The nature of muscle pain is varied. Some causes require treatment, while others go away on their own. Pathological disorders will be identified by a doctor.

Causes of muscle pain after exercise

Benign pain in the leg muscles after exercise is called sore throat, and muscle tissue disease is called myalgia. The second is accompanied inflammatory process, and ignoring it can lead to atrophy.

Pain activators:

1. Increased concentration of lactic acid released during sports, which causes discomfort and a feeling of heaviness.
2. Small tears in muscle fibers, resulting in acute pain.
3. Severe injuries, such as sprains or muscle tears, begin to hurt immediately.
4. Pathological phenomena are accompanied by myalgia.

The soreness that appears as a result of training disappears within 2-3 days.

Physiological

Such pain can occur due to many factors: physical activity, bruises.

There are a number of reasons that may cause discomfort:

1. Staying in an incorrect position for a long time. The soft tissues do not receive enough blood, the pain goes away after blood circulation normalizes.
2. Uncomfortable shoes.
3. Overweight.
4. History of stroke and heart attack.

Characteristic features of physiological pain:

• tolerant and constant;
• may be accompanied by convulsions;
• It intensifies under load and subsides at rest.

Pathological

There are a number of ailments that require treatment. Myalgia is characteristic of diseases such as:

1. Fibromyalgia. Occurs in all leg muscles and is accompanied by dull, chaotic pain.
2. Cramps. They may occur due to a deficiency of calcium, magnesium and potassium in the body, due to dehydration. Primarily affected by convulsive syndrome calf muscles. They manifest themselves as sudden muscle contractions and “rolling” algia.
3. Myositis. It occurs as a complication due to a viral disease or a significant increase in stress on the legs. Accompanied by dull, increasing pain in the muscles of the lower leg below the knee.
4. Osteomyelitis. When the bone becomes infected, a soft tissue abscess begins. Characterized by unbearable pain syndrome.
5. Neuralgia. Occurs when there is severe compression of the nerves. When nerve endings are pinched, piercing, shooting pain appears. Sharp, impulsive sensations occur with certain movements. The quadriceps femoris is most susceptible to pathology.
6. Intervertebral hernia. Sharp pain pierces from the waist to the thigh, then numbness occurs in the entire leg or part of it.

To localize and treat myalgia, you need to consult a specialist: phlebologist, traumatologist, orthopedist, surgeon or neurologist. First of all, it is necessary to protect the patient from factors that threaten life and health: neoplasms, thrombophlebitis, thrombosis, etc.

Characteristics and localization of leg pain

According to the nature of sensations, sources of pain are divided into groups:

1. Articular – for pathologies leading to changes and destruction of cartilage.

Signs of such pain:

• localized in the joint area and adjacent muscles of the limb;
• increases with load on the legs;
• accompanied by contracture;
• occurs gradually.

1. Bone – for leg injuries, chronic pathologies or old injuries. The intensity is affected by the type and location of the lesion.

Signs of this pain:

• located at the site of bone injury;
• can be given to neighboring areas;
• in case of a fracture, it is accompanied by subcutaneous or open bleeding;
• limitation or complete loss of limb mobility.

In addition to bruises, discomfort is caused by bone diseases (osteoporosis, leukemia, etc.).

1. Neurological – as a result of osteochondrosis, spinal hernia, etc. Due to pinched nerve endings, pain is felt, radiating to the muscles, joints and skin.

Signs of neuralgia:

• pain in the lower back and sacrum;
• high intensity of sensations does not change with immobilization;
• Limbs may begin to become “numb” and have convulsions.

Causes: pinched or pathological nerve endings, lumbar hernia.

1. Vascular. Pain due to disorders in the vascular system has the following character:

• discomfort under the knee joint;
• increases with any load on the legs;
• appears at night;
• provokes varicose veins, swelling;
• occurs due to limb dystrophy;
• possible convulsions when moving;
• increases as a result of long-term load;
• decreases with elevation of the limb;
• “cold foot” syndrome appears.

Elimination of discomfort

You can remove unpleasant sensations with physical exercises, medications and home remedies, massage, water treatments. But in no case should you prescribe treatment on your own in case of severe injury.

Folk remedies

You can reduce the pain that occurs after heavy exertion by using alternative medicine recipes.

The following will help to relax the muscle and reduce sensations:

• local application of badger fat;
• rubbing with pepper tincture;
• applying cabbage leaf.

Use of NSAIDs

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Celecoxib - must be taken with caution and not abused, because they slow down the body's recovery processes. Tablets help achieve only a temporary positive effect, so they cannot be used for full treatment. The use of NSAIDs negatively affects the gastrointestinal tract and liver.

Vitamin preparations

In combination with drug pain relief, multivitamins - Vitrum, Alphabet, Multi-Tabs - have a beneficial effect. They allow you to speed up recovery processes in the body. To maintain performance, it is also recommended to maintain proper nutrition.

Plastic preparations

These funds have a positive effect on the athlete’s condition: they promote protein synthesis, accelerate biochemical processes, and replenish cell structure. The action of the medications in question - Riboxin, Carinitin, Lipocerebrin - is aimed at preserving energy.

Energy drugs

Products such as Methionine, Asparkam, and glutamic acid help restore expended resources. They contribute to the body's resistance to oxygen deficiency.

