4 Good Ways to Manage Muscle Pain
Muscle pain can be caused by a wide range of things like injuries, diseases, and infections. Depending on the root cause, muscle pain can be temporary or long-term. It’s felt like a deep, steady, ache or random sharp pain. Some people may experience muscle pain all over, while others experience it in specific areas.
Muscle pain can affect any person regardless of age or gender. Sometimes, it can be caused by physical activity. Exercise-induced muscle pain is called delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and it usually occurs six to 12 hours after a workout and lasts up to two days.
Causes of Muscle Pain
Many things and conditions can lead to muscle pain, including:
- Injuries. Repeated use of the same muscles at work or during exercise can cause pain from overuse.
- Neuromuscular disorders. Neuromuscular disorders affect muscles and the nerves that control them. These include myasthenia gravis, muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, spinal muscular atrophy, among others.
- Autoimmune conditions. Autoimmune conditions are characterized by an abnormal immune activity that damages healthy tissues. Muscle pain can be caused by lupus, multiple sclerosis, and polymyositis.
- Medications. Certain medications and therapies like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, high blood pressure drugs, and statins can contribute to temporary or chronic pain.
- Infections. Both bacterial and viral infections can provoke muscle pain all over. These include malaria, colds, flu, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and trichinosis.
- Other conditions, such as cancers, chronic fatigue syndrome, Compartment syndrome, fibromyalgia, imbalance of electrolytes, hypothyroidism, peripheral artery disease, and chronic stress can lead to muscle pain as well.
4 Good Ways to Manage Muscle Pain
1. Visit your physician or pain management specialist
Once you’re experiencing the pain, apply a cold compress for the first day or two. You can also use an Ace bandage if your achy muscles are swollen, and take ibuprofen. It’s also a good idea to give your muscles a rest for a few days. The pain might get worse before it gets better, however, if you’re still feeling the pain after three or four days, visit your physician as it might be a more serious injury. But if your pain persists and nothing seems to help, visit a pain management clinic to find out what works for you.
2. Try changing your diet and increase your flexibility
A diet that’s high in bioflavonoids can help you reduce muscle pain. Consider consuming more green, leafy vegetables, green tea, and water (it’s recommended to drink 8 to 12 glasses of water a day). Increasing your activity levels and flexibility will help as well. People with different chronic pains, including muscle pain, report that they have improvements in pain with yoga and stretching exercises. Stretching is especially good for muscles, as it can relax them and lower your risk of different injuries.
3. Try acupuncture
Acupuncture is a type of treatment that involves inserting very thin needles through the skin at certain points on the body, to various depths. An acupuncturist will try to bring blood flow to the area to lessen the pain. He may do this along with acupuncture, electrical stimulation, topical herbs, or even acupressure. Those techniques may cut the pain and soreness in half.
4. Try rolfing
Rolfing is a type of deep connective tissue manipulation that’s targeted at the muscles and the tissues connecting them. It’s often used to manage chronic pain, however, it might also help with soreness after exercise, especially if your regular workout routine includes repetitive motions, like running. Both massage and Rolfing can help lower the ache by stimulating blood circulation to the muscles.
