Everyone experiences aching, tired, sore muscles from time to time. Aching muscles can interfere with your quality of life, preventing you from performing certain everyday activities. You may need to limit your participation in activities you normally enjoy, such as sports or hobbies. Luckily, you don't have to suffer endlessly. Certain exercises and stretches may help alleviate or reduce your aches and help you return to your regular activities.
Causes of Muscle Aches
Muscle aches and pains can be caused by exercise, certain types of medication, inactivity, stress, tension, illness or injury. Another common cause of aching muscles is a condition known as fibromyalgia, resulting not only in muscle pain, but sleep problems, headaches, depression and other troublesome symptoms. Muscle aches and pains are normal after intense exercise, even for those in peak athletic condition, according to Dr. J.C. Gerancher, section head of the Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Management department at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. According to Medline Plus, stretching, stress relief exercises and regular physical activity may help alleviate aching muscles.
Benefits of Exercise and Stretching
While muscle aches have a variety of causes, stretching and regular exercise is beneficial for reducing or alleviating pain for most people. Although muscle aches and pains can make you feel like avoiding activity, you may be doing more harm than good, depending on your specific condition and complaints. For example, according to Dr. Peter Ullrich in an article for "Spine-Health," people suffering from backaches generally benefit from performing regular exercise and stretches. Medline Plus says that regular exercise can reduce pain and muscle aches by helping improve your muscle tone. Additionally, exercise promotes the release of your body's natural pain-relieving chemicals known as endorphins.
Types of Exercise
If you typically experience aching muscles after your workout, it could be that you're not properly stretching your muscles. Gerancher says that stretching both before and after your workout can alleviate pain by reduce the effects of lactic acid buildup in your muscles. Stretching is beneficial for almost anyone experiencing muscle aches and pains because it encourages flexibility and range of motion, enabling your muscles to work more effectively and with less pain.
Low-impact aerobic exercise such as cycling, walking, low-impact aerobics and swimming can have a beneficial effect on reducing muscle aches and pain. The most important factor to consider when starting a regular exercise program is to choose an activity that you enjoy and that does not exacerbate your level of pain.
Warning
While occasional muscle aches are normal. persistently aching or painful muscles could be a sign of a serious underlying problem, according to Medline Plus. Consult your doctor if your pain does not go away after three days or is accompanied by other, unexplainable symptoms such as infections or rashes. If you have muscle aches or pains accompanied by shortness of breath, weakness or fever, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
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