Muscle pain is quite annoying and can reduce the quality of life when they are chronic. The causes of muscle pain vary as they can be due to injury, fibromyalgia, viruses, autoimmune diseases, sedentary lifestyle, stress and others. What are the natural remedies we can treat muscle pain?
Massage
A therapeutic massage can help reduce muscle pain, stiffness and provide relief to painful or inflamed joints. It slows the degeneration of cartilage, releasing the accumulated tension from the muscles, offering an overall feeling of relaxation. The main advantage of massage therapy is that the body relaxes, produces more endorphins which act as natural pain relievers and speeds up the recovery process. It also enhances blood circulation, helping to release swelling in affected tissues and slow down inflammation, reducing muscle pain.
What type of massage is recommended for painful joints and muscle pain?
- Swedish Massage : Swedish massage is known for the relaxation it provides and the adaptive pressure it places on areas suffering from muscle pain.
- Lymphatic Massage : Lymphatic massage works to stimulate circulation and remove excess fluids from inflamed muscle tissues.
Thermotherapy
Heat therapy is another effective solution used to treat chronic muscle pain, joint pain and injuries. It is a suitable treatment for chronic problems, such as stiffness caused by arthritis, which causes feelings of numbness and pain.
Important Benefits of Heat Therapy for Muscle Pain Relief:
- Reduces chronic pain.
- Reduces muscle spasm
- Minimizes joint stiffness.
- Promotes collagen expansion.
- It stimulates blood circulation ensuring that muscles, joints and tissues receive all the necessary oxygen and nutrients.
- Speeds up healing.
- Heat therapy helps expand soft tissue, reduces pain, increases blood circulation and speeds healing.
Using Heat Therapy at Home
There are several ways to apply heat therapy that you can use to minimize muscle pain. The most common type is applying a heating pad to the area of pain. The heating pad can be applied for a period of 15-20 minutes to the point that hurts. Another technique is thermotherapy using hot water or hot air, as well as the use of thermoblasts. However, it should not be used in the acute stage of an injury (eg muscle sprains, strains, knee injuries, fractures or dislocations) because it can worsen swelling and inflammation.
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is another natural method that can be used at home to relieve muscle pain. Cryotherapy reduces inflammatory pain, swelling as it reduces blood flow by constricting or closing blood vessels.
It can be used after trauma, post-surgery or even to relieve headaches. Cryotherapy can relieve pain caused within the first 72 hours of an injury, such as a sprained ankle or muscle strain.
It could also be helpful for joint inflammation caused by arthritis, gout flare-ups and even vascular headaches. You can use ice packs, ice packs to apply cold to the painful area.
However, it is important to remember that cryotherapy should not be applied for too long, as it can cause damage to the skin. Also, avoid applying cold directly to the skin, but wrap the ice pack in a thin cloth or towel before application.
Combination of Thermotherapy and Cryotherapy
You can combine heat therapy and cryotherapy by applying a heat pack to the painful area for 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of cryotherapy. This rotation can be repeated several times for maximum muscle pain relief.
Physical therapy
One of the main therapeutic methods is physical therapy aimed at strengthening the muscles and tendons. With physical therapy, the strengthening of the structure around the joint is also achieved. The physical therapist will choose the appropriate treatment, based on the specific injury or strained muscle, from various therapeutic methods. Specifically, guided stretching exercises enhance muscle flexibility and mobility.
After an evaluation, the physical therapist will create a treatment plan that addresses the acute stage of your specific injury as well as your long-term recovery goals. The process of restoration includes training and suggestions for preventing repeat and future injuries.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture uses very fine needles placed at specific points to release natural healing responses. One of them is endorphins. Endorphins change the way we perceive pain. Its benefits are many as it offers relief from muscle pain, reduces any inflammation, improves blood circulation and relieves muscles of tension. Increased blood flow aids healing by bringing in oxygen and other nutrients while removing toxic byproducts associated with injury and inflammation.
