How to Recover After a Muscle Strain

A muscle strain occurs when the small fibers in the muscle are overstretched, leading to a partial or complete tear of the muscle. All muscle strains are classified as either Grade 1 (tear of some muscle fibers), Grade 2 (more severe muscle fiber damage) or Grade 3 (complete tear). ^{[1] X Research Source} Most mild to moderate muscle strains heal within a few weeks. Recovery can be quicker and more comprehensive with certain home remedies or professional treatment.

Table of Contents

Recovering from a muscle strain at home

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Act gently and let your muscles rest. Most muscle strain is caused by lifting weights that are too heavy, doing something too often (repetition), moving incorrectly, or having an injury (vehicle accident, sports injury). ^{[2] X Source of Research} The first step in recovery from muscle strain (and most musculoskeletal injuries in general) is rest. You can take a few days off from work or exercise and your muscles will recover faster if you rest for the right amount of time. If a strained muscle takes longer to recover, it could be because a large part of the muscle is torn or a joint or ligament problem is involved.

Pain that is not very intense but persistent is usually a sign of muscle tension, while severe pain and/or sharp pain when moving is usually due to a joint/ligament.
Moderate to severe strains often cause bruises to form quickly and show that some of the blood vessels that carry blood to the muscle have been damaged and leaked.

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Cold therapy for acute muscle strain. If the strain is acute (about a few days) it may be an inflammatory problem and needs to be addressed. ^{[3] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source} When a muscle fiber breaks, the immune system sends out more fluid containing white blood cells. White blood cells clear debris from damaged cells and connective tissue, and lay the groundwork for the healing process. However, too much inflammation creates pressure that causes more intense pain. Therefore, you need to apply cold (ice cubes or frozen gel packs wrapped in thin towels) as soon as possible because the low temperature will help local blood vessels constrict and reduce the inflammatory response. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Cold compresses should be applied for 10-20 minutes every hour (apply longer if the muscle tension is deeper or wider). Then, reduce the frequency of cold compresses as pain and swelling subside.
Applying ice to a tense muscle, and wrapping an elastic bandage or elevating the strained area will help prevent swelling.

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Hot and humid compresses for chronic muscle tension. If the muscle tension persists and becomes chronic (lasting more than 1 month), it is not the swelling that matters most. It is of concern that the muscle is weakened, overstretched, and lacking in normal blood circulation, resulting in insufficient nutrients (oxygen, glucose and minerals). At this time, hot and humid compresses can help relieve muscle tension and spasms, increase blood circulation, and promote the healing of chronically tense muscle tissue. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Apply a warm compress (the type that can be heated in a microwave) on the tense muscle in 15-20 minutes, 3-5 times a day, until the muscle is less tense. Herbal packs often contain wheat or rice flakes, as well as soothing herbs and/or essential oils such as lavender essential oil.
Another way is to soak chronically tense muscles in warm Epsom salt water for about 20-30 minutes as this significantly reduces pain and swelling in the muscles. ^{[6] X Research Source} The magnesium in salt helps to relax muscle fibers, while warm water stimulates circulation.
Do not apply dry heat (eg, a heating pad) for chronic muscle strain to avoid dehydrating the tissue and making the strain worse.

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Take anti-inflammatory drugs. As noted above, inflammation is a major contributor to the symptoms associated with acute musculoskeletal injury such as muscle strain. So, taking an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug in the early stages of an injury is a good practice. ^{[7] X Research Sources} Common anti-inflammatory drugs include Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), Naproxen (Aleve), and Aspirin. However, these drugs are often not good for the stomach, so you should not take them for more than 2 weeks. Anti-inflammatory medications only help relieve symptoms and do not promote healing, but will make working and participating in other activities (when appropriate) more comfortable.

Do not give Ibuprofen to young children. Consult your doctor before taking or giving any medicine to your child.
For more chronic muscle problems, you may consider taking a muscle relaxant (eg, Cyclobenzaprine) to reduce stiffness and/or muscle contractions.

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Try light stretching exercises. Stretching is mainly a measure used to prevent injury, but you can also do it when you have an injury (note to do it with caution and strength). ^{[8] X Research Sources} When the initial pain from acute muscle tension subsides after a few days, you can do some gentle stretching exercises to help strengthen your muscles and prevent cramps. Start practicing 2-3 times per day and hold the stretch for 15-20 seconds while breathing deeply. You need more stretching exercises for chronic muscle tension. Increase the frequency to 3-5 times per day and hold the stretch for 30 seconds until the discomfort subsides.

