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Muscle Pain Home Remedies
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Pain can strike any of the more than 600 muscles in your body, heralding itself as a strain, soreness, or a cramp.
In all three cases, overuse is to blame: doing too much, too soon, too often, says Ted Percy, M.D.
If you've already overdone it, don't worry. Here are a host of things that you can do to ease muscle pain.
When to call a doctor
Most of the time, the pain of a sudden muscle cramp, strain, or even extreme soreness is a lot more serious than the injury. But not always.
Cramping, for example, could be the result of a nerve injury, says Allan Levy, M.D. Or, in rare cases, it could be the result of phlebitis—inflammation of a vein. Phlebitis can become serious if a deep vein is involved, but is typically not serious when the inflammation is located in a superficial vein. (For more information, see Phlebitis.)
A strain may not even be what it seems. "This is very rare," Dr. Levy says, "but I had a patient who thought he had badly strained a thigh muscle on a stationary bike. It never improved, and we finally did surgery. He had a huge malignant tumor in the muscle."
The point here isn't to scare you, but to remind you that muscle problems that take on abnormal characteristics and linger may be more serious. Consult your doctor.
Panel of Advisors
Scott Donkin, D.C., is a partner in the Chiropractic Associates in Lincoln, Nebraska. He is also an industrial consultant, providing tips on exercise to reduce stress for workstation users, and the author of Sitting on the Job.
Carol Folkerts is a physical therapist working in the Baltimore County public schools.
Allan Levy, M.D., is a team physician for the New York Giants football team and co-author of The Sports Injury Handbook.
Mike McCormick is a partner with AthletiCo Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy Center in LaGrange Park, Illinois.
Gabe Mirkin, M.D., is an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and in practice at Mirkin Medical Consultants in Kensington, Maryland. He is the co-author of several sports medicine books, including Women and Exercise, and a syndicated newspaper columnist and radio broadcaster.
Edward C. Percy, M.D., is an associate professor emeritus of surgery and physiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson.
Bob Reese is the former head trainer for the New York Jets and past president of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society. He is now an associate professor at the College of Health Sciences in Roanoke, Virginia.
Remedies
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Use an anti-inflammatory drug
Take aspirin, ibuprofen—any of the over-the-counter nonsteroidal drugs, says Dr. Percy. They'll help reduce pain.
Wear warm clothing
If you're exercising in cold weather and feel yourself getting stiff and a little sore, warm up by adding more clothes.
Lose weight
If sore muscles and muscle strains have become a chronic problem, the extra weight you're asking them to move may be at least partially to blame.
Repeat the activity that made you sore
It sounds counterintuitive, but it helps. "Do the activity again the very next day," Reese says, "but with much less intensity. It will help work out some of the soreness."
Put yourself on ice
It's still the first line of defense against swelling and should be used immediately after injury, says Carol Folkerts, a former orthopedic coordinator of physical therapy.
Stretch to strengthen
Give muscles the attention they need, and they tend to do their jobs quietly. Ignore them, and they'll scream for attention by cramping or becoming strained when moved the wrong way.
S-t-r-e-t-c-h
For cramps and spasms, if you gradually stretch the muscle out, you'll get the muscle to relax, says Dr.
Give your muscles a massage
Rub gently, and, as with exercise, stop if it hurts, Dr. Levy says. You also may want to warm the sore area before massaging it.
Change positions
Whether you're bent over a keyboard typing or bent over a bicycle pedaling, your wrists and forearms are vulnerable to cramping and soreness, says Scott Donkin, D.C.
Follow a hard-easy/hard-easy workout pattern
This is advisable because of the 48 hours needed for muscles to recover, says Dr. Mirkin. "All serious athletes train that way."
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Wrap it up
Change up your routine
Change positions