness accompanied by redness, swelling, and a rush.