Muscle soreness and stiffness can be caused by a whole range of things. Sometimes your muscles can be sore and stiff due to overuse, for example if you’ve embarked on a huge hike the day before. Other times, muscles feel stiff and sore after a workout – which is a good sign!
But, if you suffer from chronic muscle pain and stiffness and have to deal with this issue regularly, it’s a sign that something isn’t quite right. Having to live with painful, tight muscles on a daily basis is never a nice experience, which is why we’ve put together these tips to help you relieve your symptoms.
Correct Your Posture
Your overall posture could well be the underlying reason as to why you’re suffering from sore and stiff muscles. Muscle stiffness can be caused by bad posture, especially when the muscles are forced into positions that require them to do more work than normal. Poor posture can also make existing soreness and pain worse.
If you’re worried about the amount of muscle pain you are experiencing, it’s a good idea to make a conscious effort to improve your posture. Standing straight and not slouching over when standing or sitting are great places to start. You can also get products to aid your sitting posture.
One such device is the Spinal Backrack. It is a spinal decompression device that massages and stretches out your spine, correcting your posture and providing long-term pain relief at the same time.
Treat Back Pain at Home
Apply Heat Therapy
Heat therapy is one of the most effective remedies for sore and stiff muscles. When your muscles tighten up and become uncomfortable, applying heat to the area – whether it is in the form of a heat pack, hot water bottle, hot bath or shower – can help them to relax, relieving your pain and discomfort. Along with that, using heat can also help to stop any lactic acid build-up in the area around the muscle, ensuring that you’re as comfortable as possible.
You can also alternate thee with ice packs to reduce pain and inflammation.
Keep Moving
Often, our muscles can start to feel stiff and sore if they haven’t been used for a while. If you spend a lot of your time in one position, for example a job which requires you to stand at a counter or sit in an office for long periods of time, this could contribute majorly to your muscle pain and discomfort.
Making sure to take regular breaks in order to keep yourself moving and prevent your muscles from stiffening up is important. Additionally, try to engage in regular physical activity to keep your body muscles active.
Rethink Your Workout
After a good workout, your muscles are bound to feel a little bit sore. But, being in pain and feeling uncomfortable after a workout isn’t as good as some people may think, especially if it happens every time.
When working out, there are different things that you can do in order to protect your muscles and avoid injuries such as a pulled muscle, muscle strain, or even muscle spasms.
Warming up and cooling down effectively are both good strategies. It’s also important to stretch your muscles before working out, too – but do this after you’ve warmed up so that you’re not stretching your muscles whilst ‘cold’, as this could cause damage to the muscles and potentially to other soft tissues as well.
Muscle stiffness and discomfort can often have a reasonable explanation and can be quickly relieved. If your symptoms don’t subside, or if you have come to a point where you now suffer from chronic back pain, it’s important to consult a healthcare professional to get medical advice and medical attention, proper care and medical treatment.
Although you may be feeling pain at the level of your muscles, there may be a different reason why you experience soreness along the back. Conditions such as sciatica, pinched nerve roots, spinal stenosis, disc herniation, or even spinal cord compression in rare cases, are some examples.
Author: Spinal Backrack
