Everyone has experienced muscle soreness at some point in their lives. It's usually pretty easy to figure out why it happens as it is almost always associated with some kind of out-of-the-ordinary physical exertion. If you are exercising with the intent of strengthening your muscles, muscle soreness is something you should expect. In the course of working out or doing some kind of manual labor it is pretty common to damage the fibrous structures of our muscles. It is that damage that you're feeling a few hours later, and it's the fairly rapid healing of that damage that athletes depend on for strengthening and improving their bodies. However, there are things we can do to lessen the pain and speed up the healing process thereby helping to get rid of sore muscles.
Muscle Pain Relief
For temporary relief of muscle soreness an over-the-counter pain killer is pretty effective. A lot of athletic trainers will tell you that you want a certain amount of soreness and that it is a sign your muscles are being worked to a certain point and will come back stronger after a day or two of healing. If your goal is to get stronger and faster, things are going to hurt. If that pain is causing problems with the rest of your life, OTC non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen) will make muscle soreness more tolerable. Be careful to follow the dosage recommendations on the bottle and to consult a physician if muscle soreness persists.
Giving your body the time it needs to heal itself will cut down muscle soreness. The body has pain receptors for a reason—avoidance. We learn to avoid certain activities through a desire not to repeat a painful experience. Muscle soreness is a bit of a mystery if there is no related injury and there really isn't a physical reason not to continue with an activity (even if it leaves you sore). However, it is always beneficial to give things some time to heal before going at it again. Consider designing a rotating schedule of workouts that focus on different muscle groups.
Stretching and warming up before any activity can help prevent muscle soreness. You should be doing this anyway. Even if you are in a hurry, or if your workout is going to be low-key, stretching your major muscle groups will actually get you ready to perform faster. It also helps you feel out the condition of your muscles and find areas that need attention or special care. If you haven't tried it already, yoga (especially the beginning sequence called a "sun-salutation") is a really effective way to stretch out your muscles, joints, and connective tissues and get your blood pumping.
Prevent muscle soreness by being careful not to overdo it. It is important when beginning a workout regimen, trying a new technique, or working a new muscle group, to start out slow. Gradually stepping up performance will be better in the long run. You will learn your limits and when it is okay to push them because you do want to push them. Besides that, when you go balls-to-the-wall from the beginning you are far more likely to injure yourself and that's not going to help your journey toward better health.
Muscle soreness can be reduced through the practice of warming down. It may be counterintuitive, but gradually ending your workout with an aerobic activity (like running) or a stretching regimen (like yoga) can really cut down on the soreness you will feel later on. Some people will suggest staying active even when your body is telling you "no." Continued activity has an analgesic effect and as long as it isn't too strenuous it's not likely to do any more damage. So there is no reason not to do it—other than the pain.
When Muscle Soreness Won't Go Away
For the most part, muscle soreness will go away on its own with a little time to heal. But if it doesn't, it could be a sign that you actually injured yourself more critically than you thought. Sprains, which are injuries to the ligaments, and strains, which are injuries to muscles and tendons, both require further medical attention and possibly even immobilization or surgery. On the more severe side of things, diseases such as fibromyalgia, lupus, cancer, peripheral neuropathy, arthritis, and Parkinson's include soreness as a symptom. If your pain persists beyond a few days, or if you have any parallel symptoms such as a rash, tingling, dizziness, or cognitive impairment, please go to a doctor as soon as you can.