Adaptogen group

These are pantocrine, ginseng, eleutherococcus. Effective in conditions of hypoxia, increase tone, increase resistance under high loads.

When taken, these drugs are addictive, so you should consult a specialist.

Sports creams, ointments, gels

Topical preparations help activate blood circulation, relieve tone and tension, and reduce pain in joints and muscles.

The use of one or another type of ointment is determined by the nature of the damage and sensations. In case of injuries, cooling gels are suitable - Troxevasin, Efkamon, Gevkamen. They are used to relieve swelling and muscle discomfort after exercise. Another group of products - Nicoflex, Capsicam - is used to warm up the area affected by sprains. Sometimes trainees use them to prepare muscles for stress. When choosing a drug, you should consult your doctor.

Application of compresses

This pain reliever has a good effect, but it can only be used 2-3 days after a serious injury. A fairly common mistake is using polyethylene gasket. The compress is made from a cloth moistened with the drug, spread over the entire affected area, lined with compress paper and cotton wool, and then secured with a bandage. The bandage should not be tight so as not to crush the limb.

Classic foot massage

Circular movements will help increase blood circulation and reduce pain. You can warm up your muscles using ointments. Various massagers are effective in distributing accumulated lactic acid.

How to get rid of soreness in the legs

Out of habit, you may experience soreness after training. The following will help relieve discomfort, warm up and develop muscle fibers:

• physical exercise: warming up and then stretching the muscles;
• warm bath;
• massage;
• as a last resort - medications.

You should not resort to painkillers for the slightest reason. Exercises have the most beneficial and effective effect.

Prevention of post-workout muscle pain

It is necessary to maintain stable loads, monitor your diet, sleep an average of 8 hours a day and drink plenty of fluids. Drinking plenty of fluids activates the kidneys, allowing lactic acid to leave the body faster. The right shoes will help distribute the load evenly.

Pain is a completely expected consequence physical exercise and increasing loads in sports activities. But pain in the muscles can also occur due to pathological disorders, so you should consult a doctor if unreasonable discomfort occurs.

Physical activity is beneficial for the body - this is a proven fact that does not raise doubts. Regular exercise improves well-being, quality of life, speeds up metabolism, helps maintain flexibility and mobility of the body, promotes the growth of muscle mass and increases endurance.

But all these positive moments are slightly overshadowed by one unpleasant by-effect from sports training: muscle pain of varying intensity. Pain syndrome most often occurs in beginners after the first exercises, but even if you are an experienced athlete, muscle pain probably accompanies you during periods of high-intensity loads or when performing weight-bearing exercises.

Many, having felt pain after sports activities, succumb to a common misconception and consider it a sign of a well-done workout and a manifestation of an increase in muscle mass: “it hurts, it means it’s growing.” In fact, severe muscle pain and the inability to move normally the next day, as a rule, are the result of ordinary non-compliance with the exercise technique. Let's take a closer look at what happens in the muscles during training and why pain occurs.

Causes of muscle pain after exercise

There are two types of muscle pain that appears on initial stage sports activities that are considered natural and therefore safe.

One occurs right during training, at the moment when you perform the last, heaviest repetitions of the exercises. Why is this happening?

During training, ATP (adenosine triphosphoric acid), which is the most important source of energy, begins to decompose in muscle tissue and blood. Because of this, hydrogen ions accumulate in the blood and muscles, and the pH of the blood begins to shift towards oxidation. It is because of the “acidification” of the blood that a burning sensation occurs. It passes quite quickly: blood and increased air ventilation in the lungs help the body cope with the accumulated hydrogen ions. But all subsequent pain is associated with microdamage in muscle tissue.

The second is the so-called sore throat, or delayed muscle pain.

It occurs 6-8 hours after physical activity and reaches a maximum after about 2-3 days. As a rule, its appearance is a consequence of unusual or excessively intense physical activity. You have most likely experienced yourself more than once: not only at the very beginning of fitness classes, but also when mastering new sets of exercises or increasing their duration and intensity. This type of pain is caused by microscopic damage or even tears in muscle fibers.

A large number of muscle microdamages inhibit the growth of muscle tissue. This is because muscle growth requires amino acids, which are also needed to heal damaged muscles. Severe damage to muscle tissue “steals” amino acids for healing, thereby preventing muscle fibers from growing.

Traumatic causes of muscle pain

The exact opposite of natural pain is severe pain resulting from injury. This pain is aching in nature, intensifies even with minor exertion and becomes unbearable with sudden movement.

The pain syndrome appears immediately during training, sometimes the next day.

If you experience redness and swelling of the tissues, bruising, or general malaise, this clearly indicates a serious injury to the muscles and ligaments. In this case, do not delay going to the doctor!

The biggest cause of injuries in the gym is carelessness. To avoid unpleasant consequences, it is enough to perform several simple rules. Not worth it:

• start straight away with heavy exercises, skipping the warm-up
• continue to exercise on exercise machines, experiencing any inconvenience
• take on excessive weight during strength training
• During training, ignore the appearance of crunching or clicking in the joints

And don’t forget to listen to your trainer’s advice: under the guidance of our trainers, you can not only get the desired effect, but also learn how to take care of your training safety.

