After a tough weight-training session or a long run, you might think about reaching for prescription muscle relaxers to ease your pain. While taking a pill might help you feel better in the short term, the long-term effects can be dangerous.
Muscle Relaxer Use
Antispasmodic muscle relaxants, with names such as Flexeril, Soma, Skelaxin, Robaxin, Norflex, Zanaflex and Valium, are often prescribed for treating musculoskeletal conditions including acute lower back pain and muscle spasms. While you might be in considerable pain, general aches that you feel after a grueling workout is normal and should not require the use of muscle relaxers. However, if your exercise session resulted in an injury, you might be prescribed a muscle relaxer. You should consult a doctor before beginning any medication.
Muscle Relaxers for an Injury
The goals of treating a muscle injury with medication include managing muscle pain and improving functional status so you can return to work or resume previous activities, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. A muscle relaxer can help ease the pain from an exercise-related injury, but should not be used long term. Muscle relaxers are only recommended for up to two weeks of continuous use because of the risk of side effects, drug interactions and addiction. A muscle relaxer should never be used during exercise.
Reach for an Advil Instead
While muscle relaxers might work to relieve delayed onset muscle soreness after a tough workout, doctors suggest trying a nonprescription remedy first. The American Pain Society and the American College of Physicians recommend using acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as first-line agents for acute low back pain and reserving skeletal muscle relaxants as an alternative treatment. If pain is still intolerable after trying an anti-inflammatory, and you haven't ruled out an injury, make an appointment to see a doctor.
Try an Ice Bath
You might also consider an ice bath or cold-water immersion as a natural alternative to medicine after a grueling training session. While it might seem counter-intuitive that cold would reduce inflammation, an ice bath constricts blood vessels and decreases metabolic activity, which reduces swelling and tissue breakdown, according to a 2011 Washington Post story. Other non-medicinal suggestions to help prevent post-workout soreness include performing active recovery (take a walk, do some yoga, slowly pedal an exercise bike), properly stretching, or drinking a recovery beverage such as Gatorade or chocolate milk.
