Top Ways to Relieve Sore Muscles and Back Pain

Whether it’s from a medical problem, an injury, or simply going a little too hard at the gym, nothing stops you in your tracks quite like sore muscles or back pain. Soreness decreases your mobility and makes even simple tasks cumbersome. Fortunately, there are ways to help our aching bodies recover. Here are some of the top ways to relieve sore muscles and back pain.

Stretching

Most people know that stretching before and after strenuous activity helps prevent soreness, but what about when you’re already sore? Although our usual first instinct when we’re sore is to move as little as possible, there’s something to be said about keeping the body moving. Doing light exercise like stretching or walking helps increase blood circulation which allows needed oxygen and nutrients to get to your sore muscles.

Proper Sleep

One of the primary ways that the body heals, especially after strenuous physical activity, is through sleep. When we sleep, muscles in the body relax, relieving stiffness and allowing them to heal more fully. The body also produces a protein called cytokine which helps the body fight inflammation while you sleep.

Massage

Another way to get many of the physical benefits of a proper night’s sleep is through a massage. Like sleep, a massage relaxes muscles and encourages the body to produce cytokine, helping with inflammation without some of the issues that arise from other anti-inflammatory tactics like ice baths or medication. Massages can also help produce mitochondria in cells, making them fitter. Massage therapy products are perfect ways to incorporate massage into your daily life.

Physical Therapy

Sometimes, muscle soreness or back pain goes beyond what is usual, potentially implying an underlying issue. If that is the case, it may be time to seek medical attention and physical therapy. Once the source of back and muscle pain is identified, physical therapists can help you to build strength up in these specific areas to relieve muscle pain in the long run.

Pain is part of life but finding ways to relieve sore muscles and back pain that fit into your lifestyle is possible. With proper care and attention, we can help our muscles heal and get back to life as you know it.