How to get rid of pain after exercise

We've looked at the causes of pain, now let's talk about how to get rid of it. Safe types of pain can be relieved directly during exercise by repeating the exercise that caused it, but with less load. These actions will remove muscle stiffness and ensure increased blood flow, carrying oxygen and nutrients necessary for regeneration to the tissues.

Discomfort in the muscles of the legs and lower body can be relieved with cardio exercises, and pain in the muscles of the upper body can be relieved by doing bodyweight exercises or doing yoga.

If we talk about relieving soreness, there are several effective methods that can quickly relieve pain.

Proper nutrition and sleep patterns

This is of paramount importance for the restoration of muscle tissue. After hard training, your muscles need proteins and carbohydrates: the former supply the amino acids needed for fast healing microtears, and the latter provide the muscles with glycogen. Drinking at least 2 liters of water per day helps remove toxins from the body and prevents dehydration, which leads to muscle fatigue (however, do not overdo it: drinking too much causes the kidneys to work too hard). Don't forget about rest: stick to a routine, try not to go to bed too late and sleep at least 8 hours. Adequate, healthy sleep will help you regain your strength and prepare for new workouts.

Relaxing massage

Massage is very effective method getting rid of sore throat. It relieves muscle tension, disperses lymph, increases muscle elasticity and relieves stiffness.

They know how to properly recover after sports: a new sports massage service will help you regain strength and well-being after a quality workout. Search in Massage’30 and Massage’60 and sign up for a relaxing massage session.

Hot bath or sauna

The sauna at The Base is a great way to relieve muscle pain! During your stay in the sauna, blood vessels dilate, which increases the volume of blood in muscle tissue, promotes the removal of toxins and speeds up the recovery process.

How to avoid muscle pain after exercise

The best thing, of course, is simply to prevent pain from occurring. The simplest and most effective way to avoid pain after exercise is to approach your workouts wisely. You shouldn’t overload your muscles at the very first lesson: experienced trainers at The Base club advise increasing the load little by little, constantly adjusting its duration and intensity. In addition, never waste time on warming up and cooling down.

Warm-up

This is a necessary element of any workout, reducing the risk of injury, warming up the muscles, reducing their stiffness and relieving the athlete of pain after exercise.

Cool down and stretch

You need to finish any workout with simple exercises for all muscle groups, light jogging and stretching. This will help get rid of the lactic acid that has accumulated in the muscles during exercise.

Is it possible to exercise when your muscles are still sore from a previous workout?

This question is often asked by beginning athletes, and there is no definite answer to it; it all depends on the goals that the trainee sets for himself.

If your goal is to gain muscle mass and improve strength results, then it will not be advisable to continue training, since pain indicates that the muscle recovery process has not yet ended.

If training is needed to maintain athletic shape, then the muscles can be loaded, albeit with a lighter load.

If you find yourself in the gym to burn excess fat, then you can and even need to exercise, but the load should be more voluminous and less intense.

Ecology of Health: When muscles do not perform their functions, it affects the entire body. Nevertheless, muscles are still often...

How to get rid of muscle pain

Taken as a whole, the musculature is considered a large, unified organ of the body. The system includes approximately 200 paired muscles (located on the right and left sides of the body), accounting for 40-50% total weight bodies.

Muscles - from the largest to the smallest, from bony to organic - are involved in all movements of the body. They surround our internal organs, help maintain posture, contracting, they help maintain body temperature.

When muscles are damaged and cannot perform their functions properly, the systems they support and influence also become less efficient. The conclusion is simple: when muscles don't perform their functions, it affects the whole body.

Nevertheless, muscles are still often the “neglected children” of conventional medicine. No medical specialty truly focuses on treating muscles. They are often simply overlooked and may even be considered irrelevant in the overall treatment of injuries.

When an injury occurs (fracture, sprain or dislocation), treatment is mainly aimed at the crack, damaged joint or tendon. As a result of one-sided treatment, countless injured people have returned to near, but not complete, normal functioning. A number of their movements remained, albeit slightly, but still limited, and some developed slight numbness. The final part of the treatment - muscle restoration - has not been completed.

Muscles are conductors that ensure stability of movement and joint condition. When a bone or joint is injured, the muscles surrounding it must also be given attention so that they regain the same length and strength they had before the injury.

Athletes know like no one else that even slight muscle pain and numbness, if neglected, can lead to chronic illness, inflammation, and decreased mobility. And after some time, a more severe injury may follow as a result of the fact that proper treatment was not carried out.

Coaches know such cases very well. To avoid tissue inflammation, they typically include rest and cold, the first two parts of the famous RICE formula for caring for musculoskeletal injuries, in their muscle treatments. Some trainers recommend massage and/or the application of moist heat or hot baths to warm up the tissue in hopes of returning the muscles to their normal elastic state.

But there is one flaw in their actions: they do not know that muscles get their own injuries.

Muscles consist of individual bands (fibers) of muscle tissue arranged parallel to each other. These bands interact when the muscle contracts. Muscle tension or injury can restrict the action of one or more of these bands, resulting in what we call a tight spot or tight band. The stress point is located in the tense area.

If you imagine a muscle spasm as a contraction of an entire muscle, then a tight band is something like a microspasm of an individual muscle band. Muscle dysfunction caused by a tense area will remain until the tense area is released.

The muscle structure is flexible, elastic, resilient and strong. You feel when everything is in order with your muscles, because your movements are smooth, easy, and unrestricted. You bend over easily and can, without thinking, stand up, stretch and turn around. The joints move freely, without discomfort or restriction.

