How to Soothe Aching Muscles

Everyone experiences sore muscles at one time or another, whether it is from helping a friend move a couch, starting a new exercise routine, or simply taking a "bad step" and pulling something. Here are some simple techniques to help alleviate the pain.

Things You'll Need

• muscles
• muscle pain

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Instructions

• 1

  Recognize the source of your pain. Muscles that hurt immediately after (or even during) a workout are probably cramping due to dehydration. Muscles that are sore the day after are reacting to the microscopic tears and inflammation caused by your workout -- not by lactic acid buildup, which is commonly touted as the reason.

• 2

  Before you begin your day, eat a banana and have a glass of milk. Potassium and calcium both help with cramping or sore muscles.

• 3

  Gently, gently, gently stretch the affected muscles. Slowly go to the point of feeling uncomfortable, hold it a few breaths, and release. Repeat five to 10 times or as long as you continue to increase your pain-free range of motion.

• 4

  A warm bath with a few teaspoons of Epsom salts dissolved in it will help. The magnesium in the salt is likely the ingredient that helps muscle pain, although the warmth of a simple bath will help to dissipate soreness as well.

• 5

  While you are warm from the bath, massage the muscle. Do it yourself if you can reach or ask your spouse or significant other to do it. Lavender and peppermint oils are said to be helpful, but they will make you smell like a teenage girl all day. Whether this is desirable is up to you.

• 6

  Keep the muscles moving once they are stretched out (and hopefully less painful by now). If you sit at a desk all day, try to make an effort to take a lap around the office or the block a few times an hour if possible.

• 7

  Rest. This is when the actual healing of the muscle takes place, so unless you want to repeat all these steps every day for the rest of your life, you need rest. Your muscles will recover from the trauma and grow stronger for your next bout of exercise. In any event, you will probably need to do this whole routine for a few days as the muscle heals.