There hasn’t been a person in the world who hasn’t experienced some sort of muscle ache. Muscle aches are common and happen to people every moment of every day. There are multitudes of muscles inside the body that perform various functions so it’s hard to strictly identify every type of muscle ache, you just know that they’re there. There are treatments for causes of muscle pain that people can follow for relief.
First, what can cause muscle aches? There are many reasons:
- A person who does not warm up before exercise or cool down afterward
- Using the muscle or a muscle group more than usual during the activity
- Muscle tension
- Injuring the muscle during an activity
There are other reasons for your muscles to become achy, or fatigued, and they all don’t have to do with exercise or physical exertion. Muscle aches can also be caused by medical conditions such as illness, chronic fatigue syndrome, thyroid problems, autoimmune disorders, and more.
You don’t necessarily have to go to the doctor for muscle aches. Muscle aches respond really well to home remedies. Some home remedies work better than others, and you’ll just have to find the one(s)that work best for you.
One of the most convenient and easy ways to combat muscle aches is simply by resting the affected muscle. If it hurts, refrain from using that muscle in a particular way and give that muscle time to rest and heal itself. Many people refer to this basic way to ease their minor muscle aches.
Another way to treat your muscle pain at home is by taking anti-inflammatory medication. Ibuprofen is a very good pain reliever, and many people refer to their use of it to ease their muscle pain. People respond differently to different over-the-counter medications, so find the one that works best for you. It may be that your body responds better to a product like Tylenol or even aspirin.
Inflammation is common with muscle aches, so rest and pain reliever may not be enough. You may have to apply ice to the affected area(s) to reduce that inflammation. Icing the affected muscle can also relieve the pain. A common method of icing a muscle ache is to ice the affected area for a period of three days and then if pain persists after that time it’s recommended to use heat. The ice will reduce the inflammation, and after three days the heat will loosen the muscle up.
Here are some other methods to treat muscle aches and pains:
- Stretching
Gently stretching the muscle will make it more elastic, and less prone to injury during an activity. And, stretching is also recommended after strenuous exercise or activity to keep the muscle loose.
- Staying hydrated
Your muscles need to be flexible. If your muscles are dehydrated then they lose much of that flexibility. Keep yourself hydrated to keep muscles “stretchy”.
- Yoga
Static movements like yoga exercise have shown to ease muscle aches. Yoga can easily be implemented into your daily routine to help keep your muscles from aching.
- Meditation
Muscle aches and pains can also be caused by tension, or stress. One way to relieve stress from your life and consequently from your muscles is by learning how to meditate. There are many ways to meditate, so you will have to find the one that works best for you. Meditation can also be easily infused into your daily life if you have frequent muscle aches from stress. These are some great treatments for causes of muscle pain.