When muscles are healthy, you don't think about them. The movement brings nothing but pleasure and pleasant excitement. When touched, you feel that the muscles are soft. You can easily feel the bones that are underneath them. Healthy muscles are not sensitive to touch and do not hurt.

When tension points arise in the muscles, they shrink, lose elasticity and flexibility, and become hard to the touch. If a muscle remains tight for a long time, its blood supply decreases and it becomes looser. You may then experience a constant, deep, dull, aching pain called shingles pain syndrome.

Each pressure point has its own predictable pain pattern, which can be reproduced by pressing on the pain point. Quite interesting is the fact that pain is often felt not at the very point that causes pain. The pain caused by such a point is known as remote pain, and it is felt at some distance from the pain-causing point. This is very important to remember when choosing a pattern to identify the muscle that is causing pain in your body.

So how do tension points arise in a muscle?

It usually starts with some form of mechanical damage or muscle strain. People between 30 and 50 years of age who lead an active lifestyle are most susceptible to developing tension points and, as a result, suffering from shingles pain.

However, it is not just exercise that can cause pain points. Dots can form because you tripped on the stairs, landed poorly when jumping, slept in an awkward position, stretched too far to hit a tennis serve, sat at an irrationally placed computer, played too much football after the winter break, selflessly studied gardening on the first warm day of spring, carrying a box filled with books up the stairs, sitting for a long time on an airplane... The list of reasons for activating tension points is endless, just as the possibilities of movement are endless.

Mechanical damage to a muscle can occur as a result of either overwork or overload.

Overuse of a muscle often occurs when it performs the same action over and over again in the same way. Practicing your backhand while hitting hundreds of tennis balls in a row - good example overwork.

The next day my elbow hurt. What happened? It was just that the muscles of the forearm were performing the same action for a long time, which strained them much more than usual. They contracted, creating tense areas and stress points. The pain from these points began to radiate to the elbow.

Something I call “coach-induced injuries” are examples of muscle overload. The weight control trainer makes you do quadriceps stretches. You have already done 3 sets of 12 reps. Your trainer encourages you: “One more set, just one.” Your body is asking you to stop because your muscles are tired and you just can't imagine doing another set. And yet you do it.

When you get out of bed the next day, you find that you can't stand up straight because your hips hurt so bad. Much more than usual after training. The pain lasts for several days without getting better and noticeably affects your ability to walk, climb stairs, and sit down.

An overloaded muscle is one that has had to exert more effort than it is physically capable of.

Muscles can become overloaded due to three actions. In the example above, the injury occurred due to repetitive overload .

When acute overload you suddenly exert too much muscle effort. Imagine the following scene. A martial artist demonstrates a throw on an inexperienced student. While he grabs the student and tries to throw him to the ground, the student resists to the death. The result is acute strain on the back muscles of the martial artist, who suddenly had to cope with an 80-kilogram weight on his back.

Long-term overload can happen, for example, when you need to lift a heavy box of books up the stairs to the 3rd or 4th floor.

In addition to overwork and overload, direct trauma (from a blow, for example, during a football match), as well as injury from a fall or car accident. Overcooling a muscle can also lead to the development of pain-causing tension points.

There are two types of stress points.

Passive points represent the vast majority of stress points present in the musculature. Everyone has them. Passive stress points result from poor posture, strains, overuse, chronic illness, and repetitive emotional and physical behavior patterns.

Passive stress points lead to numbness and weakness in the muscles they affect, limiting movement in the joints for which these muscles are responsible. Passive stress points do not disappear without direct intervention and can persist for many years.

Chronic tightness of the upper shoulders, which almost everyone experiences, is a good example of passive stress points in the trapezius muscle.

You may feel muscle restriction when you try to stretch the top of your shoulder by tilting your head to the side. If you press on the center of the rounded part of the top of your shoulder, you will likely feel a painful lump there.

This is your stress point. It is caused by the way you hold your arms and shoulders, or by the way you press the receiver to your ear with your shoulder while talking on the phone.

After a slight overvoltage or unexpected overload, this passive stress point can become active.

Active voltage point, formed in a muscle, gives a predictable pattern of distant pain that is characteristic of a specific muscle. Each muscle has its own remote pain pattern.

For example, when a passive tension point in the trapezius muscle becomes active, in addition to numbness, weakness and limited movement, you will feel a deep, aching pain that can extend up the skull to the area behind the ear. The muscle can be so tight and the tension point so irritated that the pain can reach from the ear to the temple.

For a point of tension to become active, something must push this transition. This transformation can take place gradually and take some time. Muscles within the sore area may be sensitive to touch. But the pain will go away only after the stress point is treated.

Pain from stress points varies in intensity throughout the day. It is aggravated by use of the muscle, stretching it, direct pressure on the pain point with prolonged or repeated contraction of the muscle, cold or damp weather, infection and stress. Conversely, symptoms may improve after short periods of rest and with slow, passive stretching of the muscle, especially while moist heat is applied to it.

It has already been said that stress points can be directly activated overwork, overload, direct injury and hypothermia. But tension points can also be activated indirectly. Diseases internal organs, especially the heart, gallbladder, kidneys and stomach, can create stress points in the muscles associated with them. Joint diseases or dysfunction, such as arthritis, add additional stress to nearby muscles and can serve as a source of stress points in these muscles. They also form in muscles that lack movement or, conversely, in those that are under tension for a long period of time. Emotional stress also leads to the appearance of such points.