When stretching properly, the next day you will not feel muscle pain anymore. If the muscle is still sore, it means that you have stretched too much and need to exercise more gently by reducing the intensity.
A common cause of “excessive stretching” is performing a stretch when the muscle is cold. Therefore, you need to stimulate blood circulation or apply heat and moisture to the muscles before stretching.

Seek help as muscles recover

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Deep massage. If home therapy doesn’t help with muscle strain recovery as you think, or you simply want to help your muscles recover faster, you can visit a masseuse for a deep tissue massage. . Deep massage is helpful for mild to moderate muscle tension because it helps reduce muscle spasms, is anti-inflammatory, and helps to relax. ^{[9] X Research Source} Start a 30-minute massage session and let them increase the intensity to as much as you can tolerate. The masseuse can also conduct acupressure therapy that focuses on damaged muscle fibers.

Always drink enough water after a massage to flush the lactic acid and byproducts of inflammation out of the body. If you don’t drink enough water, you may experience a mild headache or nausea.
If the cost of a professional massage is too expensive, you can try using a tennis ball or massage roller instead. Depending on where the muscle tension is, you can roll onto a tennis ball or roller until you feel less tension and pain.

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Ultrasound therapy. The ultrasonic therapy machine generates high frequency sound waves (inaudible to humans) by vibrating crystalline materials, thereby creating a therapeutic effect on soft tissue and bone. Although it has been used by doctors, physiotherapists and chiropractors for more than 50 years to treat many musculoskeletal injuries, the mechanism by which it affects tissue remains unclear. Ultrasound produces a thermal effect in certain modes, which is beneficial for chronic muscle tension, while also reducing inflammation and promoting healing in completely different modes (pulse mode) to Treatment of acute muscle tension. ^{[10] X Research Source} The frequency of ultrasound can be varied to penetrate the body through the surface or much deeper, which is useful in the treatment of shoulder and lower back strain.

Ultrasound treatment is painless and lasts about 3-10 minutes, depending on whether the strain is chronic or acute. The treatment process is repeated 1-2 times per day for acute muscle strain, or less for chronic strain.
A single ultrasound treatment can sometimes provide significant relief from muscle tension. However, it will usually take 3-5 treatments for significant results.

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Consider muscle stimulation treatments. Another effective treatment for acute and chronic muscle strains is electrical stimulation of the muscles. ^{[11] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to the Source} Electrical muscle stimulation is the procedure of placing electrodes on damaged tissue to transmit an electrical current and induce muscle contraction. For acute muscle tension, a muscle stimulator (depending on the mode) can help reduce inflammation, pain, and numb the nerve fibers. For chronic pain, electrical stimulation also helps increase muscle strength and “retrains” the muscle fiber, which helps the muscle fiber to contract more synchronously and efficiently.

Physiotherapists, chiropractors, and sports physicians are health professionals who often use electrical muscle stimulation.
Electrical muscle stimulators can be purchased at medical supply stores, health stores, and online. This device is more affordable than ultrasound equipment but should only be used under the supervision and advice of a healthcare professional.

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Consider infrared therapy. Infrared radiation also belongs to the field of frequency therapy. The use of low-energy (infrared) light waves speeds up wound healing and reduces pain and inflammation, especially from chronic trauma. ^{[12] X Research Source} Experts say that infrared (via handheld devices or infrared saunas) can penetrate deep into the body and improve circulation because it helps generate heat. and dilate blood vessels. The treatment process lasts about 10-45 minutes, depending on the location of the muscle tension and whether the strain is acute or chronic.

In some cases, patients can see significant pain relief within hours of their first infrared treatment. However, the effect will be different on a case-by-case basis.
The pain relief usually lasts for weeks or even months.
Chiropractors, physical therapists, and masseuses are health professionals who often use infrared therapy.

Advice

To prevent muscle strain, you should do a warm-up before performing high-intensity exercise.
Poor care can make muscles weak and prone to strain.
Fatigue muscles from intense exercise are also prone to injury.

Steps

Recovering from a muscle strain at home

Seek help as muscles recover

Advice

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