Muscle strains are a common problem for people who are physically active. A strained muscle occurs when a muscle is stretched or torn. This can be related to a sudden movement or from overworking an unconditioned muscle – in other words doing too much too soon.
No matter how it happens, a sore muscle can be painful and it can be difficult to exercise or even carry out normal activities for a few days until it heals. One way to avoid this problem is to not work out too aggressively in the beginning and to avoid doing sudden movements or lifting too much weight too quickly. Muscles need time to adapt. When they’re not given that time, pain and soreness can be the result. What’s the best treatment for sore, overworked muscles?
Treatment for Muscle Strains: What’s Best?
To treat a strained muscle, it’s important to rest. Working a sore muscle will only lead to discomfort and prolong the symptoms. If the muscle strain is only mild, continuing to work out on a piece of exercise equipment that doesn’t place stress on the muscle may be acceptable as long as it doesn’t make the pain worse. Otherwise, taking a few days away from exercise is best.
Treating a Sore Muscle: Stopping the Pain
What about treating the pain and tenderness? There’s some confusion as to which is best for treating a muscle strain – heat or cold. According to a study published in the Emergency Medicine Journal, cold seems to be the most effective treatment for an overused, sore muscle. Some studies looking at use of heat for treatment of muscle strains have shown some benefits, although not consistently. Because an overworked muscle is often inflamed, cold is a better treatment. The best way to use cold to treat common muscle strains is to apply an ice pack or pack of cold vegetables to the sore muscle for ten minutes four to five times a day.
To reduce the pain of a strained muscle, many doctors recommend using an anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen. This provides good symptom relief, but shouldn’t be used by anyone who has a history of peptic ulcer or bleeding problems. They should also be used for longer than five days. If pain persists beyond that time, evaluation by a physician is needed.
Reaching Full Recovery
Once the pain of a muscle strain starts to subside, gentle stretching exercises can be done to gradually restore movement to the muscle and exercise can gradually be reintroduced – being careful to stop at the first sign of pain. To prevent future problems with muscle strains, take it easy on the muscles until they have a chance to adapt.
References:
Merck Manual, 18th Edition.
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