If a muscle is located in a sore area formed by other active stress points, such points may develop there as well. These points are called satellite points.

In general, the degree of condition of the muscle is a factor that largely determines whether a passive point of tension will become active. Strong muscles are less likely to activate stress points than weak muscles. Active stress points often return to a passive state after sufficient time of rest. However, tension points will not completely disappear without direct treatment. People often complain that the pain returns again, sometimes after several years. Lack of treatment is the reason for this.

So how do you treat stress points? First, such a point must be found in the muscle. This is done using palpation - feeling the muscle with your fingers. Once the point of tension is located, a therapist may give a pain-relieving injection, an acupuncturist will use acupuncture, or a physical therapist will use electrical or ultrasound stimulation, perhaps combined with a manual massage technique or a technique called post-isometric relaxation.

A chiropractor or massage therapist will apply targeted pressure to the point of tension. This is a technique that everyone can use as self-medication. Its key point is to find the point of tension. Many of these points have predictable locations. However, due to physiological differences, stress points can be located in any muscle and anywhere in that muscle.

In a healthy state, the muscles are elastic and flexible, touching them does not cause any pain. But if your knee hurts and you need to bend it, then the muscle with inside the thigh adjacent to the knee will no longer be as flexible. By moving your palms and fingers over this muscle, you will feel tight, tense areas. These are where the stress points are located.

You need to palpate your muscles to get an idea of ​​the difference between soft, flexible muscles and muscles that have tight areas. This may sound more complicated than it actually is. Just relax and channel all your curiosity into your hands. Try to “see” with your fingers. You will enjoy what you can feel.

Palpation of the muscles should be done along the entire length. Feel your body now- Place your palm and fingers on the middle of your thigh.

Imagine that your thigh muscle is clay or dough that you are kneading. Apply pressure to your thigh with your entire hand: palm, fingers, and fingertips. The quadriceps muscle stretches along the entire length of the thigh - from the pelvis to the knee. Try to feel for any tight spots by moving your hand in a criss-cross pattern over the muscle. Feel across the muscle fibers, not along them. If you feel across the muscle fibers, you will be able to feel a tight band; he will be sensitive to touch. In a muscle as large as the quadriceps, the bands of tension can be as wide as electric wires. In smaller muscles, the bands of tension may feel as thin as guitar strings.

Once you find a tense area, do not remove your fingers from it. Try to separate it from the surrounding muscle fibers. Follow its length and you will reach an area that is more sensitive than any other part of the tension band.

In addition, you may notice that during directed pressure on this place, an involuntary muscle spasm occurs. This is what Janet Travell calls convulsive departure. This most painful place is the point of tension.

Once you have found the stress point, apply pressure to it using your fingers, an eraser, a tennis ball, or any other treatment tool. You need to hold down the press for 20-30 seconds. Use moderate pressure as hard pressure is not always good. Press with enough force to feel the tightness of the tape and pain at the point, and maintain the pressure at this level.

Then you will feel amazing things - the muscle under your fingers will begin to release tension and the pain will decrease. At this time, you can increase the pressure a little. After several similar approaches, at some point you will notice that your knee no longer hurts at all.

After working on a muscle, it is very important to stretch. It lengthens the muscle, helping it return to its natural flexibility and length.

When doing muscle stretching exercises, it is very important to monitor the correct body position at this time. You can understand that you are in the correct position only by starting the exercise - you do not have to stretch too far for the muscle to feel it. It is very important to stretch several times a day. It is much more useful to do 6-7 short sessions than one long one. When you stretch, you teach the muscle to return to its normal length. As with any training regimen, repetition is the key to victory.

The combination of stretching and proper breathing is very beneficial for the muscles and is an essential component of the healing process. Muscles naturally relax when resting. Allow your body to relax and your muscles to stretch with each exhalation.

Applying moist heat completes the treatment. It provides a rush of blood to the muscle, stimulates its circulation in the diseased area, which helps normalize metabolism in the muscle. Moist heat can also help relieve some of the muscle pain that may result from pressing on a tight spot. For this purpose, you can use a damp hot pad, applying it directly to the muscle for 20 minutes 1-2 times a day.

Take care to adopt a position that allows you to apply moist heat directly to the relaxed muscle - the muscle that is this moment not tense.

For example, if you want to apply a damp, hot pad to the muscles in your lower back, it is best to do this while lying on your stomach with a small pillow under your ankles. In this pose, the lower back muscles will be relaxed. If you try to apply moist heat to these muscles while sitting, the psoas muscles will strain to keep the body upright. In this case, moist heat will be much less effective.

It must be said that hot baths and warm showers are not as beneficial as applying moist heat directly to the sore area.

To understand that there are points in the body that cause pain, to be able to detect them, and to be able to relieve tension in the muscles, relax and stretch the muscle, and finally apply moist heat to the painful area - these are the components of self-medication, which can lead you to an active life without pain . published . If you have any questions about this topic, ask them to the experts and readers of our project .

