Muscle Pain 101

Muscle pain is caused by a lot of things, and not all of them have to do with excessive exercise. Muscle pain is quite common and may happen unexpectedly. There are a number of reasons why this suddenly occurs, although the intensity levels vary from minor and tolerable aching in certain areas, to really severe pain and cramping. There are times when it is not really muscle pain but pain in the surrounding tissues like tendons and ligaments that give you trouble.

The more common cause of muscle pain is stress or strain due to overuse. Muscles are not machines and need a good rest after a heavy workout. Muscle pain is not usually due to the heavy workout you might have just had but more likely from the lack of rest you give your muscles in-between workout sessions. Over the course of time, the muscles will build up tension and stress and one day will just give in. A lot of times, muscle pain can be caused by having some sort of illness and sometimes it can also be caused as a side effect to the drugs that you are taking. However, if you push your body to the limits and you are chronically fatigued, you are bound to get muscle pain one day.

The best and most effective way to treat muscle pain is to simply let it heal. Ever wondered why a lot of professional players, especially basketball players, wrap their knees in ice and dip their feet in water? It is because this is the most effective way to relax muscles and you should do the same whenever you get a bout of muscle pain. You should let the muscles heal for around 3 days before you can use it again for anything strenuous. The first day should be passed by ice for pain relief and swelling reduction, if there is any swelling at all. The next day you should apply heat to the muscles and then let it rest. On the third day, you can give your muscles a good massage to relive stress, and some stretching would also be good. If your muscle pain is really severe and long lasting, you should then consult with a doctor or a physiotherapist so that you can enrol in some physical therapy sessions, as there may be some underlying problem to it.

However, prevention is better than cure. There are some very simple and easy ways for you to reduce the chances of getting muscle pain. Always remember to warm up before doing anything that is moderately to quite strenuous physical activities, especially sports or before a workout session. Although you may think that this is relatively unimportant, it is a well known fact that stretching before exercise is a must, at least if you don’t want to get cramps or muscle pain. Also make sure to drink a lot of water to avoid cramps and do stretches as a warm-down to end your workout session. Give your muscles rest and they will give you peace of mind in return.