The Best Treatment Depends on the Type of Muscle Pain
Ice or heat?
When your muscles are screaming for relief, you might not have a clear answer. A lot of people have developed a routine over the years. They tend to stick with it—without considering whether they might need to switch things up to address their current problem.
That’s why the most successful heat and cold treatments begin with a self-diagnosis of the muscle pain you’re dealing with.
Start by doing your best to identify the nature of your muscle pain. Did the pain start suddenly, maybe during an exercise? You probably have an acute injury. Some of the most common examples are muscle pulls, tears, and strains.
An injury is completely different than the soreness that comes from overexerting your muscles during physical labor, a challenging workout, or a sporting event. The biggest difference: inflammation. Injuries become inflamed immediately, so they require a different pain-management approach than common soreness.
Once you’ve gotten clear about what you’re dealing with, it’s time to figure out the best path to ease your pain.