Muscle tension is an extremely unpleasant phenomenon, creating serious discomfort, and in a neglected state causing unbearable pain. Faced with such unpleasant sensations, a person, as a rule, begins to massage the painful area, rub it with warming ointments, take painkillers, or even give injections, but all these measures do not solve the problem and the unbearable pain returns again after a short time. To solve this problem once and for all, you need to understand the cause of tension in the muscles and learn how to properly get rid of them.

What is muscle tension

In fact, a muscle clamp, as well as a block, spasm, or muscle armor, is a muscle or group of muscles that cannot completely relax and is constantly under tension. As a rule, it is hypertrophied, blood passes through it more and more difficult, and the efficiency of such a muscle invariably decreases. Moreover, the tight muscle “turns to stone,” interfering with the functioning of the entire body and often causing severe pain with every movement.

What is characteristic is rare person With this problem, he rushes to the doctor or begins to look for the root of the problem. In most cases, he gets used to the discomfort and pain, continuing to maintain the existing muscle tension for months and even years. The result of this is flat feet, curvature of the spine, varicose veins and other serious diseases, including compression of internal organs.

Causes of muscle tension

You will be surprised, but the cause of muscle blocks lies in the plane of psychosomatics. This theory was first expressed by Wolf Messing’s student and founder of the school of psychoanalysis, Austrian psychologist Wilhelm Reich. Based on the principle that our body is a mirror psychological problems person, V. Reich concluded that any psychological conflict remains in the human body as peculiar marks in the form of muscle stiffness and stiffness.

In simple terms, not being able to manage their emotions or not wanting to show them to others, a person simply suppresses them within himself, causing chronic tension in certain muscle groups. That is, muscle tension is nothing more than the body’s defensive reaction to negative feelings.

This theory is also confirmed by reviews from Wilhelm Reich’s patients, who admitted that in childhood and adolescence they unnoticed themselves to learn to suppress their fear, aggression, anger or love by holding their breath, tensing their abdominal muscles, “wringing” their hands and fingers, and mournful grimaces. and other actions that have Negative influence on body functions. And if you repeat these actions regularly, for ten or even twenty years, muscle blocks will certainly arise, and after them psychosomatic diseases.

There are many examples of muscle tension. The habit of smiling, while we do not experience joyful emotions, causes the appearance of facial wrinkles and leads to deterioration of vision. Fear makes you hold your breath, causes tremors in the hands, or forces you to pull your head into your shoulders, causing rigidity in the muscles of the neck-collar area. And even hard work, based on the desire to achieve one’s goal, compresses the body like a spring, leading to muscle stiffness and the formation of the so-called “muscle shell.” Tight muscles compress blood vessels, causing organs to receive less nutrition nutrients. All this leads to metabolic disorders, decreased immunity and various diseases, ranging from osteochondrosis and hypertension, and ending with varicose veins, peptic ulcer and deformation of internal organs.

How to get rid of muscle tension

Unfortunately, modern medicine solves the problem of muscle tension with the help of medications and massage, without taking into account the fact that this is a psychological anomaly. As a result, a long course of restoring muscle mobility often results in wasted time and money “thrown away” on medications. But how then can we eradicate the problem of clamps and remove the wrong approach to using the muscle?

The best way to get rid of muscle tension and relax the muscle shell is Wilhelm Reich’s technique. According to the theory of a famous psychoanalyst, the muscular shell includes 7 segments, consisting of muscles and organs. Only by “dissolving” all 7 segments from the eyes to the pelvis can this problem be solved complex problem called muscle tension.

Let's consider Wilhelm Reich's technique, which allows you to rid the body of muscle tension.

Seven main segments

1. Eyes

Blockage of the muscles in the eye segment is manifested by a stiff forehead and a “waxy” face, like a mask. As a rule, it is formed as a result of holding back resentment. You can loosen it through eye gymnastics, as well as by forcefully opening your eyes. The main thing is that these exercises involve the eyelids and forehead.

The segment in question extends to the muscles of the throat and chin, as well as to the back of the head. For example, a person may experience pain in the jaw muscles caused by systematically holding back anger, crying or screaming. To remove the existing muscle block, you need to imitate crying, make grimaces, bite, perform various movements with your lips, not forgetting about regular massage of the face and frontal area.

3. Neck

The neck segment covers the muscles of the tongue and neck. As in the case of the mouth segment, clamping in this area becomes a consequence of pent-up anger, crying or screaming. To remove this clamp, you need to tilt your head and rotate it in one direction or the other, stick out your tongue, scream and sing.

4. Chest

The thoracic segment includes the arms, shoulders, as well as the muscles of the shoulder blades and the broad pectoral muscles. Problems with the muscles in this area can occur in case of constant holding of breath, which can be a reaction to holding back any emotions, for example, resentment, anger, crying or fear. Any breathing exercises will help dissolve such a block.

5. Aperture

The diaphragm segment oversees the solar plexus, myocardium, muscles of the lungs and other internal organs, as well as the spinal muscles that envelop the spinal column at this level. According to Reich's theory, tightness in this area can be caused by holding one's breath in an attempt to contain intense anger. This is one of the most complex clamps, which, like the previous one, is removed using breathing exercises, but only after all other clamps in the body have dissolved.

6. Belly

This should include the muscles of the back and abdomen. Tension, and subsequently blockage of muscle tissue in this area occurs due to fear of attack, or due to anger and hostility. These spasms are eliminated on their own, but only if the clamps in all other segments are relaxed.

