Constant aching in the muscles due to walking can be painful and debilitating, making other daily activities difficult. Pain and aches can involve more than just the muscles; they can also affect the tendons, ligaments, bones and organs of the body. To properly treat and prevent exercise-related muscle aches, it is important to understand what causes them to occur.
Causes
Persistent muscle aches as the result of walking can be caused by a variety of conditions. Overusing your muscles, such as walking too often or too much, can cause aching muscles. In addition, you can strain or sprain the muscles in the legs and feet if you do not properly warm up or make sudden or jerky movements during walking. You can also experience constant muscle aches if you become physically injured while walking, such as falling.
Treatment
To treat walking-related muscle aches, rest your body until the pain subsides or try a different exercise. Place an ice pack on the aching muscles to help reduce symptoms. After you've rested the muscles, gently stretch or massage them. Take an over-the-counter pain-relieving medication such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin to relieve inflammation and aches. If muscle aches do not subside with home treatment, seek a doctor's care. He can prescribe corticosteroids or surgically repair injured muscles.
Tips
Although exercise such as walking can damage your muscles, it also makes them stronger. This is because muscle damage is followed by muscle regeneration. Aching will typically subside once the muscles adapt and become stronger during exercise. Avoid walking until your muscle ache subsides. If you want to minimize deconditioning, do a different type of exercise such as swimming or bicycling until the muscle aches diminish.
Prevention
Prevent muscle aches as the result of walking by warming up before you workout. For example, start at a slow pace and increase speed and intensity after about 10 minutes. This will help lubricate your muscles, making them less susceptible to injury or tears during the more intense parts of your workout. Walk on soft, smooth surfaces as much as possible. Uneven surfaces force your body to absorb greater impact, which can result in damage to muscles or their connective tissues. Cool down after you workout to help improve circulation to the muscles and minimize aches. Do this by slowing down your walking pace for about five minutes or doing a yoga routine.
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