It’s fun spending an hour of your day working out. It is probably the only time when every part of your body gets activated, leaving you energized and uplifted. It’s good when an hour of stretching brings about such a positive change in life. However, there are instances where it could make things worse for you. You must have experienced some grueling pain after heavy work-out. It is painful to the point that bending and stretching the body becomes nearly impossible.
People tend to experience such intense soreness in the muscle when they are new to the work-out or spend longer hours exerting than usual. The pain takes a day or two to unravel. When it does, it is hard to ignore. This condition is called ‘Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness’ (DOMS). This pain usually subsides after 24-48 hours.
When you are experiencing pain, the following are some of the methods that ease the soreness. If the pain is excruciating and continues for several days, then consult a doctor immediately.
Heat and cold therapy: These therapies effectively reduce muscle pain and restore muscle strength after strenuous exercise. For Heat therapy, use a hot water bottle or pad that is heated in a microwave oven. Taking a warm bath also gives excellent relief. For cold therapy, you can use a frozen water bottle or Ice cubes wrapped in cloth or a pad. Gently rub them over the infected area for about 15- 20 minutes. However, don’t apply extreme heat or cold directly to the body as this may do more harm than good.
Warm-up before and after exercise: Your body may fail to cope when you start exercising abruptly and this may cause inflammation in muscles. Therefore make a habit of warming up your body before and after exercise. This way, the body adjusts itself to the changes introduced by exercise. Jumping jacks, walking jacks, arm circles, leg swings are some quick warm-up exercises.
Do light exercise: Do not immediately give up exercising after pain occurs. The soreness in the muscle is a sign that muscles are either getting repaired or growing stronger. Keeping with light exercise will help in supplying oxygen and nutrients to the sore muscles and thus helps the body adapt to the changes.
Stay hydrated: Sometimes, dehydration makes muscle soreness even more painful. Staying hydrated expedites the muscle recovery. When water flows through your body, it flushes out waste and delivers the required nutrients to the muscle.
Massage therapy: Going for massages immediately after the work-out avoids causing soreness in the first place. Today there are a myriad of massagers available. Some you could buy online and some are home massages. Hand massages and 4 hand massages are some home massages. Foam rollers, foot rollers, vibration therapy, and massage canes are readily available online. Here are some massagers you can buy.
Handheld massager: Many best handheld massagers available on the market and even online stores like Walmart. Handheld back massager and handheld neck massagers are also available to treat specific areas. Today Homedics handheld massages are growing popular among massagers.
Handheld vibrating massager: The vibration therapy helps to generate osteoblasts – the cells that store the bone substance. It can be used to treat certain conditions such as muscle weakness and soreness and Parkinson’s disease. It is found that it also improves leg muscle strength, especially in older adults. However, before you resort to any therapy consult a doctor who provides insight into potential benefits and risks of the therapy.
Handheld electric massager: These massagers have different speed levels and massage modes. If you are someone who doesn’t prefer charging the device during massage time, then you can buy cordless, rechargeable massagers. Some of these handheld massagers are portable and absolutely budget-friendly.
Hypervolt massager: These massagers come with 4 percussion options and speed settings. Though initially, you may find it difficult to use the device, with little practice and help from a manual instruction, you can set the ball rolling.
There are many best handheld massagers available today. Due to time constraints, some may find it difficult to visit the stores. Don’t worry! We have many online stores selling a variety of massagers. Click here to buy one.