7. Pelvis

This includes all muscles hip joint And lower limbs. Moreover, the stronger the block, the more the pelvis will be pulled back. As practice shows, clamps in this segment appear most often and bring the most painful sensations. Such clamps arise in cases of excitement, anger or pleasure. You can cope with the block in this segment by doing yoga.

By developing fossilized muscles in the desired segment, you will quickly bring your body back to normal, get rid of pain, feel light, prevent numerous diseases and be able to fully enjoy life without being afraid to express your emotions. Remember, by getting rid of clamps, you will stop spending energy on maintaining “petrified” muscles, which means you will increase the tone of your body, be able to relax and feel the harmony of soul and body. Good health to you!

After grueling workouts, muscle pain may appear. This effect of exercise is familiar to both experienced athletes and beginners. Pain occurs within 24 hours and can last up to 3 days.

Muscle pain after training signals that strength training is producing results. It can form after introducing new exercises or increasing the duration of a regular session.

Muscle pain is part of an adaptation that increases the strength of muscles as they regenerate and form. It gradually decreases as the muscles get used to the load.

Benefits and harms of muscle pain

Pain after grueling workouts can be both beneficial and harmful.

Benefit:

If pain appears after strength training, it means that damage has occurred in the muscles. For about 2-3 days, the muscles will recover, forming scars, which helps to increase muscle mass. It is very important to give the muscles a break during this period to consolidate the results.

That is, it is useful pain, which, if you take rest after training, increases muscle growth.

Harm:

If you train too intensely, without allowing the muscles to recover, then pain occurs within 1-2 hours after performing the exercises. It occurs from overwork, which reduces muscle growth and strength.

Muscle pain after exercise can also occur due to injury. If, while doing the exercises, you feel a sharp pain that gradually increases and swelling appears, you need to interrupt the workout. These are signs of injury, in which case it is necessary to go to the hospital.

Harmful pain not only reduces the effectiveness of exercise, but is also dangerous to health (surgery may be required).

Mechanisms of muscle pain

Muscles consist of protein (80%), which during strength training breaks down into amino acids that nourish other organs. During exercise, protein is processed ahead of time and the integrity of muscle tissue is disrupted. This process is called catabolism. At the same time, pain and fatigue appear, which warns of the need for rest. It is during rest that muscles grow.

This is how myofibrillar muscle hypertrophy occurs, which causes pain. Sliding of contractile proteins (myosin and actin) appears inside the muscles, which causes contraction and mobility of the muscle ligaments, making them stronger.

Types of pain

Types of pain after exercise:

View	Description
Moderate (natural)	Forms a day after classes. There is a feeling of malaise and slight pain, which increases with stretching and contraction of the muscles. The pain continues for several days, which indicates the presence of microtraumas in the muscles. Muscle recovery and growth occurs.
Lagging	It is felt 2-3 days after training due to the large interval between workouts, when new exercises are added to the load plan, and also in beginners. The duration of pain is about 4 days, and for beginners up to 7 days. In this case, you need to continue training, but reduce the load.
From overtraining	Phantom pain is felt not only in the muscles, but also in the joints 2-3 hours after exercise. They disappear unexpectedly, just as they appear. Pain occurs with excessive amounts of intense strength training, which are accompanied by frequent microtraumas. In this case, the muscles do not have enough time to regenerate.
From injury	Suddenly there is a sharp pain after performing the exercise. Intensifies when muscles are stretched. This may cause redness and swelling. We need to stop training. If symptoms persist, you should consult a specialist.

Lactic acid as the main cause of pain

During strength training, glucose is broken down in the muscles. As a result, lactic acid appears, consisting of hydrogen and lactate. With a high content of lactic acid, significant pain occurs after exercise. This condition lasts up to 7 days.

Muscle pain after exercise is caused by excess lactic acid.

During physical activity, muscles require a lot of oxygen, which is involved in the regeneration process. During strength training, muscles experience enormous stress, which reduces oxygen content. At the same time, the movement of blood slows down.

When there is a lack of oxygen, the synthesis of adenosine triphosphoric acid begins, which leads to the formation of lactic acid. The level of this substance increases, as a result of which it accumulates, causing pain.

Other causes of muscle pain after exercise

Muscle pain after exercise occurs from the following reasons:

1. Grueling strength training. When the body is overloaded muscle tissue they do not have time to recover, which leads to increased pain, fatigue, and a decrease in the strength of the ligaments.
2. Accumulation of metabolic products. These are mainly hydrogen and free radicals. They appear in significant numbers in those who begin to play sports, especially during their first lessons.
3. Large amplitude exercises. When stretching muscles, pain cannot be avoided. Therefore, before performing such exercises, you need to warm up the muscles.
4. Injury. The appearance of sharp pain when muscles are damaged leads to loss of performance. Muscle fibers do not recover during rest.

