What Can I Do for Muscle Pain Relief?

Usually, when our muscles hurt, it’s pretty easy to figure out why. We played golf for the first time in a year or weeded the garden for the first time in spring. We moved too quickly or stood for too long and felt the aches in our back that day. The list of possible reasons is long, but the good news is there are a number of ways to get muscle pain relief.

5 Things You Can Do for Muscle Pain Relief

The best relief for muscle pain comes down to personal preference and what body part is aching, so we want to give you options. If you know your muscles are just sore and not injured, sprained or torn, these tips for relieving muscle pain can help.

Movement

Moving may seem counter-intuitive when you’re in pain, but often moving sore muscles is exactly what helps them to feel better. Just go at an easy pace and use less force and resistance. For example, if your legs are sore from running or skiing, take a slow easy bike ride the next day. If your back or shoulders are sore from playing golf, go swimming the next day or do some gentle yoga. Even just taking a walk around the neighborhood or on a relatively flat local trail can help keep the blood flowing to your sore muscles and help accelerate pain relief and healing.

Massage

Massaging muscles is a great way to help relieve soreness. Before you think, “But I can’t afford a massage,” know that there are plenty of ways to massage your own muscles. Sore feet? Roll a tennis ball under one foot at a time. Sore hamstring? Use a foam roller or massage stick to ease the pain. There are even massage hooks available to get to certain points on your neck and back that are hard to reach on your own. Go to a sporting goods store and try some out to see which might work best for you.

Heat therapy

Like massage, heat can feel good on sore muscles too, especially a stiff and sore back. If you wake up and your back feels not ready to go or you’re relaxing at night and your back is in pain, use a heating pad as directed to increase blood flow and soothe your aching muscles.

Epsom salt

If you have no open wounds, draw yourself a warm bath and add some Epsom salt to help the pain go away. It’s believed that the magnesium in Epsom salt is what makes it a natural muscle relaxant. Combined with the warm water, it’s an easy, serene method of muscle pain relief. Consult your doctor first if you have any chronic skin condition.

Over-the-counter pain reliever

Because muscle pain, especially after exercise, is often caused by tiny tears in muscle fibers that set off the body’s inflammatory response, taking an NSAID like aspirin or ibuprofen may help temporarily relieve pain and inflammation. You can take BC® Original or BC® Cherry as directed for fast-acting muscle pain relief. Keep our on-the-go, sealed stick packs in your gym locker, at work, in your purse or in your pocket for days when muscle pain hits while you’re away from home.