Muscle aches often last only for a few days, but they can linger for months. Muscle aches can develop almost anywhere on your body--from your legs and feet to your arms and hands--and can involve a single muscle, many muscles together or a combination of muscles, ligaments, tendons and the body's soft connecting tissue. The pain can range from mild to severe, but there are several ways to treat it.
Protection
Keep your weight off the affected area as much as possible, the Mayo Clinic recommends, to reduce the pressure on it while it heals. The University of Maryland Medical Center cautions against doing high-impact aerobic exercise or weightlifting while your muscles are still injured, but it says that, later on, regular exercises such as walking, swimming, or bicycling can help restore proper muscle tone.
Rest
Give the sore area a rest by taking a break from your normal activities, says the Mayo Clinic. Getting plenty of sleep and relaxing through such activities as yoga and meditation can also help heal your muscles, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. After a long rest period, gentle stretching exercises can also prove helpful, the University of Maryland Medical Center says.
Ice
Reduce both pain and inflammation by applying ice to aching muscles for the first 24 to 72 hours after the muscles have been injured, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Placing an ice pack (or even a bag of frozen peas) on the painful area for 15 to 20 minutes three times daily can help, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Heat
Once more than 72 hours have passed after your injury, the painful area may be soothed by applying heat to it, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Low-level heat applied directly to the skin on a continuous basis for at least eight hours (such as through heat wraps) can relieve pain more than short bursts of heat treatments or commonly used pain medications, the American Pain Society says.
Compression and Elevation
Reduce swelling by using a compression bandage on the affected area, the Mayo Clinic says, or by elevating it. Rest your sore foot on a chair for a while rather than standing with it on the ground.
Massage
If your muscle aches are because of either overuse or fibromyalgia, says the University of Maryland Medical Center, gentle massage may help reduce or relieve the pain you feel.
Physical Therapy
You may benefit from sessions with a professional therapist if other ways of trying to alleviate muscle aches are unsuccessful, the University of Maryland Medical Center says.