Treatment of muscle pain

To treat muscle pain, the following recommendations should be applied:

Medicines to relieve muscle pain

Muscle pain after training is eliminated with the help of medications:

Pharmacological group	Action	Representatives
Nonsteroidal drugs	Relieves inflammation, eliminates pain. They have analgesic and antipyretic properties.	Diclofenac, nurofen, ibuprofen
External preparations (ointment, cream, gel)	Eliminate pain, inflammation, swelling, improve blood flow in muscles.	Finalgon, viprosal, boromenthol
Plastic action preparations	They prevent overwork, increase protein content, and accelerate the growth of muscle mass.	Riboxin, mildronate, methionine
Energy means	They prevent hypoxia, replenish expended resources, and activate the activity of enzyme systems.	Panangin, glutamic acid
Vitamin preparations	Accelerate muscle tissue restoration processes and suppress the negative effects of catabolic processes.	Multitabs Intensive, Ortho Taurine Ergo, Alphabet Effect
Adaptogens	They increase the body's resistance to heavy physical exertion and have a tonic effect.	ginseng, eleutherococcus, mumiyo

Ointment for muscle pain after exercise

To eliminate muscle pain after exercise, ointments are used that have analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and warming properties. They also improve blood circulation in the muscles and relieve swelling.

The most popular ointments:

Tablets for muscle pain

To eliminate pain, tablets from the group of non-steroidal drugs are used. They have analgesic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, and relieve swelling. It is recommended to take the tablets with drugs that protect the gastric mucosa.

For pain, tablets such as nimesil, ibuprofen, diclofenac, and indomethacin are used.

Ways to Reduce Muscle Pain Without Drugs

The main ways to reduce muscle pain:

Hot bath after workout

For muscle pain, you can take hot baths, which have a relaxing, restorative, soothing and vasodilating effect.

When taking a bath you need to follow some rules:

• the water temperature should not be too hot (39-41 Cº);
• take a bath no more than 25-30 minutes. to avoid heavy strain on the heart;
• add 200 g to the bath sea ​​salt, which will soothe and restore muscle fibers;
• take a bath while sitting to avoid drowsiness and loss of strength;
• if the procedure takes place in a shower stall, it is necessary to open the door slightly so that the hot steam does not suffocate.

Massage

Muscle pain after grueling workouts can be reduced with massage. At the same time, muscle tissue is restored and oxygen supply to cells increases.

A massage performed by a professional will have a positive effect. Deep muscle development will improve blood flow, due to which lactic acid levels will decrease faster. Massage procedures must be carried out 12 hours before the next workout.

If you cannot use the services of a professional massage therapist, you can perform the massage yourself. To do this, you will need special devices in the form of rollers. In this case, it is necessary to use models from soft materials so as not to cause additional stress to the muscles. You can also massage with your hands after grueling workouts.

To do this you need to use the following rules:

You can also perform an ice massage to reduce muscle strain.

Folk remedies

You can get rid of muscle pain without medications by using traditional methods.

The following recipes can be used:

1. Bay leaf Grind with juniper (6:1) and add Vaseline. Rub the resulting product into problem areas 2-3 times a day.
2. Mix badger fat(40 g), horsetail (10 g) and a little vegetable oil. The resulting mixture is a good pain reliever.
3. Take a cabbage leaf, grease it with soap and sprinkle with soda. Apply to problem areas overnight.
4. Pour in Adonis herb (0.5 tbsp.) hot water(1 tbsp.). After an hour, strain and take 3 times a day in a course (1 month). After 10 days, repeat the course.
5. Mix the yolk, turpentine (0.5 tbsp.) and Apple vinegar(2 tsp). Treat problem areas overnight, wrapping them in a warm scarf.

Proper nutrition and drinking regime

With proper nutrition, you can influence the intensity and duration of muscle pain after exercise. It is necessary to exclude harmful foods from the diet: dishes instant cooking, carbonated drinks, fried, fatty and salty. You need to eat more vegetables and fruits.

Foods that reduce pain:

Drinking regimen plays a major role in the regeneration process after exercise. With insufficient water intake, the volume of blood in the body decreases and useful material do not enter muscle cells. Because of this, the elimination of toxic substances slows down and inflammation increases.

Therefore it is necessary to use a large number of water during the day (40 ml per kg of body weight). It is recommended to drink no more than a glass of water immediately after exercise, and after 20 minutes. thirst can be removed.

Rest from intense training

After any long work, rest is recommended, including after training. The time required for rest depends on age, level of training, fatigue and level of stress. On average, the body spends up to 10 days restoring muscle tissue.

Beginners should not train more than 3 times a week. As your endurance increases, you can increase the number of workouts. A trainer can help you decide on the length of the break between classes. Next, the body itself will tell you how much time it needs to recover.

If you do not give your body rest between workouts, muscle tissue will not have time to recover, which means muscle growth will stop.

Prevention

In order not to look for ways to eliminate pain, it is necessary to prevent its occurrence.

Basic methods of prevention:

Is it possible to exercise when your muscles are still sore from a previous workout?

At very severe pain It is better to refrain from classes. Strength training should cause development, not pain and fatigue. If you do not give your muscles time to regenerate and continue to load them, this will lead to overload of the body.

You can train even with pain, but it is necessary to load other muscle groups. Exercise stress accelerates the process of muscle tissue regeneration. This is due to increased blood flow and stimulation nervous system.

If a sharp and aching pain appears after exercise, it means that the muscle ligaments are injured. It is necessary to stop training and allow the body to recover.

If you have muscle pain after strength training, you should properly build a workout plan. A coach can help with this, who will correctly select optimal level loads

Article format: Mila Friedan

Video about ways to combat soreness after training

How to recover after training and get rid of muscle pain: